Research Topic

Ottawa, Canada - Trying to stay competitive with Amazon.com on price may not be the best path to success for department store and discount retailers. According to pricing analysis of 1,000-plus household goods based on Amazon’s own assortment relative to Kohl’s, Walmart, Target and Macy’s conducted by 360pi and Retail Systems Research from March-June 2014, Kohl’s was consistently 30%-60% above Amazon’s pricing for this sample, but also reported the healthiest financials of the group.

New York -- With U.S. social commerce sales expected to reach $14 billion by 2015 and social networks like Twitter and Facebook ramping up their commerce capabilities, a survey by global marketing and technology agency DigitasLBi, and conducted online by Harris Poll, shows that while only 5% of Americans have made a purchase on a social media site, 20% would consider doing so.

San Francisco -- Over two-thirds (68%) of women are more likely to buy from a company that uses models of varying sizes, according to a new study by online fashion retailer ModCloth. And only 13% of women agree that "real women" are accurately portrayed in the fashion industry.

Washington, D.C. -- Household purchases unexpectedly fell 0.1% in July, after rising 0.4% the prior month, according to figures released by the Commerce Department. It was the first drop in six months. On a more positive note, confidence among households hit a seven-year high in August, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- The battle for Family Dollar moved into higher gear on Tuesday with Dollar General raising its bid for Family Dollar to $9.1 billion, or $80 per share, up from $78.50 per share in its previous offer. Dollar General also warned that it would attempt a hostile bid if Family Dollar refused to enter into talks regarding the new offer.

New York -- Walmart, Target, CVS Caremark and the Army & Air Force Exchange Service are among the 50 best companies for Latinas to work for, according the magazine Latina Style.

Walmart ranked No. 10 on the list, Target No. 36, CVS Caremark No. 41 and the Exchange No. 46. The 2014 Latina Style 50 will be published in the magazine’s special August issue, and the companies will be recognized at the magazine’s awards ceremony and diversity conference early in 2015.

Consumer packaged goods companies need to plan for a “1-5-10” market in the United States during the next five years, in which digital’s current 1% penetration will likely expand to 5% and could accelerate to as much as 10% in short order, according to a new report, The Digital Future: A Game Plan for Consumer Packaged Goods, prepared for the Grocery Manufacturers Association by The Boston Consulting Group, Googl

San Francisco – Williams-Sonoma Inc. reported that its third quarter income rose 4% to $50.7 million from $48.9 million in the year-ago period, in line with forecasts. But the retailer issued a disappointing outlook for the current quarter.

Second quarter net revenues grew 6% to $1.04 billion, from $982 million in the year-ago period.

Total same-store sales increased 5.7%. Direct-to-customer revenues grew 9.4%.