Consumer Analytics

Dallas -- Tuesday Morning Corp. reported Tuesday that net sales for the quarter ended Sept. 30 edged down 1.2% to $170.7 million, compared with $172.8 million in the year-ago period.

Same-store sales for the period declined 4.1%, comprised of a 5.2% decrease in traffic offset by a 1.1% increase in average ticket.
 

By Mark Friedman, [email protected]

The NPD signed a point-of-sale cooperation agreement with Sam’s Club, the Wal-Mart Stores division, to receive and analyze sales information from Sam’s Club U.S. clubs and SamsClub.com.

Under the agreement, NPD will receive point-of-sale data from Sam’s Club, increasing NPD’s tracking coverage for clubs and e-commerce and providing its clients with a more robust view of market activity in these channels. NPD will also become Sam’s Club’s primary provider of point-of-sale and consumer panel information in the General Merchandise categories.

The relaunch of Target.com did not go as smoothly as the retailer and its customers would have like judging from the persistent backlash a month and a half after the site went live. Ad Age piled on last week with a piece about how friction between marketing and technology teams contributed to a wide range of functionality and customer service issues.

It is still very early in the holiday season and anything could happen from a pricing perspective. However, with that as a caveat, it appears Target and Walmart are in a virtual dead heat when it comes to toy pricing, according to a survey by Citigroup’s senior retail analyst Deb Weinswig.

Reston, Va. -- Mobile phones drive digital traffic around the world, but tablets are gaining steam, according to a new report released by ComScore. The report, “Digital Omnivores: How Tablets, Smartphones and Connected Devices are Changing U.S. Digital Media Consumption Habits,” found that smartphones and tablets are driving nearly 7% of total U.S. digital traffic.

Key findings highlighted in the report include:

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation said Friday that high unemployment rates remain a concern as retailers head into the holiday season.

Indianapolis -- Marsh Supermarkets said Thursday that it will lower prices on select items in a move to spur sales and loyalty.

The program, called Good ‘Til, launched this month and guarantees that prices on the most popular items won't increase for at least three months even if industry retail prices increase.

The three-month guarantees will be offered four times per year.

Walmart continues to be the undisputed champ when it comes to the lowest prices, but recent “studies” indicate a range of opinions as to whether the champ is retaining the title in split decision bouts that go the distance as opposed to first round knock outs.

The variation in opinion depends on who you ask and where you look. The pricing gap between Target and Walmart narrowed last month to a scant 1.7% as Walmart took prices up slightly during August while Target did the opposite, according to a monthly survey by the retail research team at Credit Suisse.

Costco is increasing the price of its membership fees, giving Sam’s Club the green light to follow suit, although such a move seems unlikely at this time. Why? Because Sam’s Club is enjoying favorable sales momentum and upgrade activity that might be jeopardized if members were asked to pay more.