Remember at the beginning of 2020 when you thought you had everything all planned out for the year, and then COVID-19 came and knocked all of your preparations off the table? That was not fun for anyone, and many businesses are still trying to recuperate and rebuild their models. We live in very unpredictable times, […]
consumer spending
Retail Experts Forecast an End to Traditional One-Day Black Friday Deals
by Proxima 360 Proxima 360, an impact solutions management consultancy for the retail industry, is predicting big changes for the holiday shopping season. Due to the ongoing pandemic, retailers are stuck with summer merchandise and the effects of a slow summer and back-to-school shopping season. As a result there is a reduction in profits and […]
COVID & Holiday Shopping Behaviors
As the summer continues to slip away and there’s still no end in sight for the pandemic, retailers have to truck on and start preparing for probably one of the most challenging holiday seasons we will come to know. Most retailers don’t know if what they’ve seen from shoppers since the onset of the pandemic […]
The NPD Group Reports Upward Signs of Retail Spending
As consumers settled into their sheltering at home routines, spending improved for the fourth straight week, up seven percent compared to the prior week, according to The NPD Group. Retail spending also showed flat year-over-year performance during the week ending April 25, 2020 — the first time sales didn’t decline since early March. As promising […]
Three Tips for Retailers to Reel-In Last Minute Shoppers
by Tom Ertler, Miller Zell’s SVP and Creative Director There are shoppers who make their lists, check them twice and have their gifts bought, boxed, wrapped and bowed well before the big day of the season. And then there are the rest – the procrastinators, either too busy to shop early or too perplexed by […]
Yiftee and Thanx Partner to Increase Online Sales for Local Businesses
Thanx, a leading provider of customer engagement and retention tools for retailers and restaurants, recently announced a new partnership with Yiftee, the data-driven mobile promotions and gifting company serving multi-location restaurants, retailers, services and other partners. This new integration will allow Thanx merchants to generate new revenue and acquire new customers by offering and promoting […]
2019 Economic and Consumer Outlook
The overarching theme of retail consumers in 2019 is high expectations. Higher consumer confidence, higher wages, innovative startups and emerging technology all contribute to unrelentingly high standards. But, for all of those same reasons small businesses are in a better position now, more than ever, to exceed consumers’ high expectations. Here’s a deeper dive into […]
Brick and Mortar Purchases Account for 83% of Holiday Spending
This holiday season, mobile may have stolen the headlines, but brick and mortar stores continue to steal the sales. Online shopping during the holiday season approached $125 billion. But, according to Adobe, 83 percent of holiday shopping was done in-store. What may come as a surprise is that Millennial and Gen Z shoppers are leading […]
2019 Retail Predictions
Every year, Independent Retailer turns to the experts and asks “What’s Next?” Read on for industry expert takes on challenges retailers will face in 2019, where retailers should focus their energy, how to shake things up this year, and what to prioritize. What will be the biggest challenges retailers face in 2019? Are these […]
Fast Facts from the 2018 Omnichannel Buying Report
BigCommerce conducted a study of over 3,000 consumers to find out how shoppers are buying in 2018. While 87 percent of all consumer spending still happens offline, the shopping journey as a whole is much more digital and multichannel.Before Making an In-Store Purchase: 39% of digital consumers visited a brand’s website 36% read customer reviews […]