Consumer Spending News

Will Lands' End Finally Prosper Under Sears Holdings?

retailwire.com — Sat, 25 May 2013 13:46:51 -0400

Lands' End celebrated 50 years in business earlier this week. The chain gained fame, in part, because of its unconditional satisfaction guarantee and with high levels of customer service. What is your assessment of the challenges and opportunities in front of Lands' End today? READ MORE

- retailwire.com

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Realtors® Report Positive Trends in Commercial Market with Increases in Income, Transactions

RSS feed for Items tagged 'Research & Statistics' — Sat, 25 May 2013 13:46:49 -0400

WASHINGTON (May 23, 2013) – Realtors^® who practice commercial real estate have reported an increase in annual gross income for the third year in a row, signaling the market is on the road to recovery. According to the National Association of Realtors^® 2013 Commercial Member Profile, transactions and sales volume have also increased since last year.

The study shows median annual gross income for 2012 was $90,200, an increase from $86,000 in 2011 and is at its highest level since 2008.... Read More READ MORE

- RSS feed for Items tagged 'Research & Statistics'

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FRBuyer: FISH (Food Industry Serving Heroes) is Born

retailwire.com — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:46:51 -0400

Some wounded veterans will soon be getting wheelchairs and service dogs, thanks to a $25,000 donation by the Southeast Association of Frozen & Refrigerated Food Councils last month during its annual conference in Hilton Head, SC. What's the key to success for such industry-supported, cause-related organizations? READ MORE

- retailwire.com

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REALTORS® Confidence Index

RSS feed for Items tagged 'Research & Statistics' — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:46:49 -0400

April Highlights:

The RCI April survey points to a real estate market that is headed for stronger gains in the coming months. The REALTORS® Confidence Index-Current Conditions, the RCI-Six-Month Outlook, and the Buyer Traffic Index all rose strongly in April. Respondents generally reported rising prices and shorter days on the market. However, inventory shortages and tight credit conditions remained as major threats to the broader and sustained recovery of the real estate market.

- RSS feed for Items tagged 'Research & Statistics'

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Will JLo Succeed as Mobile Phone Merchant?

retailwire.com — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:46:51 -0400

Jennifer Lopez has a new role and this time it's on the really small screen, as the new creative force and majority shareholder behind Viva M vil, a new mobile retail concept catering to Latinos. How likely is the Viva M vil concept to be a success? READ MORE

- retailwire.com

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April Existing-Home Sales Up but Constrained

RSS feed for Items tagged 'Research & Statistics' — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:46:49 -0400

WASHINGTON (May 22, 2013) – Existing-home sales rose in April but remain below underlying demand because of limited inventory and tight credit, according to the National Association of Realtors ^®. All regions are showing strong price gains from a year ago.

Total existing-home sales¹, which are completed transactions that include single-... Read More READ MORE

- RSS feed for Items tagged 'Research & Statistics'

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Retail TouchPoints: Five Trends to Anticipate in Dynamic Pricing

retailwire.com — Sat, 25 May 2013 10:46:51 -0400

While many e-tailers may not have the resources of an eBay, Amazon or Staples, most can still tailor their pricing strategy to increase competitiveness online. Which of the suggestions mentioned in the article offers online retailers the greatest opportunity for growth? READ MORE

- retailwire.com

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2013 NAR Member Profile Report Infographic

RSS feed for Items tagged 'Research & Statistics' — Sat, 25 May 2013 10:46:49 -0400

Based on a random sampling of NAR’s membership, the Member Profile strives to answer the question: Who are REALTORS®? It looks at a variety of economic and demographic characteristics, and business practices.

Read the report highlights.

- RSS feed for Items tagged 'Research & Statistics'

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Mapping the Customer Journey with Social Intelligence

Social Media Today - Social Customer — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:00:50 -0400

There's never been a better time for marketers for to see, understand and respond to the customer journey. Today's 'open social age' has created a 'looking glass' for companies to understand the complex nature of their customers as millions of them are broadcasting their opinions on a real-time basis. READ MORE

- Social Media Today - Social Customer

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5 Sparkling Ideas for Integrating User-Generated Content Marketing

Social Media Today - Social Customer — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:00:22 -0400

Consumer trust is a critical factor in marketing. If an individual doesn't believe your brand can deliver on its promises, or provide something better than its competition, they probably won't ever make a purchase. Leverage the thoughts, words, and images of real human beings - with their permission, of course. READ MORE

- Social Media Today - Social Customer

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Judge Says Customers Won't See One Red Cent Of Unredeemed Borders Gift Cards

Consumerist — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:06:17 -0400

Ineffective rectangular frisbees? Tiny coasters? Better start thinking of some ideas for any of those unredeemed Borders gift cards you may still have lying around: A judge ruled this week that customers won’t see a nickel of a total of $210.5 million in remaining balances on gift cards they failed to use before Borders bit the big one and went … [More]

- Consumerist

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When Paid Links are OK

Social Media Today - Social Customer — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:14:32 -0400

As the search engines cracked down on paid links that are considered "unnatural," webmasters came to believe that paid links are bad. The truth is, they aren't all bad. You just need to know where to draw the line. READ MORE

- Social Media Today - Social Customer

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The Fiery Debate Raging Over Charcoal Briquettes Vs. Lumps Is Making Us Very Hungry

