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Consumers Don’t See Categories Like Retailers, Survey Finds

| Mike O'Brien

U.S. consumers are sending out mixed signals on their spending habits and financial self-assessments, according to management consulting firm Kearney, with over 50% saying they’re living check to check, even as retail sales rise, inflation is down and mall traffic is up. The firm also found consumers views are often at odds with the kinds of fixed categorizations endemic to the retail industry.

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Economic Picture Iffy, But NRF Calls for Record Back-to-School Spending

| Mike O'Brien

Economic signals are a bit of a mixed bag heading into the important back-to-school and back-to-college shopping season, an economist with the National Retail Federation said, with inflation easing but spending on services and essential items still impacting spending on goods. In spite of this unsettled macro picture, the NRF projects record spending on K-12 and college.

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BNPL Usage Grows, Curbside Pickup Declines

| Mike O'Brien

Buy now pay later (BNPL) usage continues to grow, as cash- and credit-strapped consumers dinged by inflation use it for a wider variety of purchases. The share of online purchases using BNPL increased by 14% and revenue grew by 27% in 2022, according to new data from Adobe Digital Insights.

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Sizing Up Consumer Trends in 2023 with S&P

| Mike O'Brien

With a month of 2023 behind us, everyone in retail is wondering how consumer trends will play out this year in the face of ongoing (but lessening) inflation and a tricky macroeconomic picture, to say the least. To get a better understanding of the months ahead, we spoke with Sarah Wyeth, Retail Sector Lead for S&P Global Ratings.

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Inflation, Economy Dominated 2022 Headlines

| Mike O'Brien

James Carville famously told Clinton campaign workers in 1992, “It’s the economy, stupid,” and that mantra dominated again 30 years later, as high inflation and recession fears dogged the retail industry this year, leading to massive discounting to drive sales, often at the expense of profits.

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Top Retail CEOs See Lingering Consumer Unease

| Mike O'Brien

The CEOs of Nordstrom and Walmart both spoke this week of continuing concern over inflation affecting shoppers heading into the back half of the 2022 holiday season, as credit cards are maxed out and kitchen table budget meetings weigh using funds for gifts vs. essentials, causing retail jitters.

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Retailers Struggle to Read Consumer Signals for Q4

| Mike O'Brien

Retailers are looking at a major balancing act heading into the holiday season this year, with consumer signals and economic indicators a mixed bag and absolute boatloads of excess inventory, much of it old, to contend with in order to make Q4 a success.

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Is Your Ecommerce Fulfillment Center Ready for a Recession?

| Brian Barry

Building operational resilience and developing problem/solution scenarios for your ecommerce fulfillment center prior to a recession will allow you to be nimbler. Have a plan vs. just hoping it doesn’t occur; hope is not a strategy. Include department heads early, identify areas to review and develop a course of action.

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Consumer Spending a Mixed Bag This Summer

| Mike O'Brien

Despite inflation fears, retailers are likely to see an increase in consumer spending this summer, with 61% planning to shop “holidays” like Prime Day, and 76% of them saying they’ll spend the same or more on the extravaganza as last year, according to data from Adobe Commerce.

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BNPL Can Ease Inflation Pain

| Natasha Zurnamer

As inflation continues to slam consumers worldwide, alternative payment options such as Buy Now, Pay Later can go some way to helping alleviate the pain of higher prices. BNPL is an increasingly popular payment option, with loans usually incurring neither interest charges nor fees, and few require hard credit checks.