consumer trends

Retailers expect parents to loosen their purse strings this year for school shopping

St. Louis, MO - Last year, many families tightened their purse strings when it came to back-to-school shopping.Retailers are hoping it's a different story this year."People did reuse certain supplies last year that they can't... more »

Retailers are counting on the tax holiday’s reappearance to boost sales

Retailers are hoping the state's sales tax holiday will draw customers into their stores, but will they take the bait?Massachusetts has not had a sales tax holiday since August 2008, just before the start of... more »

Regional economy continues to expand slowly

Boston, MA - The New England economy continued to expand in recent weeks, but signs of slowing appeared as some companies reported mixed results and most remained cautious in hiring, according to a Federal Reserve... more »

Retail sales up at fastest rate in three years

London, UK - Retail sales grew at their fastest pace in three years in July, and retailers were their most upbeat in six years about the prospects for August, a survey by the Confederation of... more »

Retailers’ back-to-school assignment: Boost sales

Retailers are preparing for this year's back-to-school shopping season as if it's a test they can't afford to fail. While the two leading retail trade groups are forecasting pent-up demand and a recovering economy will... more »

Retailers Create Innovative Promotions To Stimulate Consumer Spending

Sterling, Va. -- "To run a business you need the money flow. You need the money to buy inventory," says David Sun.Sun has struggled to get a bank to loan him the money he needs... more »

Stores push summertime ‘Christmas’ sales

New York, NY — Santa in the summer? Retailers are pumping still more energy this year into trying to get shoppers to loosen their purse strings early for Christmas with sparkly ornaments, holiday music and... more »

Marblehead Businesses Support Sales Tax Holiday

Marblehead, MA — Local business owners are hoping to see the benefit of a sales tax holiday, which would suspend the 6.25 percent state sales tax on goods and services up to $2,500 the weekend of... more »