Research Topic

New York -- The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index, released Tuesday, showed a drop in spending for the second month in a row.

The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.

As new product launches go, Rubbermaid’s Clean & Dry plunger was overshadowed this week by the unveiling of the iPhone 5, depite the innovation it brings to the bathroom cleaning category.

In addition to the Clean & Dry plunger whose key attributes are evident in the name, Rubbermaid also launched the Rubbermaid Bathroom Scrubbers line of cleaning tools. Both products are designed to make bathroom cleaning easier, quicker and more hygienic.

The Home Depot will close its remaining seven big box stores in China, the company announced late yesterday, in order to shift its focus to specialty stores and online offerings in that market.

With shoppers making fewer trips and impulse purchases, the need to influence them earlier and more frequently in the purchase decision-making cycle is critical for sales success. To accomplish this, consumer packaged goods (CPG) retailers and manufacturers are increasingly using cooperative advertising and promotion programs that target shoppers at home when they are most likely to be planning shopping trips and creating lists. As retailers, understanding what your competition is planning for in-home is just as essential to staying competitive as what’s happening in-store.

New York -- Retailers may soon be getting an assist from the weather, according to a Friday report from Planalytics. Businesses should be prepared for a demand spike in seasonal products as consumers react to the change in conditions, the report advises.
 

The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas was ranked among the top 30 public undergraduate business schools in the most recent edition of U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges 2013."

Fort Lee, N.J. -- The majority of shoppers take notice of such packaging claims as "made in the USA," and most of them are more likely to purchase a product after breaking down demographics.

CHICAGO — As holiday sales and foot traffic historically account for about 20% of annual retail activity, a new report by ShopperTrak revealed that consumers will shop more and visit more stores during the peak holiday shopping months of November and December.

The overall drop in number of circulars continued this month, with a six percent decrease in the number of inserts being released to the market among selected retailers.  

The overall number of pages per market remained the same with a marginal increase compared to previous year. Walmart had the largest increase in pages per market with a larger focus on “Back to School” with 5 circulars with a prominent “Back to School” theme.  

Retailers plan to hire an increased number of temporary workers this holiday season, according to a survey by the global consulting firm Hay Group.

"Retailers are betting that 2012 is going to be a great holiday season," said Craig Rowley, vp and global practice leader for Hay Group’s retail practice. "After four years of economic turbulence, they have figured out how to operate in an uncertain business environment and are calm and cool, knowing that they are ready, as they head into the holidays."