Consumer Analytics

New York -- The campus store at Carnegie Mellon University has a new attraction: a small robot called AndyVision. Developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon’s Intel Science and Technology Center in Embedded Computing, the robot is designed to help keep track of store inventories and assist customers in finding products, according to a report on PCWorld.

SALT LAKE CITY — Schiff Nutrition has appointed a new SVP and chief commercial officer.

Richard Baruch Jr. most recently served as VP category advisory services at Coca-Cola, where he led an initiative to build a new organization and bring a new set of capabilities to Coca-Cola's North American business.

Denver -- When consumers search for online coupons and savings, 62% search for store-centric deals, 24% for product-specific coupons, and only 14% search specifically for brand name product discounts online, according to the first Buy-havior Report, from coupon-search engine ShopAtHome.com. The report tracks consumer search habits on the site.

Of the 62% of consumers looking for store-centric savings, Wal-Mart was the most-searched for retailer followed by Kohl’s and Target, respectively.

Denver -- When consumers search for online coupons and savings, 62% search for store-centric deals, 24% for product-specific coupons, and only 14% search specifically for brand name product discounts online, according to the first Buy-havior Report, from coupon-search engine ShopAtHome.com. The report tracks consumer search habits on the site.

Of the 62% of consumers looking for store-centric savings, Wal-Mart was the most-searched for retailer followed by Kohl’s and Target, respectively.

By Michael Moores, [email protected]

NEW YORK — A growing number of shoppers are using their smartphones to help them make in-store purchases. According to new Deloitte research, smartphones currently influence 5.1% of annual retail store sales, translating into $159 billion in forecasted sales for 2012, according to new Deloitte research. 

Deloitte arrived at its 5.1% figure by examining in-store sales driven by consumers' store-related smartphone activity such as product research, price comparison or other mobile application use.

Washington, D.C. -- The Conference Board, in its monthly sentiment index released on Wednesday, said that confidence among U.S. consumers dropped in June for a fourth consecutive month, reaching a five-month low.

The research firm’s sentiment index fell to 62, from a revised 64.4 in May. The slide in confidence raises the risk that the recently revealed slowdown in hiring will cause households to curb spending.

The median forecast of 69 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News projected the U.S. confidence index would fall to 63.

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. — Virtual Piggy, a provider of a technology platform that allows children to shop online in a parent-controlled environment, has formed agreements with sports retailers Spyder Surf and Tahoe Mountain Sports.