Consumer Trends
-
Stitch Fix expands men's assortment and sizing
The subscription company has begun to top expectations for sales and profit as it works diligently to expand its customer base.
By Daphne Howland • Sept. 20, 2018
-
Facebook to gain most from big digital holiday ad spend
Digital advertising tops the marketing wish list for two-thirds of retailers, with a huge chunk going to Facebook and Instagram, reported Reveal Mobile.
By Dan Alaimo • Sept. 18, 2018
-
Holiday sales to grow 4% as e-commerce takes more share
An extra day between Thanksgiving and Christmas should help give retailers one of their best holiday seasons yet, according to Coresight Research.
By Daphne Howland • Sept. 18, 2018
-
Instagram expands shopping features to boost brands' direct sales
Two new features in Stories and Explore could help to close the sales loop for the more than 90 million users that tap shoppable posts for more product information.
By Robert Williams • Sept. 18, 2018
-
Mobile to drive 68% of holiday e-commerce traffic
The holiday season looks promising, with Salesforce predicting 13% sales growth — but they need to prepare for an early start, especially on mobile.
By Dan Alaimo • Sept. 17, 2018
-
Nordstrom revamps loyalty with new 'Nordy Club'
The department store joins other retailers in revamping loyalty programs to keep high spenders close no matter how they pay.
By Daphne Howland • Sept. 17, 2018
-
ColumnRetail Therapy: Amazon's prickly plan to box up Christmas cheer
Why enjoy the fresh air and pick out your own Christmas tree when Amazon can ship you a genuine, living pine tree in the confines of a cute 7-foot box?
By Cara Salpini • Sept. 14, 2018
-
Deep DiveIs NYC's garment district unraveling?
City officials have a plan to revitalize Manhattan's struggling Garment District. But as some brands decamp to the outer boroughs, and still others shift their manufacturing overseas, fashion may have to cede its stronghold.
By Lara Ewen • Sept. 12, 2018
-
YSL debuts pop-up beauty hotel
The beauty arm of the French fashion house developed an elaborate marketing campaign in the form of a multi-sensorial pop-up shop that coincided with New York Fashion Week.
By Kaarin Vembar • Sept. 11, 2018
-
Study: Data tracking is the most 'shopper ready' in-store tech
Consumers are warming up to technology like frictionless payments but still wary of robotics, according to a new Retail Innovation Radar report.
By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 11, 2018
-
J.C. Penney unveils new boho women's apparel label
The move follows a growing strategy among retailers to roll out private labels that differentiate merchandise and protect margins, but analysts say the Artesia line isn't likely to truly affect top line sales.
By Daphne Howland • Sept. 11, 2018
-
Smart speaker ownership set to hit 48% after the holidays
While shopping is gradually gaining traction, music listening remains the most popular activity on voice-enabled devices, according to a new study from Adobe.
By Robert Williams • Sept. 11, 2018
-
ColumnRetail Therapy: Sephora's 'starter witch kit' brews up trouble
The product, slated to be sold Oct. 5, drew sharp criticism from the Wicca community about how to sell mystical products without being a witch about it.
By Cara Salpini • Sept. 07, 2018
-
Opinion3 pillars to building shopper loyalty
Many retailers are finding that consumers are loyal to the overall shopping experience, writes Sara Gupta, vice president, retail division, Bazaarvoice.
By Sara Gupta
-
Ulta revamps branding strategy to focus on diversity in beauty
The retailer's campaign spotlights a cast of different ages, ethnicities, sizes and genders, including a male makeup artist.
By Erica Sweeney • Sept. 05, 2018
-
Bloomberg: Google tapping Mastercard data on in-store purchases
The credit card company reportedly is sharing purchase data with the tech giant as the latter aims to show merchants the link between online ads and offline conversions.
By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 04, 2018
-
Instagram is driving jewelry sales
Jewelry shoppers are opting for items, especially statement earrings, that show up well in their social media posts, according to Edited.
By Daphne Howland • Aug. 31, 2018
-
ColumnRetail Therapy: Dyson's $500 hair dryer will blow your money away
To be fair, the hair dryer does have real gold on it. But so do Notre Dame's football helmets — and they don't pay $500 for those.
By Cara Salpini • Aug. 31, 2018
-
SponsoredThe rise of the full-assortment grocery channel
Find out who’s winning the battle for supremacy in full-assortment grocery.
-
AR tops list of future shopping experiences
Augmented reality, in-store personalization and robotics are among the future trends that retailers will need to embrace and expand to survive, Infiniti Research said.
By Dan Alaimo • Aug. 27, 2018
-
Bernie Sanders introduces 'Stop BEZOS' bill
The bill's title is an open jab at Amazon's CEO, and would require corporations with more than 500 employees to pay taxes for the full amount employees receive in government assistance.
By Corinne Ruff • UPDATED: Sept. 6, 2018 at 8:45 a.m.
-
Duty free shops charge up to 320% more, study finds
Tax-free airport shops are hardly the bargain they purport to be, according to a study by U.K. home credit lender Provident.
By Daphne Howland • Aug. 27, 2018
-
Sephora outpaces Ulta's footfall even with fewer stores
The French beauty retailer appears to be doing more with less, thanks to a range of tech and marketing tools in stores and online.
By Daphne Howland • Aug. 24, 2018
-
Mobile sales to hit $117B in 2018
A recent Forrester report notes that, despite subdued growth in mobile sales, smartphones will influence $1.3 trillion worth of sales in the U.S.
By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 24, 2018
-
ColumnRetail Therapy: Asos bares all with men's crop top
The appropriate way to wear this look is apparently with a pair of dark pants and a facial expression that brooks no argument.
By Cara Salpini • Aug. 24, 2018