News

1. Holiday spending: Is the glass half full or half empty?
Consumers are cautiously optimistic this holiday season with 53% indicating they will likely spend about the same as last year and 32% indicating they will likely spend more than last year.

Of all age groups, young millennials – aged 18 to 24 – indicated they are the most optimistic.

2. Income levels drive survivalists and selectionists

Global management consultancy Kurt Salmon is acquiring digital retail technology agency Mobispoke LLC, the engine behind such technologies as smart fitting rooms, integrated mobile apps and other leading-edge, interactive shopping experience technologies.

Following the acquisition, Mobispoke will rebrand as Kurt Salmon Digital and will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kurt Salmon.

Amazon’s dominance in the $300 billion American e-commerce market is stronger than ever, according to a new survey.

A Survata study commissioned by BloomReach reports that in a survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers, 44% bypass the entire Web and go directly to Amazon first to search for products, compared to 34% who use top search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo!.

As recently as 2012, Forrester found that only 30% of consumers research products on Amazon first.

Every year, it seems, summer and the “back to school” shopping season go by in a flash. Suddenly, as the leaves change color, retailers find themselves looking ahead to what they hope will be a successful holiday shopping season.

By now, you’ve probably heard that Facebook will be testing a “dislike” button. Unconfirmed reports say the button will be designed to let users express empathy for posts about negative events, such as the death of a loved one.

Assuming Facebook does introduce a dislike button, retailers will need to decide whether to enable it on their Facebook pages. Here are two pros and one con a dislike button would pose to retailers.

Pro #1: Instant Sentiment

Amazon.com is the No. 1 website for online shoppers in the United States, according to a new survey.

A Survata study commissioned by BloomReach reports that in a survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers, 44% bypass the entire Internet and go directly to Amazon.com first to search for products, compared to 34% who use top search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo!.

Target is showing off an updated look at its redone store in Minnetonka, Minn.

The remodeled SuperTarget is serving as a testing ground overall for store updates with bolder, more playful signage, new displays and various new concepts in the grocery area.

The chain is also putting the spotlight on its “Made to Matter—Handpicked by Target” collection of healthy-living brands,  with more prominent signs on the ends of aisles.

On the heels of lackluster quarterly sales, job cuts and an overcharging scandal, Whole Foods is getting another round of bad publicity, and this time it’s about prison labor.

The retailer announced that it will stop offering products made by prisoners next year. The company specifically said it will stop selling tilapia sourced from Quixotic Farming and cheese distributed by Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy, two private companies that partner with Colorado Correctional Industries (CCI), a division of Colorado's Department of Corrections.

Nearly a year after a massive data breach, the Home Depot is looking to a cybersecurity veteran to add expertise to its board directors.

The world's largest home improvement retailer said it has appointed Linda R. Gooden to the company's board of directors. Gooden will serve on the company's Audit and Leadership Development and Compensation Committees. Her appointment gives the company 12 directors, 11 of whom are independent.

Gelson's Markets is joining Smart & Final on the acquisition of some Haggen properties in Southern California.

Gelson's, a regional supermarket chain operating in Southern California, announced it is bidding on eight Haggen locations across five counties: Los Angeles County (Santa Monica), Orange County (Laguna Beach, Ladera Ranch), Riverside County (Rancho Mirage), San Diego County (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Pacific Beach) and Ventura County (Thousand Oaks).