Consumer Analytics

San Francisco -- Mobile development platform-provider Moovweb said that Golfsmith has selected its SmartMoov mobile cloud technology to power the golf retailer’s next generation experiential mobile website and iPhone app.

Golfsmith said it chose the SmartMoov platform for its ability to render merchandising features as a compelling "in store" shopping experience on its mobile website and within the app.

Armonk, N.Y. – In-store sales of women’s clothing are expected to see a 9.2% increase in the third quarter of 2012 versus the year-ago period, according to a just-released IBM analytics-based forecast of U.S. retail sales data. The report predicts a 6.2% increase in sales of children’s clothing and a 5.2% increase in footwear. Men’s clothing, however, is forecast to lag, dropping 6.7%.

NEW YORK — The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index continues to rise, thanks to improvements in the housing market.

Purchase, N.Y. -- June spending at small retailers increased 8% in 2012 compared to June 2011, higher than the overall U.S. retail growth rate of 6.9%, according to a new SpendingPulse report issued by MasterCard Advisors in partnership with Wells Fargo. The same report also found that sales growth at small retailers has now outperformed growth of overall retail sales for nine consecutive months, since October 2011.  

Chicago -- Amazon ranks as the coolest mobile or social affiliate program,  according to a survey conducted by EPiServer, a provider of multichannel digital marketing and e-commerce software. The  survey was conducted among CEOs, VPs, directors and e-commerce managers at more than 94 organizations including retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, catalogers, web-only merchants and local-retailers.

New York -- Foursquare announced the release of Local Updates, a new way for retailers to connect with loyal customers when they are nearby. The free tool will allow retailers to offer deals and specials to users in the area that have previously “Liked” or checked-in at their establishment.

New York -- The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index (Index) posted its fourth consecutive increase in June, rising to 3.22 from a reading of 3.09 the previous month. The Index, which tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending, is comprised of four components: tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices.

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- Improving the cross-channel customer experience and optimizing the supply chain ranked as retailers’ biggest challenges in a new study by Oracle. The report also found that mobile access is key: Forty percent of retailers said that providing store associates with mobile access to customer, product, inventory and other information is critical to their business, along with providing the entire organization with a more consistent and complete view of the customer (40%).

New York -- A survey released Tuesday by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman-Sachs found that 42% of U.S. consumers expect to spend more on back-to-school items this year than they did in 2011.

With the back-to-school shopping season already well underway as one-third of households reported that they have begun to shop, ICSC and Goldman-Sachs expect the average household expenditure on all types of back-to-school items will be about $300 this year.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- A recent survey of more than 6,500 U.S. consumers found that Americans consult their social media apps before, during and after retail store visits.

The survey, conducted by customer experience management solution-provider Empathica, found that mobile and social customer experience strategies are becoming more important than ever for brands, with nearly three in four consumers using Facebook to make retail and restaurant decisions.