TECHNOLOGY

Customers most satisfied with these appliance retailers
Best Buy ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the $24 billion-plus appliance market. That's according to the J.D. Power 2017 Appliance Retailer Satisfaction Study. With a score of 857, Best Buy came out on top, ahead of Lowe's (840), The Home Depot (839), Hhgregg (831) and Sears (828). Overall satisfaction with appliance retailers in 2017 is 838 points, up from 821 in 2016.
Deloitte: Back-to-school shopping trends include early start, shift to mass merchants
Retailers who wait until late summer this year to launch back-to-school deals are only hurting themselves, because early shoppers will spend more than late starters. That's according to Deloitte's "2017 Back-to-School Survey," which also detected a big shift in where back-to-school will be shopping this year. One thing that hasn't changed: In-store still prevails.

Study: More shoppers to participate in ‘voice commerce’

As the adoption of voice-controlled devices rises, so will the number of voice-enabled purchases. This was according to “Walker Sands 2017 Future of Retail Study.” The report, which was conducted in late March, surveyed 1,622 consumers across the United States. Nearly one in five consumers (19%) have made a voice purchase through an Amazon Echo or other voice-controlled device in the past year. Another 33% plan to do so in the next year.
Study: What consumers expect when they buy online, pick up in store

In the age of evolving consumer preferences enabled by digital technologies, customers continue demanding convenience and ease of use while shopping online. Additionally, they want instant gratification of purchasing items in the store and, increasingly, a combination of the two. To this effect, the buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS) option, or click and collect experience, has become a key component of customer satisfaction, loyalty and revenue growth.
Survey: Target, Walmart tops with these shoppers

Amazon hasn't make it to the head of the class for this year's back-to-school shopping season. Among young U.S. shoppers (ages 18-24), 64% said they will buy back-to-school items from Target and Walmart, respectively, edging out Amazon (50%). This is according to a new consumer survey from the retail app platform, Branding Brand.
America's favorite home improvement retailer is...

A smaller-format, neighborhood-oriented retailer beat out big-box competitors to rank as the nation's favorite home improvement retailer in a just-released study. Ace Hardware, known for its neighborly service and an intense focus on the customer experience, earned the top spot, with a composite loyalty score of 63%, in a study by Market Force Information.
Report: Back-to-school shopping grows less predictable

Even back-to-school shopping is not what it once was. U.S. students may still go back to school around the same general time each year, but the timing of BTS shopping has changed in recent years, becoming less consistent and less predictable. That's according to the Back-to-School report from The NPD Group, which finds that BTS shopping is starting earlier and lasting longer.
Amazon maintains price advantage on Prime Day

Early indications are that competitors didn't give Amazon much competition price wise Prime Day. The third annual shopping extravaganza, which kicked off on July 10 at 6 pm PST and was scheduled to run until the wee hours of the morning of July 12, was originally introduced as a way to reward existing Prime shoppers and attract new ones. With promises of new deals every five minutes, the company reported on Tuesday that customers worldwide are shopping at “record levels,” according to CNBC.
Beauty retailer delivers AI-based 'lip service'

Estée Lauder is making it even easier for online customers to choose — and purchase — their next tube of lipstick. Through its partnership with ModiFace, the beauty retailer launched a chatbot that helps customers find their ideal lipstick color. The conversational lipstick "advisor," which is accessible on Facebook Messenger, enables online and mobile users to interact with two of Estée Lauder’s lipstick lines.
Study: Retailers should incentivize use of BOPIS drive store traffic

Shoppers are buying more goods than ever online, but they also are increasingly picking the items up at — and returning them to — brick-and-mortar store.