Consumer Analytics

New York City -- While 43% of smartphone owners have installed and used a retailer's app, only 14% of those who installed them say the app led to a purchase decision, according to the most recent Retrevo Pulse Study, an ongoing study of tech industry trends conducted for the consumer electronics shopping and review site.

San Jose, Calif. -- eBay, which reported income and revenue growth for its third quarter, is seeing increased strength in its mobile business as more customers are turning to their smartphones to shop.

eBay reported that revenue for the third quarter ended Sept. 30 increased 32% to $3 billion, compared with the same period of 2010. The company reported third-quarter net income on a GAAP basis of $490.5 million, up from $432 million in the year-ago period.

WASHINGTON — It looks like this year's holiday shoppers have a renewed focus on value and will comparison shop by utilizing smartphones, tablets and mobile applications to make purchasing decisions, according to the latest National Retail Federation Survey.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears announced that it has expanded its online toy shop to provide parents with a trusted and fun resource for toy advice. 

PALO ALTO, Calif. — A location-based mobile shopping application has teamed up with a supermarket chain to reward users for buying specific products or brands.

Shopkick said users that shop at Giant Eagle now can utilize the app's Kickbuys technology at any of the chain's 228 stores. Shopkick users can collect thousands of "kicks" by buying featured products from many of the world's leading brands, Shopkick said.

By Sven Hammar, CEO, Apica

Armonk, N.Y. -- Jewelry will be one of the brightest categories for U.S. retailers this holiday season, according to a new analytics-based forecast by IBM. Jewelry sales are set to hit $2.6 billion In November, up 7.7% over the year-ago period, IBM reported, and $5.4 billion in December, up 4% over last year.

Woonsocket, R.I. -- CVS Caremark announced the release of the Caremark.com Droid application. Available at no cost at the Android Market, this new application provides Android users with the ability to access the Drug Information Database to learn more about various prescription drugs and allows CVS Caremark plan members to log in and securely manage their prescriptions online.

By Martin Walker and Martin Walker, A.T. Kearney’s Global Business Policy Council

The fastest-growing age group worldwide in this century will be people over the age of 60. What must retailers and manufacturers know to adapt to this older consumer group? In the first-ever international survey of consumers over the age of 60, A.T. Kearney interviewed 3,000 people in 23 countries to find out what mature consumers want. The short answer: prices and labels they can read, packaging they can open, and more places to sit down in stores.