Data & Analytics

More Amazon Prime shoppers skipped the Black Friday hype this weekend than ever before.   Only 59% of Prime members ended up shopping in-store on Black Friday, down from 65% last year. This drop represented a 9.2% year-over-year decline.   This message was delivered in a survey conducted by InfoScout. The study, which was conducted the day after Black Friday, tapped 2,000 shoppers.  

The power of digital Black Friday shoppers is officially a force to be reckoned with.   Of the 135.9 million U.S.-based consumers that shopped or plan to shop over the entire 2016 Black Friday Week, 57% shopped online. Almost four out of every 10 digital shoppers (37%) used a mobile device (such as a smart phone or tablet). Besides being an increase of seven percentage points, this customer segment is quickly approaching the number of desktop and laptop shoppers.  

Subway continues to expand its online capabilities.   The chain is hiring 150 people to fill technology, marketing and operations roles for its digital division, according to a report by CIO.com.   

HSN, Inc. has appointed Rod Little as CFO, effective January 3, 2017.   Most recently, Little served as executive VP and CFO of Elizabeth Arden, where he led the company’s global finance and IT organizations and was instrumental in a turnaround that restored revenue growth and profitability, ultimately resulting in the company’s sale to Revlon.  Prior to that, Little was CFO for Procter & Gamble’s multi-billion dollar global salon professional division.   

Online spending hit a new record this past Black Friday, surpassing the $3 billion mark for the first time.   According to Adobe, Black Friday online spending surged 21.6%  year-over-year to $3.34 billion. Total online spending for both Thanksgiving and Black Friday hit $5.27 billion, reflecting a 17.7% increase over last year.  

Average spending per person over Thanksgiving weekend totaled $289.19, down from $299.60 last year, according to a survey conducted by National Retail Federation.  

When it comes to holiday inventory, most retailers use their intuition and industry knowledge to make their sales projections, plan their promotional calendar, and schedule product reorders. This was fine when the season’s promotions were merely percentages off and customers purchased products in stores. But as the retail world becomes more complex, so too must retailers’ holiday plans. With an estimated 40% of retailers’ yearly profits on the line, intuition this holiday season just isn’t enough.  

Watch out Amazon, Walmart may be giving you a run for the money in the holiday toy aisles.    

Bed Bath & Beyond hopes its newest acquisition will help it “get personal” with its shoppers.