Data & Analytics

New York City -- A report released Tuesday by The Conference Board showed that confidence among U.S. consumers fell in January to its lowest point since November 2011.

The Conference Board’s index decreased to 58.6, down from a revised 66.7 in December. The figure was lower than forecast; Bloomberg predicted a median of 64.

The drop in confidence coincides with the 2% payroll tax increase used to fund Social Security.

AUSTIN, Texas — Starmount, a software provider focused on helping retailers optimize the shopper experience, has named software development veteran John Filut its new VP operations. Filut will play a crucial role in planning and executing internal operations and processes, including project management best practices and refining the development and delivery of Starmount services and support strategy. In this new role, Filut will also provide overall planning and management of IT.

London -- A Tuesday report by Bloomberg said that Tesco Plc may be recovering from its financial doldrums, as the country’s largest supermarket chain has matched market growth for the first time in more than 18 months.

Citing Kantar Worldpanel’s latest market share figures, Bloomberg said that at Tesco stores rose 3.3% in the 12 weeks ended Jan. 20, the same pace as the industry. Growth exceeded Wal-Mart Stores’ Asda and J Sainsbury, which gained 2.1% and 3.2% respectively.

Developments in portable technologies of all kinds have created an increasingly connected world. Aside from the obvious ubiquity of mobile phones (there are nearly six billion of them in use today), everyday objects from pedometers to thermostats are being infused with digital technologies, and networked to one another.

Naples, Fla. -- Google is poised to win the “mobile wallet war” according to a survey of attendees at the National Retail Federation’s annual 2013 convention in New York. The survey was conducted by ACI Worldwide, a leading international provider of payment systems. 

CHICAGO — An appreciation for human-crafted goods and growth in automated payment solutions are among the trends Mintel predicts will be impacting consumer behavior in the next five to 10 years.

WASHINGTON — Retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) will increase 3.4%, down slightly from 4.2% in 2012 and 5.8% in 2011, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2013 economic forecast.

The lukewarm forecast, released Monday, comes on the heels of a holiday season that went head-to-head with Washington’s political wrangling over fiscal concerns, shifting consumers’ spending plans downward. In the end, holiday sales in 2012 grew 3.0%.

Washington, D.C. -- Retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) will increase 3.4%, down slightly from 4.2% in 2012 and 5.8% in 2011, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2013 economic forecast.

The lukewarm forecast, released Monday, comes on the heels of a holiday season that went head-to-head with Washington’s political wrangling over fiscal concerns, shifting consumers’ spending plans downward. In the end, holiday sales in 2012 grew 3.0%.