Data & Analytics

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. — Children's interest are constantly changing, but right now Justin Bieber is tops with kids. According to a May NPD Group survey, when asked what they thought the kids they know would identify as the hottest new thing these days, 10% of participants said Justin Bieber. 

Though Bieber topped the list in May, he garnered a higher percentage (14%) when the survey was first conducted in February, indicating that interest in the pop singer could be waning. 

By Wil Putt, [email protected]

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus has named former Williams-Sonoma executive John E. Koryl as president of its website and catalog division, Neiman Marcus Direct.

Koryl, 40, succeeds Gerald Barnes, who will become executive VP and chief merchant of Neiman Marcus Direct, which operates websites under NeimanMarcus.com, BergdorfGoodman.com, LastCall.com, Cusp.com and Horchow.com. The division also produces more than 80 catalogs annually for the Neiman Marcus and Horchow brands.

Insight into consumers’ buying behaviors is important in order for advertisers and retailers to reach this elusive shopper who is seeking not only to save money but to save time. Consumers’ continued interest in coupons and savings has been influenced, in part, by concerns over their own personal economic situations. Today, faced with rising food and gas prices, consumers are seeking ways to offset these increases. 

LOS ANGELES — Back-to-school shopping will likely take place even later this year than in 2010, as consumers hope to score last-minute deals, the latest forecast from PriceGrabber reveals. PriceGrabber, a part of Experian, found that 95% of consumers are planning to use some sort of money saving technique when back-to-school shopping, and they plan to start shopping later in 2011 than they did in 2010.

MINNEAPOLIS — Best Buy reported Tuesday that net income for the first quarter fell 12% to $136 million, or 35 cents per diluted share, hurt by increased promotions and lower demand for such items as flat-panel televisions and digital cameras. But strong showings in China, mobile phone sales and online performance pushed helped to boost profit and revenue past analyst estimates.

DALLAS — Karen Katz, president and CEO of Neiman Marcus announced that John E. Koryl will be joining the company, June 20, as president of Neiman Marcus Direct. Koryl succeeds Gerald Barnes, who will become EVP, chief merchant Neiman Marcus Direct.

Koryl, 40, joins Neiman Marcus from Williams-Sonoma where he was the SVP e-commerce marketing and analytics. Prior to Williams-Sonoma, Koryl was senior director marketing solutions at eBay and has worked at UmbrellaBank, Creditland.com, and Accenture.

WASHINGTON — Retail spending for the month of May experienced a slight drop of 0.2% to $387.1 billion, though the advanced estimates noted that May sales were 7.7% higher than the year-ago period, the U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday.

The government agency also reported that total sales for the March through May period were up 7.5% from the same period a year ago.

Stevens, Pa. -- A survey released Tuesday by Unity Marketing revealed the list of retailers frequented by the most wealthy American shoppers – those earning $250,000 and up.

Barneys New York, Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman ranked as the top luxury department stores among the ultra-affluent in the Luxury Report 2011. However, the survey also uncovered signs that the wealthiest consumers are slowing their pace of shopping in these stores.

Boston -- EnerNOC said Tuesday that Ahold USA will deploy EnerNoc’s EfficiencySmart Insight in the majority of its Stop & Shop, Giant Food of Maryland, and Giant/Martin’s grocery stores.