Recently we participated in the event E-Commerce One to One in Monaco. In its sixth year, it yet again proved to be THE event for ecommerce leaders. With over 1,000 carefully selected participants, the three-day event made for a rich exchange of ideas and innovations.
Although we may not be flying around in rocket ships quite yet, retail today is about as futuristic as anyone could have imagined. It’s hard to envision a world without the 24/7 on-demand access to the endless aisles of ecommerce retail.
Kmart began running its Christmas ads right after Labor Day. Around the same time, a huge Christmas tree was spotted at a Bay Area Ikea. Hobby Lobby had its Christmas decorations up in August.
Clearly, some retailers are taking no chances this holiday season. However, their efforts might be counterproductive. “What consumers bristle about is feeling like it’s shoved down their throat,” says Kit Yarrow, a retail industry consultant.
Toys R Us stores nationwide will open at 5pm on Thanksgiving Day and stay open until 11pm on Friday, the company announced in a statement. Other retailers that have announced Thanksgiving Day openings include Macys Inc. M, -0.34% and Sears Holdings Corp. SHLD, +0.08% which open at 6pm. REI will not only remain closed on Thanksgiving Day, but will also be closed on Black Friday, and is encouraging others to “go outside and play instead” through a hashtag, #OptOutside. Research conducted by RichRelevance found that 64.5% of respondents “hate” or “dislike” the practice of stores opening on Thanksgiving. RichRelevance, which works with retailers on customer personalization programs, surveyed 1,000 Americans for its findings.
RichRelevance, a San-Francisco-based company specializing omnichannel personalization, today announced the results of a new study that illuminates consumer preferences and sentiment around the physical store this holiday 2015 season. The study surveyed more than 1,000 consumers across the U.S. to pick out the trends and themes that will define the in-store shopping experience this holiday season. Key findings include:
Now that everyone is filled with Halloween sugar regret, it’s time to focus on something more positive. And right now, that’s the holiday retail outlook.
Both the National Retail Federation and the International Council of Shopping Centers are projecting healthy increases for the season—3.7% and 3.3% respectively. The Mintel Group is forecasting a 4.3% increase over 2014. And The NPD Group says positive consumer sentiment should boost shopper spend by 5 percent.
Today, we released our new study of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, highlighting shopping preferences and sentiment this holiday season. One common theme that emerged is that Americans continue to be all about “instant gratification”; even benefits like Amazon Prime can’t top the pleasure and convenience of a purchase in-hand at check out.
Survey reveals Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of stores being open on Thanksgiving Day