Consumer Analytics

The love affair between retailers and loyalty programs is in serious distress. Several major retailers have cut or reduced their loyalty programs and more are considering a trial separation. Customers seem to be shrugging off the change for now. As long as they’re getting the discounts, it’s easier for them to not have to carry and swipe their cards or give their phone numbers at checkout.

Mountain View, Calif. – Millennial consumers age 18-34 are most likely to use online and mobile technology in their holiday shopping this year. According to a new survey from the Google 2013 Holiday Intentions Shopping Study, 95% of Millennials but only 87% of consumers age 35 and older plan to use the Internet as a tool for holiday shopping.

New York -- Moms with young kids, defined as children under the age of five, are often more active on social media, more likely to shop using mobile devices and more open to engage with brands across digital touchpoints than other segments of moms and consumers at large. A new analysis from Experian Marketing Services shows that moms with young kids are 62% more likely than the general population to use their mobile phones to look for local coupons while shopping.

Redlands, Calif. — Start-up Fresh Thyme Farmers Market plans to open 50 new stores across 12 Midwestern states over the next six years. To find the right locations, Fresh Thyme is using Esri technology and data to prioritize markets and rate, rank and compare potential sites based on geographic and demographi9c analyses.

San Francisco – Almost nine-in-10 (88%) consumers will shop in stores this holiday season, compared to 75% who will shop online and 16% who will shop via mobile device. A new Harris Interactive survey co-sponsored by Aerohive Networks and Euclid also shows that physical retailers still need to address consumer concerns regarding in-store holiday shopping.

Specifically, consumers are most concerned about crowds (42%), lines (29%), and out-of-stock items (15%) affecting their in-store holiday shopping this year.

New Canaan, Conn. -- Continuing a two-year slide in retail spending momentum, American shoppers will generate only a lackluster 2.9% rise in holiday sales, according to Customer Growth Partners’ 13th Annual Holiday Forecast. The CPG report paints a scenario that is decidedly less cheery than some of the other holiday forecasts that have been released to date.

Orte Madera, Calif. -- Restoration Hardware Holdings announced the appointment of Katie Mitic to its board of directors, effective immediately. Mitic, who will also serve on the board’s audit committee, is a veteran technology leader and entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of strategic product, marketing and business development experience.

New York -- Nearly 90% of Americans repeatedly buy products retailers have on promotion, according to a new survey by Syngera, a global technology startup that uses big data to bring personalized digital experiences to the physical retail store.  In the survey, 85% of respondents said they would return to brick-and-mortar stores when alerted to upcoming sales of previously purchased items.

By James McCandless and Kenneth Katz,  X Team International

The recent government shutdown has analysts scrambling to determine how much damage was done to the national economy. From a retail perspective, understanding the scale and scope of the shutdown requires a more thorough understanding of the issues at play; including a closer look at how retailers responded and a breakdown of how the lingering effects of the partial government closure may impact the holiday sales season.

The ripple effect on retail

Technology continues to evolve at a rapid-fire pace, empowering consumers and businesses with more options and expectations for shopping seamlessly wherever, whenever and however they want. And retailers need to keep up.

In order to succeed in this crucial time, the Naperville, Ill.-based, 900-plus-store office products chain OfficeMax, Inc. recognized that it needed to expedite decision-making to bring website improvements to market more quickly.