Consumer Analytics

NEW YORK — Global information services company Nielsen announced the passing of one of its former executives.

Arthur C. "Art" Nielsen, Jr., 92, helped Nielsen create such innovations as consumer and performance surveys, market share, department and food index and television ratings, during his tenure as chairman and president. Nielsen's father, Arthur C. Nielsen, founded the company in 1923. Nielsen, Jr., joined the company in 1945 and retired in 1983, according to the New York Times.

Duluth, Ga. -- A majority of U.S. consumers believe that self-service technologies such as self-checkout and kiosks improve the store experience, with almost half of younger shoppers preferring to use self-checkout in stores, according to a new survey by The NPD Group for NCR Corp.

Raleigh, N.C. -- Economic weakness and low consumer confidence, combined with vendor capacity/reliability, are the top threats to business success this peak season, according to a recent Peak Season Trends and Strategies Survey Report by Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium.

New York City -- Research results released Tuesday by American Express found that more than a third (38%) of small business owners believe that the U.S. is still in the throes of a recession.

According to the American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor, a semi-annual survey in its 10th year, concerns about the economy are weighing heavily on entrepreneurs. Twenty-seven percent say they do not plan to grow in the next six months (up from 21% in the spring) and just 77% describe themselves as glass-half-full optimists (down from 85% a year ago).

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.

San Diego — Teradata announced Tuesday that Hallmark Cards Inc. has expanded its data warehouse environment with new enterprise data warehouse platforms, including new data warehouse appliances, as well as the latest Aprimo Relationship Manager application from Aprimo, a Teradata company.

The upgraded platforms and software tools were implemented while realizing a 30% reduction in total cost of ownership. Hallmark also added utilities for backup and recovery, as well as Teradata Viewpoint and Professional Services support.

Cincinnati -- Most consumers hold strong positive attitudes on the quality of service they receive from U.S. businesses, according to new research from customer relationship management company Convergys Corporation.  Among the top findings of the research: nearly nine out of 10 consumers believe that service improved or stayed the same over the past year, and an impressive seven out of 10 say they were either “extremely” or “very” satisfied with their most recent service experience.

Indianapolis -- Hhgregg has officially launched its new e-commerce website. The retailer’s key development partners for the new site include Rosetta, the implementation partner; IBM, the ecommerce platform provider, and Adobe for imaging, recommendations and site analytics.

The new site features enhanced functionality, delivers on the company’s “We Help” brand promise and brings hhgregg’s superior in-store experience online.

New features include:

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Friday by the Commerce Dept. showed that consumer spending in the U.S. slowed in August, impacted by falling incomes and sporadic hiring.

Commerce Dept. figures showed that purchases edged up 0.2% after a 0.7% increase in July. However, a 0.2% increase in prices wiped out the slight spending gain. Incomes dipped 0.1%, the first decline since October 2009.

SEATTLE — Bartell Drugs is introducing a new way for customers to donate to local schools and nonprofit organizations, the regional retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.