NRF Reference Center: Marketing

NRF Retail Reference Center-2013 Pre-Holiday Consumer Buying Intentions

TrendSource

From TrendSource. 'Tis the season for holiday consumer insights! With that in mind, the TrendSource team gathered around the fire, wearing our footed, one-piece pajamas for milk and cookies and, more importantly, the unveiling of the 2013 Pre-Holiday Buying Intentions Survey results. The results were more exciting than catching a glimpse of Santa! Ho, Ho, Ho and away we go! Let's break it down.

National Retail Federation Creates CMO Council to Serve as Advertising, Marketing Voice for Retail

Kathy Grannis

For Immediate Release
Kathy Grannis (202) 821-7513
press@nrf.com

National Retail Federation Creates CMO Council to Serve as Advertising, Marketing Voice for Retail Industry

Chicago, September 30, 2013 – The National Retail Federation today announced the development of a new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council to serve as the primary advertising and marketing voice for the retail industry. The organization’s Retail Advertising and Marketing Association will transition into the newly created council, bringing with it that community’s reputation as the premier industry association for c-level and senior marketing retail executives.

“During...

2013 BTS BTC Update

Shari Brown

Back-to-school shopping began earlier than ever this year, and according to NRF's 2013 Back-to-School and Back-to-College Surveys conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, the average family with school-age children in grades K-12 has already completed more than half (52.1%) of its shopping, up from 40.1 percent the same time last year and the highest percent in the survey's history.

Annual Summit 2013

Shari Brown

Shop.org will welcome some of the industry's most innovative thought leaders at its Annual Summit, kicking off in Chicago, September 30 - October 2. The event will gather more than 4,000 retail, e-commerce and multichannel executives, and will take place at the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place.

UPDATE: Retail's BIG Show 2014 and 2015 Dates Remain Unchanged

Stephen E. Schatz

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from Senior Vice President Bill Thorne following discussions with officials from The Jacob K. Javits Center:

NRF Retail Reference Center-On Queue: Creating a Better Waiting Experience

Platt Retail Institute

From Platt Retail Institute. On the whole, the amount of time Americans spend waiting in lines is on the order of 37 billion hours a year. Thanks to innovations such as barcode scanners, self-checkout, pay-at-the-pump, and smarter, faster POS systems, it is likely people are spending less time in lines than they did decades ago. Still, there is a near-universal perception that people now spend more time waiting.

NRF Retail Reference Center-The 2013 Maritz Loyalty Report

Maritz Loyalty Marketing

From Maritz Loyalty Marketing. The US is a highly developed loyalty market - considering the average number of programs per member, the percentage of consumers who participate in programs, and the number of programs operating in this market. In the US market, not unlike in other developed economies around the world, loyalty initiatives are an important aspect of the marketing mix and are an important aspect of consumers' experiences with brands. We undertake The Maritz Loyalty Report as a means of staying apprised of American attitudes and behaviors regarding participation in loyalty programs.This year, we surveyed over 6,000 consumers and captured program-level feedback on over 30 national programs across six industry sectors, including Retail Loyalty, Grocery Loyalty, Credit Card Loyalty, Entertainment Loyalty, Travel, and Hospitality.

NRF Retail Reference Center-Corporate Attitudes and Adoption Trends

Steven Keith Platt

From Platt Retail Institute. Advancements in digital technology are causing a seismic shift in consumer purchase behavior. Customers today access multiple channels to execute a purchase, leading to the requirement that all channels work seamlessly to support the brand and the experience. This trend started with the Internet, but is now being advanced in a very dramatic and rapid fashion due to mobile and other digital technologies. Consumers, empowered with these digital communication devices, such as smartphones and tablets, are pressuring organizations to deliver compelling and innovative experiences to retain top of mind and share of wallet. As distinctions between purchase channels blur, companies must build a singular view of and communication strategy with their customers, which can include touch points such as call centers, direct mail and catalogs, the Internet, mobile, physical selling locations, and social media.

NRF Retail Reference Center-Creating the Information-Rich Store

Intel/Platt Retail Institute

From Intel/Platt Retail Institute. Significant forces - online, mobile, social, generational, and demographic - are shifting the competitive landscape for retailers. E-commerce and "showrooming" have already eroded the large selection/low price advantages of Big Box stores. But specialty and neighborhood shops also struggle with many of the same issues, (e.g., consumers scanning bar codes and downloading coupons to buy online). Across food, clothing, consumer electronics and more, huge fault lines have emerged as brands and stores struggle to come to grips with the realities of selling in a mobile, multi-channel, hyper-connected world. Denial, as a strategy, has (no surprise) run its course. In 2012, more retailers reported operating online channels than traditional storefronts, confirming once again that the e-commerce genie has long since left the bottle. But a strategy of tactical, siloed, one-off fixes isn't proving any better. Deploying an updated e-commerce site here or a new mobile app there will simply push you further into a costly sinkhole of unconnected and often completely incompatible technologies, and do little to prepare you for the considerable changes yet to come.

NRF Retail Reference Center-Neuromarketing Reveals a World of Possibilities

Platt Retail Institute

From Platt Retail Institute. For the typical retailer, there is a constant concern about the shift of sales from in-store to online. Armies of consultants are developing concepts and models for multi- and omni-channel retailing. With hopes for a successful future for their businesses, retailers are investing more and more of their budgets in dealing with this concern.