Consumer Analytics

San Diego - While showrooming, the process of researching in-store before buying online, remains popular among 76% of consumers, the emerging trend of webrooming, or researching online before buying in-store, is even more common, representing 88% of shoppers. According to “The Rise of Webrooming: A Changing Consumer Landscape,” a report from Interactions, 75% of webroomers believe they can find the lowest in-store price, while 72% prefer online product comparisons and 71% prefer online product research.

Westlake Village, Calif. - Senior retail marketers report that 38% of their total marketing spend is now devoted to digital. According to a research study released by Conversant, nearly 20% of retail marketers reported that digital accounts for 50% to 75% of their total marketing budget.

The new study found strong retailer interest in personalized marketing and advertising. Eighty-six percent of senior retail marketers said that individualized messages can be more effective than mass messages.

Munich, Germany - Contactless payment card shipments accelerated globally in 2013. According to figures released by the Smart Payment Association (SPA), contactless technologies were present on 37% of all smart payment cards shipped in 2013.

By far the greatest increase was experienced in the Asia Pacific region, where contactless shipments grew by 193%, compared to 2012. Other regions around the globe experienced strong growth rates, ranging from 45% in the Americas to 64% in Western Europe.

New York – Maxymiser, a global provider of unified customer experience optimization, is partnering with digital analytics consultancy Pointmarc. The partnership leverages Maxymiser's testing, personalization and targeting tools with Pointmarc's optimization team in an effort to deliver enhanced online experiences for both Maxymiser and Pointmarc clients.

Commerce solutions company Square has introduced Square Feedback, a new product that turns digital receipts into a channel between buyers and sellers.

Square Feedback prompts customers to send feedback about their experiences directly to business owners through their digital receipts. Sellers can also respond directly to customers, resolve issues one on one, and protect their reputations.

Square delivers more than 10 million digital receipts a month.

Julep Beauty has unveiled its first fully customizable monthly beauty box subscription. Beginning this month, subscribers to the Julep Maven service can create their own personalized mix of products for their boxes, choosing from among 2 million possible combinations of full-size beauty products and limited-batch nail polishes.

Cambridge, Mass. -- An ongoing debate in retail is whether it’s a better strategy to use markdowns or everyday low prices. Research by MIT Sloan School of Management visiting professor Özalp Özer and his colleague Karen Zheng at MIT Sloan supports basing pricing strategy on consumer behavior compared to a one-size-fits-all approach.

Whirlpool is taking its latest campaign to social media, and encouraging people to take and share photos of the inside of their refrigerators using hashtag #fridgie — a play on “selfie.”

The concept was inspired by the design of the latest Whirlpool 4-Door French Door Refrigerator.

Pricing has long played a significant role in a retailer’s success, but with the industry continuing to undergo an omnichannel transformation the decisions retailers make about pricing will separate winners from losers.

Brisbane, Calif. – Bebe Stores Inc. reported a net loss of $24.3 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, an improvement from the net loss of $49.3 million recorded in the same quarter a year earlier.

However, net sales were $93.5 million, a decrease of 17.2% from $112.9 million for the third quarter a year ago.

Same-store sales for the quarter decreased 5.7%.