Research Topic

Surging home prices and 401K balances have millions of Americans feeling better about their personal balance sheets and the state of the economy, but Walmart’s core shoppers remain under duress and that could spell trouble for second quarter sales.
 

Toronto, Ontario – More than four-in-10 (44%) Canadian back-to-school shoppers want more online options. A new survey from Staples Canada, the Staples Back-to-School Annual Study, also indicates that 70% of Canadian back-to-school shoppers consider a back-to-school budget important.

The survey also uncovered a number of regional differences in back-to-school preferences, such as:

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation has issued statements from president and CEO Matthew Shay and chief economist Jack Kleinhenz on the July employment numbers.

NRF pegged retail job gains at 37,000 in July, with increases in general merchandise, food and beverage and building and garden supply stores.

New York -- Households with school-age children (pre-kindergarten through 12th grade) plan a big cut-back in back-to-school spending. Results of the 2013 Brand Keys Back to School Report Card show that there will be a year-over-year decrease of 10% in back-to-school spending, or an average spend this year of just more than $600 per household.

However, not every retailer will experience a decline in back-to-school profits. This year, the eight retailers showing the greatest increase in consumer intent-to-shop were:

1. Amazon

Portsmouth, R.I. -- Readers now prefer e-books to printed paperbacks and use social media to help make purchase decisions, and Amazon.com is the overwhelming first choice for book purchases. Results of a survey of almost 3,000 readers conducted by novelist Marie Force show that 77% of respondents read e-books and 52% read paperbacks, although multiple answers to this questions were allowed meaning some readers may use both formats.

Scanbuy, Inc. released a quarterly trend report showing continued rapid growth of QR code and UPC mobile barcode scanning traffic. The report shows more than 21 million scans processed in the second quarter of 2013 — good news for retailers who are upgrading their mobile capabilities.

“Retail sales” ranked fourth on this year’s list of the top consumer complaints compiled by the Consumer Federation of America. That’s good news for Walmart.
 

Dodgeville, Wis. – Spending for back-to-school apparel looks strong this year, with more than 95% of parents willing to spend up to $100 just on an outfit for the first day of school. Results of the Lands’ End 2013 Back to School Survey also indicate 92% of parents say a backpack is the single most important back-to-school item for purchase this year.