Consumer Trends
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Study: Brick-and-mortar integral to BTSBy Daphne Howland • July 20, 2017And be patient when the kids come along to the store, most parents spend more when they do, according to the annual survey by ICSC.
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FeatureRetail Therapy: Swimsuit fashion dives off the deep endBy Cara Salpini • July 20, 2017With graphics of avocados and Guy Fieri’s face, these one-piece wonders will have you wishing their designs sank when fashion's standards did.
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Report: Walmart developing facial-recognition techBy Dan O'Shea • July 19, 2017The retailer is looking to the technology to monitor shopper dissatisfaction and improve the store experience.
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Survey: 25% of households use chatbots dailyBy Dan O'Shea • July 19, 2017A study from 3C Interactive paints a different picture of the chatbot trend from other recent studies, but that doesn’t necessarily mean chatbot usage is suddenly booming.
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Target, Walmart outpace Amazon for back-to-college shoppersBy Daphne Howland • July 19, 2017Off-price retailers are increasingly favored by college kids and their parents, and department stores’ grades are slipping.
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TJX to open first 'HomeSense' store next monthBy Daphne Howland • July 19, 2017In yet another challenge to department stores, the off-price darling aims to extend its treasure-hunt atmosphere to bigger-ticket items like furniture.
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Competition is stiff in $5B meal kit delivery marketBy Daphne Howland • July 18, 2017Blue Apron’s subdued IPO has more to do with the intense competition in meal kit delivery, recently stoked by Amazon, than declining consumer interest.
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Forrester: 5.5B mobile users globally by 2022By Dan O'Shea • July 17, 2017Mobile is becoming impossible for retailers and brands to ignore, as mobile users are expected to number more than 5.5 billion worldwide in five years.
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FeatureWhy retailers are going all in on subscription servicesBy Lara Ewen • July 17, 2017Stitch Fix, Amazon Prime Wardrobe, Trunk Club, Rent the Runway and a growing list of subscription services streamline shopping for busy customers, but not every brand has the right formula.
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Study: 80% of Gen Z purchases influenced by social mediaBy Cara Salpini • July 17, 2017Over 80% of the younger generation says social media influences their shopping behavior, particularly on mobile.
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Famous Footwear parent taps retail veteran for men's brandsBy Daphne Howland • July 17, 2017Caleres has tapped Malcolm Robinson as president of the new division.
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American Eagle sells denim hijab to reach a growing nicheBy Daphne Howland • July 17, 2017The move demonstrates the potential of stylish Muslim women and girls as a profit center for retailers.
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Amazon Echo/Alexa chief departs after nearly 2 decades at the companyBy Dan O'Shea • July 16, 2017Mike George, who has been with the company since 1998, is stepping down just as the smart assistant and its devices begin to see explosive growth.
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College students boost back-to-school spending to $83.6BBy Daphne Howland • July 14, 2017That's the second-highest spending level on record with an earlier start to the shopping season, according to NRF's annual survey.
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J.C. Penney gets aggressive with new toy shops, expands assortmentBy Daphne Howland • July 14, 2017The effort is an attempt to drive traffic to the department stores and poses a challenge to toy retailers like Toys "R" Us.
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FeatureRetail Therapy: These jeans will make you see double… waistbandsBy Cara Salpini • July 13, 2017Shopbop's uniquely styled denim comes with seven pockets, two waistbands and one burning image we can't erase.
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Consumers bump up confidence in JuneBy Daphne Howland • July 13, 2017That should be good news for retailers, but it's not translating to much additional spending, analysts say.
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Back-to-school spending to remain flat at $27BBy Daphne Howland • July 13, 2017But families are spending more at mass merchants and off-price retailers, leaving department stores and specialty retailers behind.
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FeatureCan Backstage attract shoppers to Macy's mall stores?By Laura Heller • July 12, 2017As the department store pushes ahead on off-price concepts, experts say there's a fine line between attracting new shoppers and heading too down market.
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Apple brings smart home experiences to storesBy Dan O'Shea • July 12, 2017The company is priming customers with interactive demonstrations for the release later this year of its HomePod smart home hub.
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On Prime Day, in Alexa we trust... sort ofBy Dan O'Shea • July 11, 2017Roughly 77% of Amazon customers who have ordered products through Alexa say they checked Amazon to make sure the order was placed correctly.
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Report: Amazon set to wage war on Best Buy's Geek SquadBy Dan O'Shea • July 10, 2017The e-commerce giant appears to be getting into the business of helping households plan and install tech products.
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Shipments of self-checkout terminals hit record in 2016By Dan O'Shea • July 09, 2017Amid Amazon Go and the transition to line-less retail checkout process, self-checkout terminals continue to see greater demand.
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Study: Gen Z more likely than millennials to buy luxury brandsBy Cara Salpini • July 07, 2017While millennials prefer discount stores, Gen Z is willing to pay more for upscale brands, and it isn't giving much love to chains like Target and Walgreens.
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West Elm taps Pinterest images for product recommendationsBy Dan O'Shea • July 06, 2017The West Elm Pinterest Style Finder aims to give the retailer's customers an easy way to shop using Pinterest board images as inspiration.