Consumer Analytics

London, U.K. – Phone calls may seem obsolete in this text- and online-based age, but U.S. consumers are still making the call when they purchase items. According to a new study from call-based marketing automation company ResponseTap, consumers in the U.S. are more than twice as likely to make a phone call when making a purchase, as opposed to purely transacting online.   

By Bruce Ernst, Monetate   Consumers weren’t the only ones who were busy browsing gifts during Cyber Week 2014. In fact, the kickoff to this year’s holiday shopping season saw many retailers staying up late to unwrap key customer insights based on the valuable data being generated by online shoppers.  

VeriFone and First Data are teaming up to help U.S. merchants reduce their exposure to data breaches and expedite merchant acceptance of EMV-enabled credit and debit cards.

Large-scale theft of consumer payment data from merchants’ integrated point-of-sale (POS) systems is among the biggest challenges facing the payments industry.

Online sales at third party marketplaces grew faster than the overall industry, according to cloud-based e-commerce solutions provider ChannelAdvisor.

The digital measurement firm reports that November was a mixed month for e-commerce channels. But Amazon, Google Shopping and Other 3PMs (third party marketplaces) grew materially faster than the 16% e-commerce baseline growth rate comScore had predicted.

Specifically, ChannelAdvisor reports:

San Leandro, Calif. - The U.S. retail sector will add nearly 30,000 jobs through the end of December as the country heads into a strong holiday shopping season. According to a study from HR services provider TriNet, recent job growth in the U.S. retail sector is built on positive consumer confidence, increasing retail spending, and positive job market outlook.   

New York – Macy’s Inc. is exclusively offering a line of high-tech-enabled wallets, briefcases and handbags from Royce Leather. The designer collection features the Royce Leather Freedom Briefcase; a security bag with DNA based fingerprint technology that enables a single user to access the bag.  

Atlanta – Pizza chain Mellow Mushroom is partnering with beer brand Stella Artois to provide rewards to consumers who post photos on Twitter and Instagram, with a little help from their friends. By posting “usies” (“selfies” with a friend) using the hashtag #MellowStellaContest, Mellow Mushroom followers are entered in a contest featuring a getaway and other prizes.  

Austin, Texas - More than half (56%) of Christmas shoppers surveyed typically have gifts left to purchase by the time "Panic Saturday,” the last Saturday to shop for holiday gifts before Christmas (also referred to as "Super Saturday"), rolls around. According to a new consumer survey from digital offers site RetailMeNot, nearly one in 5 (18%) Christmas shoppers surveyed admit that they've actually waited until the Saturday before Christmas to begin shopping for presents.