Research Topic

Whiting, Ind. — An online consumer survey shows that nearly half of consumers go into brick-and-mortar stores with their smartphones to research items without buying them and then looked for the same item at a lower price online.

The 2,361-adult survey, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin.com between Sept. 18 and 20, found that 43% of smartphone and tablet owners have engaged in the practice, known as "showrooming."

A funny thing happened on the way to the department store: luxury goods became accessible to consumers online and at increasingly deeply discounted prices. Thanks to a spate of discount websites offering “flash sales” or exclusive, limited-time offerings, the flash sale phenomenon has revolutionized the way consumers shop, offering an entry into the luxury market at a fraction of the price.  

Sam’s Club cashiers could become an endangered species if an expanded test of a payment platform at a new club in Kansas City is embraced by members.

No wonder Walmart comps are increasing. Check out the latest monthly report from the ad tracking provider Market Track.

The month saw drop in the number of circulars released to the market by the majority of retailers. However, interestingly we saw flyers increasing pages compared with last year for most of the retailers in the year over year comparison.

Walmart had a significant increase in both the number of circulars as well as number of pages when compared with same time last year.

WHITING, Ind. — An online consumer survey shows that nearly half of consumers go into brick-and-mortar stores with their smartphones to research items without buying them and then looked for the same item at a lower price online.

The 2,361-adult survey, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin.com between Sept. 18 and 20, found that 43% of smartphone and tablet owners have engaged in the practice, known as "showrooming."

Dublin, Calif. -- Epicor Software Corp., a leader in business software solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail and services organizations, announced the company has again been named the leading vendor of point-of-sale software for both specialty soft goods retailers and hard goods retailers by research and advisory firm IHL Group. This marks the second consecutive year that Epicor has been ranked the No. 1 vendor overall in both studies.

Plainview, N.Y. -- Out-of-stocks are the most important overall element that impact satisfaction with the grocery trip experience, according to a study by The Retail Feedback Group. Satisfaction among shoppers unable to find all items they had planned to buy on their shopping trip averaged 3.97 on a five-point scale (with 5 as the highest), compared with 4.54 among shoppers who did find all items.

New York – Alsea, Latin America's biggest restaurant operator, will invest $110 million over the next three years in 220 new Starbucks cafes in Mexico and Argentina, Reuters reported.

Around $75 million of the investment would be put into some 170 new stores in Mexico, which is Starbucks' fastest-growing Latin American market, with the balance going to its number two regional market Argentina, according to the report.

Currently, Argentina and Brazil have about 50 Starbucks stores each.