Data & Analytics

In the first part of December, delivery providers experienced difficulties that probably left some holiday shoppers less than merry.

According to analysis of what more than 130,000 shoppers said in surveys about on-time deliveries of their full orders between Dec. 1 - Dec. 10 by Bizrate Insights, a division of Connexity, the timeliness trend is clearly downward.

I remember something a retailer once said to me more than 25 years ago, long before digital mattered. It’s still true today: if the product’s not right, nothing matters. If the product is right, everything matters. That everything now includes staying ahead of the consumer digitally. We’ve gone from a generation that saw technology as a skill, to one that doesn’t see it at all – it’s so natural it's become instinct. This shopper lives in a world where digital doesn’t just define shopping habits - it defines the way they live.

The value proposition of Perfumania stores is under scrutiny after the retailer reported dismal same store sale for the third quarter.

For the 13-week period ended Oct. 31, net sales at Perfumania decreased 8% to $142 million, compared to $154.3 million in the prior year. Same store sales decreased 22.1%. Net income was $3 million, or net income per diluted share of 20 cents, compared to a net income of $7.5 million, or a net income per diluted share of 48 cents during last year’s third quarter.

With the financial picture improving modestly at Toys “R” Us, CEO Dave Brandon said the company is ready to build on third quarter successes during the final days of the holiday season.

The strong dollar’s influence on tourism and store traffic led the Neiman Marcus Group to report a decline in same-store sales for the first time in six years.

We all know the stress of seasonal shopping can make the holidays anything but merry for consumers.

However, there are a few key customer experience features retailers can offer to help make this time of year bearable, if not downright happy, for beleaguered shoppers. The holiday customer experience should be:

App-centric

The CEO of 99 Cents Only pointed to the promise of a new executive team as evidence that the company can return to profitable growth even as it reported disappointing third quarter results.

The company said for the period ended Oct. 30, the company's net sales increased 2.8% to $491.5 million, compared to $478.3 million in the prior year. Same-store sales decreased 3.9% due to challenges in produce and consumables sales, the cannibalization impact of recent new store openings as well as ongoing initiatives to clear excess seasonal inventory, the company said.

Despite the mixed outlook for holiday sales, the private equity community remains interested in retail, believing that the sector can offer the opportunity to achieve scalable growth.

Don’t be left out in the cold. The Retail Design Institute is accepting entries for its annual store design competition. The deadline to submit is December 31, 2016.

The competition celebrates exceptional retail experiences across more than 20 categories from department stores and specialty shops to restaurants and pop-ups. In addition, a single "Store of the Year" will be chosen from among the winning entries.