Consumer Analytics

Austin, Texas - Nearly seven-in-10 consumers (68%) surveyed strongly believe that digital coupons have a positive impact on a retailer's brand, and 68% also state that coupons generate loyalty. According to a new survey from RetailMeNot Inc. and Forrester Consulting, digital coupons increase the potential for conversion when consumers are in the cart and checkout phase of a purchase, and they play a key role in combating shopping cart abandonment.

St. Petersburg, Fla. – HSN Inc. (HSNi) missed Wall Street expectations for its net income in the second quarter of fiscal 2014. HSN reported net income of $40.9 million, a 5% drop from $43.3 million a year earlier.

Net sales rose 5% to $855.2 million, from $812.6 million. Mobile and digital sales growth helped drive the overall improvement in net sales. Promotions in the company’s Cornerstore business negatively impacted net income.

Zulily remains a company to watch in the e-commerce world with strong second quarter sales growth coming from existing and new customers on mobile devices.

The Seattle-based company’s value priced offering of apparel, shoes, home décor and gifts resonated with shoppers during the second quarter ended June 29. Sales at the four year old company increased 97% to $285 million and adjusted earnings per share nearly doubled to nine cents from five cents the prior year.

Milwaukee – An organized crime syndicate based in Russia has reportedly obtained 1.2 billion passwords and 500 million email addresses from consumers across the globe. According to a report from security research firm Hold Security, the user information has been stolen from 420,000 Internet sites.

Sites range in all sizes and include sites for small businesses and individuals as well as major global companies. Hold Security would not identify any specific companies or industries that were targeted.

Charlotte, N.C. -- Belk Inc. has launched a digital back-to-school campaign with digital and social marketing platform provider HelloWorld. The campaign will run through Sept. 15.

By Jerome Malavoy, CEO and Founder, Trace One

Discount grocer Aldi, Costco and Walmart were recognized as the nation’s low price grocery leaders in a recent study conducted by Market Force Information.

It was the fourth consecutive year Aldi has received the low price distinction in the survey conducted by Market Force, a leading customer intelligence solutions firm. When asked to rank the top grocers offering low prices, the 6,200 consumers who participated in the study ranked Aldi first, Costco second and Walmart third. Aldi president Jason Hart was quick to take a victory lap.

San Francisco – Shopper traffic declined 6% in July 2014 compared to the same month in 2013, due to real wage pressure, favorable summer weather, and a shift towards big-ticket item purchases, according to monthly benchmarks from in-store analytics provider Euclid.

Pittsburgh -- Smartphone-generated revenue by consumers to retailer smartphone-optimized websites was up 97.6%, from July 2014 versus July 2013, according to Branding Brand, a mobile commerce platform.  

The firm’s Mobile Commerce Index for July 2014 shows that smartphones generated 34.9% of total online visits (61.8% iOS, 37.4% Android) up 19.9% from July 2013. Meanwhile, the market share of non-mobile (desktop) visits decreased 13.7%, from July 2013 to July 2014.

As an article that appeared recently right here in Chain Store Age noted, there is something interesting going on with back-to-school shopping this year.