Data & Analytics

Through the first 30 days of the holiday season online sales have surpassed $20 billion with several days last week above the $1 billion mark.

Chicago -- Social media is now essential to marketing in the retail industry, according to a recent BDO USA survey, which found that 86% of retail CMOs have included social media in their holiday marketing strategy. The executives said social media accounts for 10% of their holiday advertising and marketing budgets this year.

Solon, Ohio -- Black Friday and Cyber Monday does not always mean lower prices, according to a study by ECRM Analytics that examines Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions. The analysis exposes many common misconceptions around these two important shopping days.

ECRM found that when comparing Black Friday deals to other times throughout the year, it is apparent that holiday prices are not always the lowest, with leading retailers promoting higher prices than previously advertised on toys and consumer electronics.

By Tom Rittman, Theretailequation.com

The holiday season is often considered the most wonderful time of year, but as retail sales soar, so do returns. And don’t be fooled by a seemingly valid receipt. Savvy fraudsters know how to prey on holiday cheer costing retailers thousands of dollars in fraudulent returns and exchanges.
 

Same store sales in November at Target plunged unexpectedly while apparel discounters and Costco kept humming and Kroger extended its string of consecutive comp increases to nine years.

The nations second largest grocer this week reported a third quarter profit, excluding some non-recurring items, of 46 cents that was three cents better than analysts forecast and its identical store sales increased by 3.2%. Total sales including fuel for the period increased 5.9% to $21.8 billion.

It’s common to see BMWs, Mercedes and other luxury makes in Walmart parking lots, but a new study reported on by Ad Age reveals wealthier shoppers prefer Amazon.com

The review of strategic alternatives remains ongoing at Supervalu despite reports about discussions breaking down with one prospective investor.

NEW YORK — The Toy Fair has added a new feature to its 110th annual trade show called, “Content Connection.” The new addition to the show is designed to serve the needs of growing number of licensors, brand owners and entertainment executives that annually flock to the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere.

The modest sales decline Party City reported for the five week period ended November wasn’t all that bad considering the unfavorable circumstances the company faced.

Sales declined 1.4% to $358 million and same store sale declined 0.6% at permanent stores and 11.9% at temporary locations, the company said.

New York -- Amazon and Costco lead the pack lead the pack when it comes to the e-tailers that have most satisfied their customers, according to the "2012 Harris Poll Shopper Satisfaction Study of Online Retailers." The survey used a 100-point scale to measure customer satisfaction with the e-commerce sites of 14 big retailers. Amazon.com ranked first with a score of 82.