Consumerist — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:00:24 -0400

Full disclosure: I’m clueless when it comes to lighting grills, be they charcoal or gas. As such, I never realized there’s a heated debate (pun totally intended) over what kind of charcoal one uses, should that be the grill of choice. I see chunks of black stuff on fire cooking up a burger and I think, “Yum. Gonna eat that.” … [More]

- Consumerist

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After A House Fire, Watch Out For Actual Criminals, Not Just Scummy Contractors

Consumerist — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:30:37 -0400

Earlier this week, we posted about the public adjusters and contractors who show up at the scene of a house fire, often before all of the flames are even out. Reader Josh’s family has been through a fire recently, and he wrote in to warn people about a whole different set of entrepreneurs who might stop by your home … [More]

- Consumerist

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How New York State's Indoor Smoking Ban Has Led To An Uptick In Bowling Alley Lawsuits

Consumerist — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:00:39 -0400

In one corner, you’ve got your run-of-the-mill bowling alley. You’ve probably been to one, so you know the drill � everyone’s got to wear those darling bowling shoes. In the other, you’ve got New York State’s ban on smoking indoors. Put those two things together and you’ve got an uptick in lawsuits against bowling alleys.

If you’re having trouble making … [More]

- Consumerist

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Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders

Economic Trends — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:33:22 -0400

New orders for manufactured durable goods in April increased $7.2 billion or 3.3** percent to $222.6 billion.

April 2013: 3.3** % change
March 2013: -5.9** % change
READ MORE

- U.S. Census Bureau Economic Briefing Room

- Economic Trends

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Target Cartwheel: Social Shopping for Millennials

Social Media Today - Social Customer — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:56:00 -0400

It seems that Target may have finally found its way into the next frontier of digital retail. Within the last week, Target has launched Cartwheel, a responsive website which will eventually become an application that allows users to earn and redeem in-store savings via Facebook and their smartphones. READ MORE

- Social Media Today - Social Customer

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New Residential Sales

Economic Trends — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:00:07 -0400

Sales of new single-family houses in April 2013 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 454,000. This is 2.3 percent (+/- 12.8%)* above the revised March 2013 estimate of 444,000.

April 2013: +2.3* % change
March 2013: +3.5** % change
READ MORE

- U.S. Census Bureau Economic Briefing Room

- Economic Trends

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Dynamics of Commercial Van Segment Mirror General U.S. Market

The Polk Blog | R. L. Polk & Co. — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:39:32 -0400

Just as the U.S. new vehicle market continues to fragment into dozens of segments and hundreds upon hundreds of models, the commercial van segment is splitting into two distinct categories, each with a wide range of models. Back in 2008, the commercial van customer had five models from which to choose, but by next year there will be 11 models on the market.

Prior to 2009, there was one commercial van segment and it was perennially dominated by Ford's E-Series (Econoline and Club Wagon). In 2009, Ford began importing the compact Transit Connect, offering a more fuel efficient choice than the larger E-Series to the commercial buyer. This year, Nissan will launch the NV200, the first direct competitor to the Transit Connect (and the preferred taxi choice by the city of New York). Next year, Chrysler will launch the compact Ram Promaster City, a rebadged Fiat Doblo, and GM just announced a few days ago that in 2014 it will purchase NV200s from Nissan and sell them as Chevrolet City Express in this market. GM mentioned in the announcement of the NV200 purchase that timing was a high priority, suggesting GM sees growth in this category and does not want to sit on the sidelines while it develops its own entry. There is also the possibility that Volkswagen will import a version of the Volkswagen Caddy currently sold in Europe, since this would help Volkswagen in its efforts to sell 800,000 Volkswagen-badged vehicles in the U.S. by 2018.

The large commercial van category is evolving as well. Next year Ford will introduce the Transit (and discontinue the E-Series), a successful model in Europe offering much more cargo space and a wider choice of configurations than the Econoline. Ram will also import a rebadged version of the Fiat Ducato called the Ram Promaster. Both of these models will compete against the Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. As in the small van category, Volkswagen may offer its own large commercial van to gain volume, but this would not occur for several years. GM will continue to market the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana in this large van segment, most likely targeting fleet customers who need the functionality of a large van but consider the Transit/Sprinter models too big.

This product activity in the van sector will drive up its volume and U.S. share considerably. Polk forecasts that total van registrations (not including midsize passenger vans such as the Dodge Caravan), including those registered to private individuals and as well as to fleet customers, will rise from 155,900 in 2009 to 301,000 this year and 365,000 in 2014. The category's share of the U.S. market will climb from 1.5% in 2009 to 2.0% this year and 2.3% in 2014.

Commercial Van Models in U.S. Market 2008 2014 Compact Van Chevrolet City Express Ford Transit Connect Nissan NV200 Ram Promaster City Fullsize Van Chevrolet Express Chevrolet Express Dodge Sprinter Ford Transit Ford E-Series Freightliner Sprinter Freightliner Sprinter GMC Savana GMC Savana Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Nissan NV Series Ram Promaster Source: Polk Forecasting

Posted by Tom Libby, Senior Forecasting Analyst, Polk (05.20.2013)

- The Polk Blog | R. L. Polk & Co.

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New Residential Construction

Economic Trends — Thu, 16 May 2013 06:30:29 -0400

Privately-owned housing starts in April 2013 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 853,000. This is 16.5 percent (+/- 5.2%) below the revised March 2013 estimate of 1,021,000.

April 2013: -16.5 % change
March 2013: +5.4* % change
READ MORE

- U.S. Census Bureau Economic Briefing Room

- Economic Trends

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