Consumer Analytics

Six months after the Oct. 1, 2015 deadline for migration to the Europay, MasterCard, Visa (EMV) chip-based payment card standard, retailers and consumers are demonstrating a fast rate of adoption.

According to new data MasterCard has released on usage rates of its EMV-compliant payment cards, 67% of U.S.-issued MasterCard-branded consumer credit cards now feature chips. This represents a 51% increase in the number of consumer credit cards with chips in market since the Oct. 1, 2015 liability shift.

Starbucks is one of the first brands to leverage a new music and entertainment media platform from PlayNetwork.

To further increase both customer and employee engagement, Starbucks can now enable partners (employees) to select in-store playlists and provide a uniquely curated listening experience for customers. The chain is using the platform in more than 7,500 U.S. stores.

When it comes to what keeps retail CEOs up at night, put exchange rate volatility and over-regulation at the top of the list.

That’s according to PwC’s 19th Annual Global CEO Survey, which explores top business concerns of retail and consumer product CEOs.

Of the many different political, social and economic risks businesses face, those that concern retail sector CEOs the most are over- regulation (37% are extremely concerned), exchange rate volatility (36%), an increasing tax burden (33%), and social instability (29%).

Consumers are shopping online more than ever before, and are especially fond of one particular platform to support the activity.

According to the comScore “2016 U.S. Cross-Platform Future in Focus” report from comScore, desktop and mobile digital commerce accounted for 15% of U.S. consumer spending in fourth quarter 2015. This was up from 12.5% the same quarter a year earlier and also represented an all-time high percentage.

When it comes to generating e-commerce revenue, retailers should focus heavily on customer retention.

According the fourth quarter 2015 E-commerce Quarterly report from online marketing technology provider Monetate, despite making up less than half of all e-commerce sessions (48%), returning visitors spent nearly $5.3 billion online. That figure is almost twice as much money as new visitors spent during the same timeframe ($2.7 billion).

Consumers are buying groceries online in increasing numbers, but are following specific trends.

According to a new survey of 12,000 U.S. grocery shoppers conducted by grocery retail consultancy Brick Meets Click and sponsored by SAP hybris, the percentage of U.S. consumers that have purchased groceries online in the past 30 days nearly doubled to 21% in the fourth quarter of 2015 from 11% in 2013. Forty-one percent of consumers have purchased groceries online at some point.

eBay Inc. is attempting to streamline how it serves content to consumers.

eBay has found that online shoppers follow some common patterns in proceeding from wanting a particular item to purchasing it. These patterns are driving the retailer’s new product and search-related enhancements.

Gen Z and Millennials are big on physical stores — even more so than their older counterparts.

That’s one of the findings of a new research study by insights firm iModerate in which 74% of all respondents said it is important for brands to have a physical location rather than solely selling online. Interestingly, 80% of Gen Zers and 82% of Millennials respondents said it is important, compared to 69% of Gen Xers and 65% of Boomers.