Consumer Analytics

New York City -- A report released Thursday by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs said that 34% of consumers plan to shop on Black Friday, up from 31% in 2010 and 26% in 2009.

“In addition to buying gifts, consumers overwhelmingly indicated that they would be looking for bargains on Black Friday for themselves as well,” said Michael P. Niemira, chief economist and director of research for ICSC.

New York City -- PwC US, in its report Experience Radar 2011: Retail Insights, found that retailers that design differentiated ‘experiences’ around their products and services can drive growth, profitability and lasting consumer loyalty, while also maintaining a price premium over competitors.

The study, based on PwC’s Experience Radar methodology, measured the experiences of more than 6,000 U.S. consumers across 11 industries.

New York City – E-commerce sales in the U.S. for the November and December holiday shopping season will rise 16.8% to $46.7 billion in 2011, up from $39.9 billion last year and representing a pace five times faster than total retail industry growth, according to eMarketer.

That means online sales growth will reach double digits for the third consecutive year, even though the economy remains shaky and consumers are keeping tight budgets.

Cleveland -- Forest City Commercial Management announced that it will test a new survey technology by U.K.-based Path Intelligence to track mall shopping behavior and flow by using mobile phones. 

The surveys will be conducted at Promenade Temecula in Southern California and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Va., from Black Friday to New Year’s Day. They mark the first use of this kind of technology in a mall setting.

NEW YORK — Shoppers today are more knowledgeable than ever when it comes to finding deals on their favorite products, and many won't even set foot in store until they have an idea of their potential savings, according to the Deloitte/Harrison Group annual American Pantry Survey.

New York City -- Excitement over unexpected in-store deals has diminished as discounted prices become an anticipated part of the consumer products shopping experience, according to the Deloitte/Harrison Group annual American Pantry Survey.

By Jacqueline Zenn, [email protected]

New York City -- Deloitte’s 26th annual holiday survey of consumer spending intentions and trends, released Thursday, found that nearly half (48%) of consumers say they most likely will shop for gifts online this holiday season – a 13% increase from last year. 

This makes the Internet the No.1 shopping destination, now tied with discount stores, for the first time since adding the channel to Deloitte’s annual study.

Atlanta -- A report released Thursday by First Data Corp., which tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations, found that, in October, dollar volume growth held steady at 9.4% versus September’s growth of 9.5%.

Overall transaction growth improved to 7.5% in October from 7.1% in September. Inflation continued to be evident in the food sector as Food/Beverage Stores posted average ticket growth of 2.3% for the second consecutive month.

By Dan Pahomi and Peter Leith, [email protected]

Promotions are a key element in any retailer’s arsenal of tools to help drive customer traffic. They are especially important during the holiday season. And, in an economy still fraught with uncertainty, some customers are hardwired only to purchase products on sale. Promotions are crucial for retailers to communicate when new products are available and when they are offering discounts for the items their shoppers want to buy.