While the famously traditional holiday shopping season that takes place in November and December constitutes the busiest time of the year for most brands, for many, like modern floral brand Bouqs, Valentine’s Day represents the year’s bright spot. This year, Bouqs anticipates sending over 7 million stems for Valentine’s Day — 1.2 million expected to … Read more
New research from Appriss Retail revealed that total merchandise returns for 2024 totaled $685 billion, which represents a whopping 13.2 percent of total retail sales — which is pegged to come in at $5.19 trillion. The good news is that the rate of returns is down from 14.5 percent in 2023. The report was based … Read more
Despite the growth of cross-border e-commerce, many global shoppers remain skeptical about buying items online from overseas brands and retailers. But new research that looked at consumer behavior differences in Japan and South Korea exposed preferences that may increase online “purchasability.” The key is to promote a brand or retailer’s corporate social responsibility efforts. The … Read more
As the year comes to a close, restaurants have continued to be a major place for consumers to spend time — especially with the mass decline of “third places,” a place for people that encourages social interaction and public relaxation outside of the home (“first place”) and work (“second place”) through shared activities and shared … Read more
How will consumer buying and priorities evolve in the retail fashion sectors in 2025, particularly considering recent global economic and social changes? What technologies or innovative practices will significantly shape the retail and fashion apparel industry over the next few years? WWD asked a handful of industry experts in retail, technology and consumer behaviors to … Read more
Every year, U.S. consumers throw out more than 34 billion pounds of used textiles. Of that, consumers with higher incomes generate about 76 percent more clothing waste than those with lower incomes, according to Boston University’s School of Public Health. Once discarded, 66 percent of these textiles are sent to landfills to decompose (some quickly, … Read more
New consumer survey data from McAfee Corp., the global online protection solution, found that a third of Americans have fallen victim to an online scam during the holiday season. And with nearly 60 percent of consumers reporting lost money to these scams (10 percent losing more than $1,000), holiday shoppers told the company they are … Read more
Amidst a stressful holiday season with inflation and cost of living being top of mind, consumers continue to remain cautious this year. This year’s annual report by QuickBooks titled “Holiday Shopping” found that consumers are pulling back on spending this year — shoppers are expected to spend $85 billion less versus last year, a 34 … Read more
From the current economic climate to the recent election results, consumers have a lot to be stressed about, and according to Rakuten, those feelings are showing up in shopping carts. Rakuten’s latest consumer survey, which aimed to identify key trends in consumer behavior as they continue to develop, found stress to be a key theme … Read more
Shoppers who plan on using pay-later services this holiday season said they are doing so to help reduce the guilt of splurging and better manage their finances. In a research report from Splitit and Pymnts, 28 percent of consumers polled said they are highly likely to use pay-later plans this season. “In fact, two-thirds of … Read more
