Data & Analytics

New York - Almost three-in-four Americans are holding back on spending, according to a new Bankrate.com report, with stagnant income the most frequent reason (32%), followed by the need to save more (24%) and worries about the economy (20%). Just 27% of Americans say they are not holding back spending at all.

Additional findings:

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation calculated retail industry job gains at 15,200 in September, and 289,000 jobs year-over-year, a 2.4% increase over the same month last year and 2.0% higher than total private sector jobs over the past year.

New York -- The majority of companies will be increasing their budget for mobile marketing over the coming year, according to research published by Econsultancy and BuyDesire. Seven out of every 10 companies have stated that they will spend more on mobile marketing in the next 12 months, as they seek to keep up with the mobile revolution.

One-third (33%) of U.S. families are making less money as a result of job loss, moving to a part-time job and/or working at a lower-paying job, which may have an impact on holiday shopping.

In addition, according to three recent consumer surveys from America’s Research Group (ARG), 40% of parents are trying to save as much money as they can for their children's college education, 38% of families did not take a vacation this year of four days or longer, and 44% of parents will do most of their back-to-school apparel shopping in December when the deals are better.

More stores will be open on Thanksgiving, which is also the first full day of Hanukkah

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. It's hard to believe that September is already here — time for retailers to attend to the holiday shopping season. We at ShopperTrak recommend the following ways to prepare for the coming busy months.

> Maximize opportunities during the shorter selling season. 

Fort Worth, Texas - RadioShack Corporation reported a net loss of $112 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to a net loss of $47 million in the year-ago period. It was the retailer’s seventh straight quarter posting a net loss. The company also named Paul Rutenis, formerly senior VP, general merchandising manager for the home division of J.C. Penney Company, as its new chief merchant.

eBay has introduced a set of new features that make browsing and buying on the site a more personalized experience. The company is also accelerating its efforts in local commerce and plans to extend its eBay Now delivery service to 25 markets by the end of 2014, including Chicago.

Rocky Mount, N.C. - QVC has opened a second solar farm comprising 11,564 panels on 11 acres at the Rocky Mount Distribution Center owned by QVC Rocky Mount, Inc. Now generating 5.8 million kilowatt-hours per year, this latest addition brings the combined total number of panels at the site to 17,244 over 18 acres. The first field of 5,680 solar panels on seven acres of land was completed in November 2008.