consumer trends

Men shop quickly, women love to search

Think of the mall during the holidays. The music of the season fills the troglodyte with joy as he blazes a trail to Radio Shack. There, he offers a cashier a buckskin in exchange for... more »

Retailers Using Gift Cards to Incentivize Sales

By the time you read this, Black Friday — the name conjures up anything but rosy profits — will have come and gone and retailers will have a better indication of 2009 holiday sales momentum.Whatever... more »

Early Christmas shopping boosts retail sales in October

The Office for National Statistics has released figures showing an increase in the volume of retail sales of 3.4 per cent in the month of October, compared with the same month last year.Compared with last... more »

October Retail Sales A Mixed Bag As Holiday Season Approaches

Washington - Retailers hoping for momentum heading into the holiday season are seeing mixed signals today as some categories saw positive gains while others demonstrated weakness. According to the National Retail Federation, retail industry sales... more »

This holiday season, retailers will emphasize ‘value’

The deals are already calling you.Take an extra 30 percent off plus $10 credit for every $50 spent. Any boot, 50 percent off. Choose from 100 toys for $10. Not good enough? How about 75... more »

U.S. November same-store sales seen rising 5-8 pct

Seattle, WA - The International Council of Shopping Centers said it expects November same-store sales to increase 5 percent to 8 percent, one of the more optimistic forecasts ahead of the holiday shopping season.The wide... more »

More consumers plan to shop on Black Friday-ICSC

San Francisco, CA - A higher number of consumers plan to go shopping on Black Friday this year, the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season, according to a survey released on Wednesday.Some 16 percent... more »

Another upside surprise may be in store for U.S. retailers

New York, NY - Having already registered two straight months of better-than-expected sales, U.S. retailers' October results may top the mark again and lead some to raise their profit outlooks heading into the industry's crucial... more »