Consumer Analytics

Many retailers are lagging in their EMV adoption efforts, and many consumers may not care that much.

When it comes to security breaches, consumers are clear about who they hold responsible.

According to a new study from retail services provider Interactions, “Security Hacks and the Lasting Impact on Retailers,” 75% of consumers believe that keeping shopper information safe is the retailer’s responsibility.

Online cashback shopping platform Ebates is branching more heavily into the mobile shopping arena with the acquisition of mobile product discovery app Shopular.

Redwood City, California-based Shopular has more than a million users and offers an intuitive product discovery experience and mobile shopping alerts. Leveraging proprietary geo-targeting technology, the app notifies consumers with relevant deals and coupons when they are near select stores.

The latest retail security breach may have exposed personal information of workers, rather than customers. According to The Denver Channel, a payroll employee of Phoenix-based, 220-plus-store Sprouts Farmers Markets provided W-2 tax form information from an unspecified number of the retailer’s personnel in response to a request in a fraudulent “phishing” email claiming to be from a company executive. The FBI and IRS are investigating the breach with cooperation from Sprouts.

E-commerce platform Shopify wants to help retailers engage customers, regardless of location or platform.

Having already launched integrations with major social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, Shopify is branching out in a big way. The company is allowing developers to build new connections it calls “sales channels,” which can include links to apps, platforms and digital marketplaces.

Online home furnishings retailer Wayfair Inc. is having success with a proprietary feature that may have been inspired by one of the hottest emerging social platforms.

According to Wayfair, its Idea Boards feature is growing rapidly in popularity, especially among users of the retailer’s mobile app. Idea Boards is an online tool that enables customers to save and organize their favorite Wayfair products in one location.

Urban Outfitters Inc. offers what can appear to be a random and eclectic variety of products on its shelves, but careful planning goes into the specialty chain’s store assortment.

Retail CFOs are bullish on online sales growth, but they are focusing fewer dollars on building out their online presence in 2016 as they look instead to enhance the in-store experience in response to omnichannel expectations.

It’s been more than 15 years since they started ringing the death knell for brick-and-mortar retail. And although the Internet shopping base continues to grow, the in-store experience is here to stay. Even the doomsayers have quieted during recent years. There are simply too many things about in-store shopping that the online experience can’t offer.

The growth of digital shopping tools continues to benefit physical stores with new seasonal research from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) showing how much.