Consumer Analytics

President Trump’s real estate compadres at CBL and Horizon Group are no doubt hoping he holds off on building that wall.   The companies opened The Outlet Shoppes in the Texas border town of Laredo this week and report experiencing high traffic and sales volumes, in large part due to Mexica shoppers flocking to the site.  

  When it comes for help in stores, shoppers are increasingly going mobile.   That is one of the findings of a survey by Salsify, a product content management platform for distributed commerce, which revaled that 77%  of shoppers use a mobile device while shopping in store.  This compares to just 35%  of shoppers who opt to speak to a salesperson if they have questions about a product.  

Virtual reality is making its way to Canada — Lowe’s Canada, that is.   On the heels of Lowe’s “Holoroom How To” virtual reality-based DIY skills-training clinic debut in the chain’s Framingham, Massachusetts store last month, the concept is now available in Lowe’s Canada’s Burlington, Ontario location.  

Convenience stores are poised for another strong quarter.    A combination of low gas prices, strong consumer confidence and warmer weather is expected to continue the year’s already strong sales at convenience stores into the second quarter of 2017, according to the results of a survey of c-store owners conducted by NACS.   A full 80% of convenience retailers expect in-store sales to increase this summer compared to last year, and 57% expect their fuel sales to increase compared to last summer.

Ending its fiscal year with a strong fourth quarter has helped J.Jill hit year-over-year earnings growth for 20 consecutive quarters.   For the quarter ended January 28, 2017, the retailer’s total net sales increased by 14.8% to $166.9 million, up from $145.4 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. Gross profit increased to $105.5 million, up from $91.4 million in the same period last year. As a percentage of total net sales, gross profit was 63.2% compared to 62.9% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015.  

Payment card theft continue to wreak havoc on retailers and shoppers, alike.   In fact, the number of debit cards compromised at United States-based ATMs and merchants rose 70% in 2016, while the number of hacked card readers at U.S. ATMs, restaurants and merchants rose 30% — the highest level in the history of the FICO Card Alert Service, which monitors hundreds of thousands of ATMs and other readers in the U.S.  

Retailers looking for a competitive advantage in these competitive times should consider their restrooms.  

The nation’s largest supermarket retailer is stealing customers from Whole Foods Market.    That’s according to a report by Cincinnati Business Courier, which cites a new study by Barclays investment analyst Karen Short.    Whole Foods has lost up to 14 million customers during the past six quarters, according Short.    

Personalization is no longer just about marketing to demographic groups, customer segments or even personas.   Rather, the concept has evolved into a critical way for retailers to differentiate their brand to compete against companies like Amazon, according to “BRP Special Report: Personalizing the Customer Experience,” a study from Boston Retail Partners.