Tony D'Onofrio
Research
- February 19, 2024
Store Experience Study 2024: The Heart of Retail Evolves
The coming year appears bright with possibilities for the retail industry. Survey respondents have an optimistic outlook going into 2024. Overall store counts are up, IT spend is up, and NRF’s forecasted sales growth of 4-6% for 2023 lands right in the wheelhouse of the retailers who responded to our survey. - From RIS News
- February 13, 2024
Long Live Luxury: Converge to Expand Through Turbulence
The overall luxury market reached €1.5 trillion globally in 2023, a robust 8% to 10% growth over 2022 at current exchange rates (11% to 13% at constant exchange rates), setting a record for the industry and proving its unparalleled resilience. Asia set the pace for growth thanks to strong domestic demand and a renewed influx of Chinese tourists across the region. Japan boomed due to local customers and a weak yen favoring tourist inflows. Mainland China posted a strong performance after its first quarter reopening but slowed progressively as new macroeconomic concerns arose. - From Bain & Company
- February 05, 2024
2024 Retail Industry Outlook - Looking for Loyalty in all the Right Places
One-half of retail executives expect consumers to value price over loyalty in 2024. The fact that the new e-commerce discount entrant,Temu, was the most downloaded Apple iPhone® app in the United States in 2023 suggests their view is not unfounded. Two-thirds (64%) of retail executives also expect inflation-weary consumers to purchase fewer goods—something that also concerns consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies as they pivot to profitable volume. - From Deloitte
- January 29, 2024
Crime Trends in USA Cities: Year End Update 2023
The number of homicides in the 32 study cities providing homicide data was 10% lower—representing 515 fewer homicides—in 2023 than in 2022. Shoplifting rates jumped upward by 22% from 2022 to 2023. - From Council of Criminal Justice
- January 22, 2024
Global Risks 2024: A Turning Point
As we enter 2024, results of the Forum’s Global Risks Perception Survey 2023-2024 (GRPS) highlight a predominantly negative outlook for the world over the short term that is expected to worsen over the long term. Risks relating to the financial, tech and real-estate sectors are towards the bottom of respondents’ concerns for 2024.- From World Economic Forum
- January 08, 2024
2023 Consumer Returns in the USA Retail Industry
Total returns for the retail industry amounted to $743 billion in merchandise in 2023. • The total returns rate as a percentage of sales for 2023 is 14.5%. The percentage of abuse and fraud impacting total returns in 2023 is 13.7%. The total amount of dollars lost to returns' abuse and fraud in 2023 is $101 billion. - From NRF and Appriss Retail
- January 01, 2024
Global Predictions for 2024: Optimism is on the rise as more think next year will be better
53% say 2023 was a bad year for them and 70% say it was a bad year for their country. This is the lowest level since before the Covid-19 pandemic. More people think AI will lead to more jobs being lost than being created in 2024. A majority (59%) think we’ll spend more time working in the office in 2024 than working at home. - From Ipsos.com
- December 26, 2023
RIS Software Leaderboard 2024: Retail Tech Giants
A favorite annual report from RIS News, now in its 23rd year that ranks the best in retail technology. – From RIS News.
- December 19, 2023
Deloitte Tech Trends 2024
Three elevating forces (interaction, information, and computation) and three grounding forces (business of technology, core modernization, and cyber & trust) continue to be the bedrock upon which Deloitte builds the 15th edition of the Tech Trends annual report for 2024. – From Deloitte Insights.
