Consumer Analytics

Walnut Creek, Calif. -- Retailers underestimate how much digital technology influences physical shopping experiences, but their expectations are rapidly catching up to reality. According to a new study from RSR Research, “Commerce Convergence: Closing the Gap between Consumer and Brand,” while 84% of retailers surveyed say a digital presence is very important to build brand awareness, but only 64% say it is very important to drive traffic to stores.

Target.com won’t beat Amazon.com, but Target will by following three core philosophies the retailer’s top digital executive and Amazon.com alum Jason Goldberger shared with attendees at the Internet Retailer Conference and Exposition.

New York – Top management continues to leave Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. in the wake of accusations the retailer sold Chinese hardwood laminate products that had illegal levels of formaldehyde. Ray Cotton, chief compliance officer of Lumber Liquidators, has resigned from the company.

Bellevue, Wash. – American Greetings is the most trusted online retailer. According to the 2015 E-Commerce Online Trust Audit and Honor Roll from The Online Trust Alliance (OTA), 2015’s top 10 most trustworthy online retailers (11 due to a scoring tie) are American Greetings, Cabela's, Drs. Foster & Smith, Fanatics, GameStop, The Honest Company, Jomashop, Kate Spade New York, LivingSocial, Netflix, and SparkFun Electronics.

Sterling, Va. – Sixty-four percent of millennial graduates shopped at Target in the last three months, according to new data by Neustar, Inc. The real-time information services and analytics provider uncovered the buying behavior insights of recent millennial graduates and their preferences.

Some insights include:

Chicago - It may seem counterintuitive, but retailers should welcome the irate shopper who vents their frustration. That’s because it’s the mistreated customer who walks out the door in a silent huff who places the most revenue at risk, according to a collaborative study of dysfunctional retail touch-points conducted by LoyaltyOne, Verde Group and Dr. Deborah Small, professor of marketing and psychology, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

King of Prussia, Pa. – eBay Enterprise has helped its clients reduce average handle time and save money by using the NICE Interaction Analytics solution. eBay Enterprise processes roughly 17 million contacts per year on behalf of its retailers, across a full range of channels including phone, chat, email and social media. Its key focus is on lowering average handle time (AHT), delivering consistent, high quality service, and enhancing the consumer experience.

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) is hiring Mark Mathews as VP of research development and industry analysis. Mathews will develop, evaluate and direct research initiatives for NRF’s Retail Research and Analysis Center, which was announced in April.

Mathews brings more than two decades of research strategy and management experience to his new post.