Research Topic

New York City -- The third annual Retail Finance Outlook released Tuesday by CIT Group found that 80% of retail executives expect their holiday sales to increase or remain the same as last year. And they are eying social media as a means to drive sales.

Among the notable shopping days this holiday season, more than one-third of executives expect Black Friday sales to increase this year; more than a quarter expect Cyber Monday sales to be up and nearly a quarter expect Super Saturday sales to increase.

New York City -- Nielsen’s annual Black Friday Shopping Survey, released Tuesday, found that 80% of consumers don’t plan to shop on Black Friday. Of those that do, 71% will head to department stores, 52% to electronics stores, 51% to mass merchandisers and discounters, 40% will shop online, 27% will visit toy stores and 23% will shop warehouse clubs.

CHICAGO — Heading into Black Friday weekend, retailers would be wise to make sure their shelves are fully stocked. According to a study by Harris Interactive on behalf of Galleria Retail Technology Solutions, a provider of retail and category optimization solutions, nearly 70% of U.S. adults would avoid shopping at a retail store if they encountered empty shelves.

Boston -- A report released Monday by CBRE Econometric Advisors, a division of Los Angeles-based CBRE Group, said that the U.S. retail real estate sector’s availability rate is expected to decline to 12.4% by the end of 2012.

In 2013, the national retail availability rate, including neighborhood and community centers, will drop further, reaching 11.7%.
 
In third quarter 2011 the retail availability rate was 13.2%. This rate remains well above the previous availability peak of 11.3% set in second quarter 1992.

Gritty and dry are not words normally associated with a delicious chocolate chip cookie, but that is how Consumer Reports described most of the cookies tested in its December issue, including Target’s Market Pantry and Archer Farm’s brands.

Shipments of digital signage displays to the retail sector are expected to triple by 2013, according to market research firm iSuppli Corp. That’s encouraging news in an industry that faces an uncertain holiday buying season.

Chicago -- Up to 60% more shoppers will enter stores on Dec. 26 than on the same day last year, according to ShopperTrak, the world's largest provider of retail and mall foot traffic counting services. The reason for the increase is due to the calendar: Shoppers will come out in full force on the day after Christmas because it falls on a Monday for the first time in six years. That day will rank third in foot traffic for the holiday shopping season, surpassed only by Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and Super Saturday, the Saturday one week before Christmas.

Consistent with promotional strategies from previous years, Target is offering some insane prices on popular electronics items. Unfortunately, if holiday shoppers follow the advice of Consumer Reports this year they won’t be coming to Target.