- December 11, 2023
What Every Executive Needs to Know About AI
AI will revolutionize the way that customers interact with companies, transforming what they value from products, services, and experiences. AI will empower companies to transform key elements of their operations, fueling productivity gains and expediting innovation. AI will create brand new business models as disruptive as those born from prior groundbreaking technological innovations (e.g., Internet, mobile), reshaping the playing field and what it takes to win. – From Bain & Company
- December 04, 2023
Digital 2023 October Global Snapshot Report
Internet user figures have grown by 3.7 percent over the past year, to reach 5.30 billion in October 2023. This figure equates to 65.7 percent of the world’s population. internet users have reduced their TV watch time by 13 minutes over the past year, resulting in a relative 6.1 percent drop in the time spent consuming content across streaming and broadcast TV. - From Datareportal.com
- November 20, 2023
Shoplifting Trends: What You Need to Know
Shoplifting incidents reported to police have rebounded since falling dramatically in 24 large American cities during 2020. But whether the overall tally is up or down compared with pre-pandemic levels depends on the inclusion of New York City. Interesting. - From the Council of Criminal Justice
- November 06, 2023
Risk Outlook 2024 - Ten Risk Scenarios Facing the Global Economy
EIU’s operational risk scenarios evaluate the events that could have a severe impact on its core economic and geopolitical forecasts, challenging the operations of businesses worldwide. We expect stable, but unspectacular, global growth to continue into 2024 as economic uncertainty recedes and major central banks begin to lower policy rates in the second half of the year. This white paper explores how geopolitical tensions, the advent of new technologies and persistent environmental threats could upset the outlook for 2024. - From the Economist Intelligence Unit
- October 31, 2023
What retailers need to know about 2024 (and beyond) in five charts
As ecommerce growth returns to pre-pandemic levels, it will continue to drive total retail sales over the next few years. Retailers looking to drive sales need to focus on a seamless omnichannel experience and use deals to convince consumers to spend. Meanwhile, retail media’s growth shows no signs of slowing, but advertisers and retailers must work together to ensure future success. - From Insider Intelligence
- October 23, 2023
Q3 2023 U.S. SHOPPING CENTER MARKETBEAT
The U.S. retail real estate market remained strong in the third quarter of 2023, thanks to healthy tenant demand and resilient consumer spending. The vacancy rate came in at a historic low of 5.4% in the third quarter, down 5 basis points (bps) from the Q2 level; it’s down 40 bps compared to the third quarter of 2022 and 80 bps versus the pre-pandemic rate, pushing average asking rents higher in a competitive market. - From Cushman & Wakefield
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It is a Small World
“Every gift is a little piece of Santa.” – LovetoKnow.com
Continuing our journey to learn something new, in the spirit of the holiday season, we travel to Cologne Germany for fun facts about Santa Claus. His real name is Saint Nicholas, a bishop in the 4th century who lived in what is now Turkey. Saint Nicholas was known for his generosity and kindness, and legends say he performed miracles for the poor and unhappy.
The name Santa Claus comes from the Dutch nickname Sinter Klaas, which is short for Sint Nikolaas, the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas. The Dutch brought the name to America in the 17th century, where it was anglicized to Santa Claus.
No, Coca Cola did not invent the image of Santa Claus. The modern image of Santa Claus is largely due to the work of German-born artist Tom Nast. Nast's cartoon of Santa Claus arriving at a Union Army camp by sleigh during the Civil War helped establish the modern image of Santa.
If you write to Santa in the United States, all letters to Santa Claus, Indiana. Closer to the North Pole, there is an even more popular Santa Claus village in Finland which since 1985 has received over 18 million letters from 199 countries. You can mail your Santa Claus letters to:
Santa Claus’ Main Post office
Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi
Tähtikuja 1
96930 Arctic Circle
Finland
This picture which was taken at the Christmas Market in Cologne Germany is a reminder of why this is my favorite time of the year. The colors, the lights, the smiles, the anticipation in the eyes of every child, the musical tidings, family gatherings, the end of another year, and the possibilities of the new year.
If you immerse yourself in the positive messages of the holiday season, HOPE for a brighter tomorrow naturally emerges, and that my friends and family, is the true spirit of the holiday season. You see every gift is indeed a little bit of Santa.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Categories
Brilliant Research
European Non-Grocery Retail: Transition and Transformation
After an unpredictable several years, non-grocery retailers in Europe are seeking to uncover pockets of growth. To succeed, they will need to navigate differences across markets and retail categories. - From McKinsey Read more
Smart Infographic
Gen Z to Lead the Shopping Charge this Holiday Season
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