Consumer Analytics

A tech-savvy retailer with an unusual business model is expanding its brick-and-mortar footprint nationally.    b8ta announced plans to open four new stores, designed by Gensler, with locations in San Francisco, San Jose, Calif. (Santana Row), Houston (Galleria), and New York City. The expansion, which brings the company's total store count to nine, kicks off with the opening of a store in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood on Sept. 29.  

Black Friday is still No. 1 when it comes to setting sales records.   Black Friday, which falls on Nov. 24 this year, will be the busiest digital shopping day in U.S. history, exceeding Cyber Monday (Nov. 27) for the second year in a row, according to a report by Salesforce.  

Hurricanes Harvey and Harvey had a similar impact on retail sales and the toll was significant on online spending as well as spending in physical stores.  

Nearly all shoppers will be shopping a variety of channels this holiday season.   Ninety-six percent of shoppers plan to make a purchase from a retailer who has both a physical and an online presence, with 40% of them buying online and picking up in-store, according to a report by the International Council of Shopping Centers. And 81% of those shoppers plan to make additional purchases when collecting their item(s).  

Visual content has made H&M, Topshop/Topman Forever21 the most successful social media brands in the competitive fast-fashion industry.   This was according to data from visual content performance platform ShareIQ. The analysis digs into the data for the first three quarters of 2017 among the top brands in the fast-fashion category in the United States: H&M, Forever21, Uniqlo, Gap, Old Navy, Topshop/Topman, Zara, Mango and American Apparel.  

An uptick in consumer spending could drive sales as high as $1.05 trillion this holiday season.   Retail holiday sales should rise a healthy 4% to 4.5% over last year's shopping season — a factor that could drive sales between $1.04 trillion and $1.05 trillion between November 2017 and January 2018, according to the annual retail holiday sales forecast from the firm’s retail and distribution practices. (Holiday sales are seasonally adjusted, and exclude motor vehicles and gasoline.)  

When connecting with retailers, consumers are warming up to more complex and emerging technologies.   Retailers are starting to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and voice technology into communications with shoppers — and consumers are increasingly receptive. In fact, 79% of shoppers have used text, messenger apps or voice devices, and 74% indicated they have used live chat when shopping.  

Grocers that offer digital resources on e-commerce sites are positioned to attract, convert and retain online customers going forward.   This was according to “Beyond the Supermarket Shelves: How Consumers are Navigating the Grocery Shopping Experience Online and In-store,” a report from PowerReviews.  

Social media plays a huge role — bigger than pricing — when it comes to influencing the purchase decisions of Generation Z.   

CBL is launching a pilot program at two of its malls that will more closely measure the volume and the specific nature of traffic.   The initiative, directed by RetailNext, will place cameras at various points on the properties that not only count heads, but determine shoppers’ genders and approximate their ages within five years. The test will take place at Hamilton Place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Asheville Mall in Asheville, North Carolina.