Consumer Analytics

Digital shoppers enthusiasm for buying beauty products online doesn’t translate into retailer loyalty.    While online sellers of beauty and personal care products continue to capture more market share, online shopper loyalty seems to be elusive, according to report by A.T. Kearney.    

Not only is coupon app usage increasing, but discounts received via mobile devices are influencing where consumers decide to shop.    Mobile coupon usage has increased 42% from 2016, while in-store shopping rewards app usage has increased 34% during the same time period. More importantly, the discounts received via smartphone or other mobile devices are influencing where 67% of consumers decide to shop.   

As recently as the 1990s, the only real form of text-based communication with customers was via email. Today, consumers have a range of social platforms they use to effortlessly communicate — and they expect their shopping experiences to be effortless and, more importantly, seamless across channels as well.    

Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank are not just enhancing customer experiences across their websites — they are personalizing them.   

The user experience is critical to e-commerce success, a factor that makes snafus in Web performance unacceptable.    Performance is so critical that even a 100-millisecond delay in website load time can hurt conversion rates by 7%. Meanwhile, a two-second delay in Web page load time increase bounce rates by 103%, according to the “State of Online Retail Performance,” a report from Akamai Technologies.   

Mass retail is at a crossroads. Many of the iconic brands that are mainstays for our biggest and best malls are announcing layoffs and closures. The traditional brick-and-mortar store continues to see reduced foot traffic and most can’t seem to find a remedy. Amid this retail doom and gloom, however, there is one retailer that is rising above the rest: Ulta Beauty.  

The Harris Poll has released its 29th annual study of America’s top brands, and Kohl’s is one of the retail brands on top.   Kohl’s earned the top position in the department store category of the poll, in which more than 100,000 U.S. consumers assessed more than 4,000 brands across more than 450 categories.    Other retailers named as Brands of the Year included:     Luxury department store: Nordstrom  Off-price: TJ Maxx 

GNC Holdings’ income and revenue declined in the first quarter, but the company said it is encouraged by the results of its marketing and pricing revamp.    Net income totaled $23.9 million, or 35 cents per share during the quarter, compared with $50.8 million, or 69 cents per share, in the year-ago period year. Adjusted earnings were 37 cents per share, which was above estimates.   Revenue totaled $644.8 million during the quarter from $668.9 million last year, but still above estimates.