NRF Reference Center: Original Research

Insight Center

Shari Brown — 2013-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

The NRF Foundation, the careers and education division of the National Retail Federation, today announced the launch of its new Retail Insight Center, a website designed to serve as a resource for researching industry, government, economic and consumer trends within the retail industry.

NRF Retail Reference Center - Effective Crowd Management

2012-11-05T00:00:00-05:00

NRF's Loss Prevention community has released its 2012 Effective Crowd Management Guidelines to address what retail stores and shopping centers should be prepared for when managing large crowds. In anticipation of what is expected to be one of the busiest holiday shopping season in years � in particular Thanksgiving night and Black Friday weekend � the report can assist retailers in planning advanced measures to protect their stores, customers and employees. This year's guidelines contain insights into new trends and events where security protocols will come in handy.

Holiday Consumer Trends 2011

2011-11-16T00:00:00-05:00

These holiday consumer charts explore historical data related to what consumers plan to buy and payment methods.

NRF Retail Reference Center - Return Fraud Survey Results 2011

2011-11-10T00:00:00-05:00

Results from NRF's 2011 Return Fraud Survey include the types of return fraud retailers have experienced in the last year and holiday returns.

NRF Retail Reference Center - Background Screening 2011: Protecting retailers and consumers

2011-10-04T00:00:00-04:00

In October 2011, NRF released the findings of a survey with 96 retail and restaurant companies to understand the use and scope of background screening in the retail industry. Nearly all retailers polled (96.6%) utilize background screening as part of their applicant hiring process. Background checks are conducted on all levels of employees from store associates and managers to senior executives. The types of checks conducted often include evaluating criminal history, sex offender registration, credit, motor vehicle/driving history, a social security number trace, drug history, education verification and private sector data sharing initiatives such as a stores mutual association check.

NRF Retail Reference Center - Multiple Offender Crimes

2011-08-02T00:00:00-04:00

Multiple offender crimes aren't your typical so-called "flash mob". Traditionally, these multiple offender crime groups engage in grab-and-run scenarios where offenders quickly enter stores and target specific merchandise � such as high-end handbags, jewelry and designer clothing � then flee, sometimes to a waiting vehicle or, as was the case in several high profile incidents, using mass transit.

NRF Retail Reference Center - Retail Industry Indicators

2011-07-01T00:00:00-04:00

Retail Industry Indicators 2009 is a comprehensive report on trends in the retail industry. This report was prepared for the NRF Foundation, the non-profit research and education foundation of NRF, by The Trade Partnership.

NRF Retail Reference Center - Retail Horizons Webcast: Benchmarks for 2010, Forecasts for 2011

2011-03-18T00:00:00-04:00

The National Retail Federation Foundation (NRFF) and KPMG have published the ninth annual "state of the retail industry" study, Retail Horizons: Benchmarks for 2010, Forecasts for 2011. Retail Horizons offers a detailed overview of the current state of the industry and retailers' plans for the year ahead. The full report provides deep insights into tactical decisions and strategies retail companies will implement as the industry continues to recover, and how they will try to maintain customer focus while placing a greater emphasis on the bottom line. Research for this year's report was conducted in the fall of 2010 and is based on responses in nine functional areas through online surveys from more than 310 retail executives in 135 companies.

NRF Retail Reference Center - Retail Horizons: Benchmarks and Forecasts

NRF Foundation — 2011-01-13T00:00:00-05:00

KPMG and NRF Foundation are pleased to deliver the eighth annual state of the retail industry study, Retail Horizons: Benchmarks for 2009,Forecasts for 2010. A year ago, the retail industry was facing its greatest global financial crisis in decades and, while challenges continued in 2009, lessons were learned. This year's report details how retailers moved quickly and thoughtfully to position themselves for success as they entered a new decade.

NRF Retail Reference Center - Black Friday Weekend Shopping Trends 2010

2010-11-28T00:00:00-05:00

Charts and data from NRF's consumer survey covering Black Friday weekend shopping trends.