Tight Times Entice Penny-Pinchers

One ironic bright spot for retailers in the current economy is products that help consumers save money, thereby enabling them to spend less overall.
The AP reports that “demand is rising for kitchen and bath gadgets that squeeze out that last blob of toothpaste and help get the suds out of tiny slivers of soap.”
One company [...]

Retailers Turn Their Gaze Toward Christmas

Hoping for the best in a shaky year, store owners are readying themselves for the holiday shopping season as consumers angle for the best deals.

August Retail Sales Beat Estimates

Retailers were able to post better-than-expected sales in August, according to numerous wire services and published reports.
“Early reports gave analysts hope retailers were able to clear excess inventories ahead of the crucial holiday-selling season without having to resort to deep discounts,” Yahoo News reported.
And in an encouraging sign, it was reported that retailers who focused [...]

Report: Retail Buyers Still Nervous

Consumers spent only slight more this August than last, reflecting fears that the hoped-for economic recovery might still be a ways off, the AP reports.
Citing the latest MasterCard Spending Pulse survey, the numbers confirm what many retailers had been talking about: back-to-school spending was off, and might be a portent of a slack holiday season.
“SpendingPulse’s [...]

Ongoing Discounts Taking a Toll on Retailers

A slight boost in consumer buying late last winter caused some retailers to increase inventory, but the gradual slowing of the economy — again— may impact the expected recovery.
As such, “incremental increases in retailer inventories … are certainly going to hurt as they struggle to clear merchandise from what’s been a slow summer,” Ken Perkins, [...]

Retailer Deals are Drawing Customers

Independent retailers are pulling in customers this back-to-school season by offering package deals on purchases, according to a published report.
The Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise says stores offering such incentives are seeing a boost in buying. “That’s what people are looking for. They’re not looking for the individual price; they’re looking for, ‘How much can I get [...]

Survey: “Dollar Store” Visits Surge

New research shows that consumers are cutting back on the number of stores they visit when shopping, but that “dollar stores” are enjoying increased activity.
The report from SymphonyIRI Group puts it all in perspective: “Shoppers are not enjoying the same financial success as corporations this spring and summer, and their continued search for lower-cost retail [...]

Small Retailers to Benefit From E-Commerce Expansion

Alibaba, the largest e-commerce operation in China, has made its second U.S. acquisition in as many months, WebSiteMagazine.com is reporting, a move that is expected to create new opportunities for smaller American merchants.
“AliExpress is designed to help smaller online retailers source their products directly from suppliers, and the acquisition of e-commerce software developer Auctiva will [...]

It’s Time: Mobile Marketing Urged for Retailers

A recent analysis piece from interactive marketing news site ClickZ says the time has come for retailers to seriously consider adding mobile marketing to their sales arsenal.
“Today, in the U.S. alone, there are more than 85 million mobile Internet users, according to eMarketer,” the report says. “The consultancy projects that number to reach 100 million [...]

Sales Up as Shoppers Hunt for Tax-Free Bargains

Local retailers in Texas and Connecticut saw a jump in activity as the states rolled out annual tax-free shopping events.
In Texas, this past weekend was tax-free on numerous clothing, footwear and school supplies priced under $100.
“We’ve had lots of sales and specials and reductions to go with the tax-free holiday,” one retailer said. “I’m just [...]

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