Consumer Analytics

Online reviews, for better or worse, are a permanent part of online reputation marketing for most businesses. Retailers, service providers, franchises, law firms and other professionals hang on every star given by customers. But not all online reviews are the same. In a comprehensive dive into the numbers provided by businesses, the following five conclusions were drawn from the data. 1. Star Ratings Are Important to Searchers

How fast a retailer offers delivery of online purchases plays a big role in sales conversion and loyalty. According to a new survey of 650 U.S. consumers from same-day delivery provider Dropoff, 60% of respondents reported they have decided not to purchase from a retailer due to slow delivery speed. Almost all consumers (97%) said speed is at least somewhat important in determining whether or not they will purchase a product. Forty percent said it is very important.

In a quarter of strong home improvement demand, Mooresville, North Carolina-based Lowe’s reported net earnings of $884 million for the quarter ended April 29, a 31.4% increase over the same quarter lat year. Sales for the quarter increased 7.8% to $15.2 billion. Comp-store sales increased 7.3% overall, and increased 7.5% for the U.S. business.

Purchases from mobile devices continue to rise and upping ad spend is driving results for retailers.

According to data from Rakuten Marketing., purchases from smartphones that originated from a display ad on a computer increased by 52% between the third and fourth quarter of 2015. During that time tablet purchases that resulted from a display ad on a computer grew by 125%.

Retailers’ margins could be under pressure during the first quarter as a new index tracking promotional selling shows full price sales have declined and promotional activity has increased.

Retailers are relying heavily on discounts and promotions so for this year, continuing the trend from the 2015 holiday season of pulling the promotional lever far too often, according an analysis of $5 billion in consumer transactions from January through March conducted by DynamicAction.

The newest concept in beauty retail is called The Glossary and it is arriving on more college campuses courtesy of Barnes & Noble College.

The Glossary concept was piloted at the Barnes & Noble Emory University and Southern Methodist University bookstores and more recently expanded to the campuses of Tulane University and the College of William & Mary. The newest location set to open in August will be on the campus of the University of California at Riverside.

While you wouldn’t know it from first-quarter slump among department stores, total retail sales posted their biggest increase in April in a year, allaying fears of a consumer falloff.

The ubiquity of consumer smartphones offers retailers a new purchase channel, as well as a new tool for customer outreach. According to the fourth quarter 2015 Mobile Wallet Report from Nielsen, 37% of more than 3,700 U.S. adult smartphone and tablet users said their purchases start with mobile shopping more than one-quarter to half of the time.

The typical shoppers takes many steps along the way toward a purchase, and the mobile and social channel are increasingly part of the route. According to a new study of more than one billion brand and customer interactions from customer journey management provider Kitewheel, “State of the Consumer Journey 2016 Report.,” a year-over-year comparison of 2014 to 2015 data reveals that mobile apps represent the fastest growing channel, with interactions increasing tenfold from 2014 to 2015.

When it comes to payments, cash and cards still reign supreme. But one digital alternative is not far behind. Those are among the key findings of a new study, “How America Pays,” by Blackhawk Network, that surveyed more than 1,000 Americans in March 2016 to examine preferences for traditional and emerging payments tools and the role payments play in consumers’ purchasing decisions.