Consumer Analytics

Chicago – Consumer adoption of virtual reality (VR) technology is progressing slowly, but that doesn’t mean shoppers aren’t receptive to it. According to the 2015 Future of Retail Study from public relations firm Walker Sands, 30% of surveyed consumers said they would shop more online if they were able to try products on virtually.

About half (49%) of survey participants said they are willing to try the Oculus Rift VR headset when it is released in spring 2015, and 32% are interested in purchasing an Oculus Rift headset.

St. Petersburg, Fla. – HSN Inc. had a successful fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, beating Wall Street estimates for both net income and sales. Net income rose 11% to $68.3 million from $61.6 million, while net sales grew 10% to $1.12 billion from $1.1 billion.

Digital grew 12%, reaching a milestone of representing more than half HSN’s business. Mobile remains the company’s fastest-growing platform with growth of 40% in the quarter.

Apparently a lot of consumers shopped for lingerie and bath products this holiday season, if the profits at L Brands Inc. are any indication.

The Columbus, Ohio-based parent company of Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works reported that it earned $564.8 million, or $1.89 a share, for the quarter ended Jan. 31, up from $489.6 million, or $1.65 a share, a year earlier. Net sales rose 7% to $4.07 billion and same store sales rose 6%.

Record digital and mobile sales propelled HSN Inc. to a better-than-expected 10% increase in sales in the fourth quarter.

The company reported profit of $68.3 million, or $1.28 a share, up from $61.6 million, or $1.14 a share, a year earlier.

Mountain View, Calif. – Google is reportedly testing the inclusion of live chat with businesses linked directly within search results. According to TechCrunch, a search results card will show consumers whether a business they have search for is available for chat, and then immediately launch a Google Hangouts chat if help is in fact available.

New York - L.L. Bean provided the best overall customer service in the fiscal fourth quarter 2014, topping the first quarterly release of Stella Benchmarks. Companies included are part of StellaService’s daily customer care evaluations and weekly product orders.

Two companies – J.Crew and L.L. Bean – managed to rank in the Top 25 overall every month in 2014. So, it comes as no surprise that those two retailers are at the top of the most recent benchmarks.

San Mateo, Calif. – Almost half (48%) of consumers say they purchase more from retailers that leverage shopper interests and buying behavior to personalize the customer experience across all channels.

If we wanted to show the struggles of the classic American mall, I don’t think we could come up with a better example than Northland Mall in Southfield, Michigan. When it opened in 1954, Northland was an instant hit: an icon not only for the region, but for the nation. One of the first and largest open air centers in the nation, Northland was enclosed in 1974 and today boasts space for 96 stores and nearly 1.5 million sq. ft. of retail.

Los Angeles - American Apparel Inc. has named Thoryn Stephens as chief digital officer, a newly created position, and Cynthia Erland as senior VP of marketing. Both Stephens and Erland will assume their roles on March 9 and will report to CEO Paula Schneider.

San Jose, Calif. – Almost all retail IT decision-makers feel vulnerable to insider data security threats. According to the 2015 Insider Threat Report from enterprise data security provider Vormetric, 93% of U.S. retail respondents reported they were "somewhat" or more vulnerable to insider threats.