(AP) — The blizzard that swept through the Northeast on Sunday and Monday delayed $1 billion in retail spending, according to research firm ShopperTrak, but won’t derail a holiday shopping season expected to be the best since 2007. The effect won’t be as bad as last year’s pre-Christmas snowstorm that similarly paralyzed parts of the […]
The $50 billion wireless providers are spending to keep up with demand will soon trickle down.
(Businessweek) — Get emotional. People buy with emotions and then justify the purchase with facts. What’s the best way to connect with people emotionally? Find out what’s most important to them. When you first meet a potential buyer, do two things: Listen and ask questions. By doing this, you qualify the buyer, establish a rapport […]
(New York Times) — CLIPPING coupons is a hassle. Intentionally. If shoppers were to redeem any more than just a sliver of them, manufacturers would have a self-created financial catastrophe on their hands. Digital technology could eventually make coupon-clipping with scissors a quaint oddity. And manufacturers are willing to make clipping easier, but not too […]
(Wall Street Journal) — Some major retailers are making it easier to return gifts this holiday season, after years of tightening policies and generating complaints from consumers. Best Buy Co. this month became the latest large chain to loosen its return policy when it eliminated a 15% “restocking fee” on electronics that had stirred a […]
(Wall Street Journal) — Tri Tang, a 25-year-old marketer, walked into a Best Buy Co. store in Sunnyvale, Calif., this past weekend and spotted the perfect gift for his girlfriend. Last year, he might have just dropped the $184.85 Garmin global positioning system into his cart. This time, he took out his Android phone and typed […]
(AP) — A strong start to the holiday season is raising confidence that the consumer is back and that 2011 could be a better year for the economy than expected. Retail sales are rising, boosted by the best month for department stores in two years. Inflation remains tame. Businesses are restocking their shelves in anticipation […]
(Businessweek) — Karen E. Klein: What do you see U.S. companies doing in terms of marketing to African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American consumers? Ricardo De La Blanca Brigati: You would think that aggressively targeting these changing American consumers would be priority one for business. But unfortunately many make little effort beyond replacing […]
(Time) –Some noticeable trends have emerged this holiday season, including never-ending Black Friday sales, an increase in self-gifting, and a decrease in credit card usage. Another trend popping up left and right among retailers and restaurants is the gift card bonus, a seemingly fantastic deal in which you might pay, say, $50 and get $60 worth of value […]
Inside Limelight Marketplace in New York, the holiday decorations are up. Big silver bulbs hang from the ceiling. The shops are open – and waiting for business. The scene could be the same at many a mall across America, except the retailers in Limelight aren’t the usual national chains or big-box stores. Instead, they’re mostly […]
(Wall Street Journal) — At the Kitson store here, the $98 Jonathan Adler zodiac pillows in the window and the $4.95 Silly Bandz rubber jewelry in bins at the door have one thing in common: They are bread crumbs on a carefully designed trail into the depths of the store. Owner Fraser Ross strategically plans […]
(WGCL) — Two local artists hope their business and unique canvas will inspire others. Two cousins started painting sneakers 10 years ago, and now they’re opening their first store in south-east Atlanta. The “Sneaka-Freaks” hope others will follow their example. Once their business takes, off the cousins want to start a nonprofit organization to teach […]