Research Topic

Tide Pods, a line of laundry detergent capsules from Proctor & Gamble, has partnered with clothing designer and Council of Fashion Designers of America member Tracy Reese.

For the first time, Reese will be introducing machine-washable fashions as part of her fall 2014 collection. The collaboration is in conjunction with the Tide Pods and CFDA Washable Fashion Initiative, a response to the ongoing demand for washable garments and an uptick in consumer appetite for designer fashions.

The retail industry will lose an estimated $8.76 billion to return fraud this year, and $3.39 billion during the holiday season alone, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2013 Return Fraud Survey. Overall, 5.8% of holiday returns are fraudulent, up slightly from 4.6% last year.

Boulder, Colo. -- Nordstrom is North America’s overall favorite fashion retailer for the second consecutive time, according to a new study of more than 6,800 consumers conducted by Market Force Information (Market Force), a provider of customer intelligence solutions.

Kohl’s is the most visited for casual clothing, business attire and children’s clothing, while Dick’s Sporting Goods won out for sports apparel and DSW for footwear.

New York -- Sales at U.S. chain stores were up 2.1% in November, or 3% without the effects of gasoline sales, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. The group had predicted an increase of 3.5% to 4.5%.

“Sales were constrained by weak apparel sales this month,” said Michael P. Niemira, chief economist, ICSC. “November was a very competitive environment for retailers, and the softness in the November tally suggests some cautiousness by consumers.”

Issaquah, Wash. -- Costco Wholesale Corp's November same-store sales missed analysts' expectations, hurt by lower gasoline prices and weak foreign currencies.

Same-store sales were up 2% in the four weeks ended Dec. 1, including the impact of fuel sales and foreign exchange, short of the 3% gain analysts expected.

November net sales rose 5% to $8.78 billion.

Excluding the negative impact of foreign exchange and falling gasoline prices, same-store sales rose 4%.

Coral Gables, Fla. -- The likelihood that shoppers will make a purchase online is directly related to the number of product options that are displayed and to how the product information is displayed, either visually or with text. Research from the University of Miami School of Business Administration found when larger assortments of products (i.e. many options) are displayed with images rather than text, shoppers are less likely to purchase a product.

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Facebook is the lowest scoring brand in the overall ForeSee Customer Experience Index, with a score of 69. The index, a study that examines how today's customer experiences with the top 100 brands across seven industries as reported by Interbrand are predictive of companies' future business success, shows that while Amazon dominates retail industry at the brand level (87), Nordstrom (86), Coach (85), Costco (84) and Tiffany (84) are statistically within reach of the leader.

By Tom Rittman, VP of marketing, The Retail Equation

Retailers around the world are gearing up for the hustle and bustle of the busiest time of year. Experts are projecting consumers will spend $602 billion this holiday season. And with billions in sales, there’s bound to be billions in merchandise returns, which can cause retailers to lose a significant profit margin.

Kroger has extended its streak of consecutive same-store sales growth to 40 quarters — an impressive feat in light of the slow economic recovery.
 
The company reported a same-store supermarket sales increase of 3.5%, excluding fuel, for the third quarter.

"The resiliency of our Customer First strategy … was on full display during the quarter, even as our internal research shows that customers remain uncertain about the economy," Dave Dillon, Kroger chairman and CEO said.

New York -- New York & Co. reported a loss of $3.4 million for the quarter ended Nov. 2, compared with a loss of $3.8 million in the same period last year.

Sales fell to $217.6 million, from $219.3 million, and same-store sales increased 3%.