Research Topic

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. -- Seventy-four percent of workers report they are concerned that the U.S. fiscal cliff will lead to layoffs, according to a survey released Thursday by career transition and talent development consulting firm Lee Hecht Harrison.

In December, the firm surveyed more than 200 workers throughout the U.S. via an online poll asking, “Are you concerned that the U.S. fiscal cliff will lead to layoffs in your organization?” The results were as follows:
Very much 40%; Moderately 22%; 
Slightly 12%; Not at all 26%.

Washington, D.C. -- A report issued Thursday by the Conference Board said that its consumer confidence index fell sharply in December to 65.1 from 75.1 in November, impacted by fears of tax increases and impending government spending cuts.

The fall in confidence is the second straight decline and the lowest level since August.

The survey showed that consumers are slightly more optimistic about current business conditions and hiring. But their outlook for the next six months deteriorated to its lowest level since 2011.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Amazon remains at the head of the class in terms of customer service, according to the annual Holiday E-Retail Satisfaction Index released Thursday by customer experience analytics firm ForeSee.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation welcomed the House vote on legislation intended to avoid middle-class tax increases in the fiscal cliff, saying progress on the issue is critically important.

Greek yogurt is all the rage in the dairy aisle and General Mill’s Yoplait brand of the popular product and other new items made meaningful contribution to the company’s second quarter sales.

Reston, Va. -- Survey results released Monday by comScore revealed that the most recent work-week saw four individual days eclipse $1 billion in spending, led by Green Monday with $1.275 billion.

comScore, which has monitored holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 44 days of the November–December 2012 holiday season, reported that to date $33.8 billion has been spent online, marking a 13% increase versus the corresponding days last year.

LOS ANGELES — Blake Mycoskie, founder of the Toms shoe brand, has donated 100% of the proceeds from his bestselling book “Start Something That Matters.”

Mycoskie has established the Start Something That Matters Foundation with the book’s proceeds, approximately $300,000, to benefit social entrepreneurs and students around the world. The first three recipient organizations of the new fund are the Dell Social Innovation Challenge, Echoing Green and GOOD.is.

Chicago -- E-commerce and digital marketing company Acquity Group announced Monday social media findings that revealed the vast majority of retailers don’t respond to customer tweets.
 
The 2012 Brand eCommerce Audit evaluated Interbrand's 2012 Best Retail Brands on customer engagement across major digital channels, including big browser, social and mobile.