Retail Traffic Trends #106: Rundown – Find out what’s trending with consumers!

Despite consumer behaviors and trends changing at a fast pace, consumers continue to expect consistently great retail experiences, now more than ever.

This week we discuss evolving consumer habits and why some pandemic-born trends are here to stay.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • Latest retail trends: From appointment shopping to digital assistants
  • Evolving consumer habits: consumers are demanding consistently great retail experiences.
  • The Future Of Retail: Four ways for the retail industry to utilize AI.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

Evolving consumer habits

Regardless of where consumer habits bring people to shop, whether that be online or in-store, consumers are demanding consistently great retail experiences.

A recent survey by Ris news asked retailers what they think can be done to keep up with the ever-changing consumer habits. Some of the major takeaways included improving inventory visibility, empowering workers with technology, and becoming a master of the return process.

Today, about 30% of all products ordered online are returned, compared with only 8.9% bought in brick-and-mortar stores. According to a Peerless Research Group study, only 32% of retailers have any formal process for managing returns. By managing returns efficiently, you can reduce transportation and labor costs, enabling higher recovery of returned and excess inventory.

Click HERE to learn more about how to keep up with the ever-changing trends.

The latest on Retail Trends

While some trends come and go, there were a few trends that have stayed with consumers throughout the year.

Similarly to what we found earlier this year, nearly 40% of consumers are still willing to pay extra for climate-conscious products. Nearly two-thirds of shoppers (63%) would also recommend a product if they think it isn’t very harmful to the planet.

Security is still a major concern for many shoppers. In 2021, retail organizations saw a 75% increase in cyberattacks compared to the year before. If customers don’t feel that their personal information is kept safe, they become far less likely to make purchases at your online store.

Lastly, appointment shopping, which emerged at the beginning of the pandemic, is becoming a premier in-store experience that many customers are looking to have.

Click HERE to learn more about the latest retail trends.

Retail Snippets.

The Future Of Retail: Four ways for the retail industry to utilize AI.

 

Report: Retail group expects $816 Billion worth of returns this year.

 

Holiday hiring: Best Buy, TalkShopLive debut in-store pickup for livestream shopping.

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Safe-crossing: Microsoft Teams chat is coming to Outlook.

 

Device protection: Your iPhone and iPad have an awesome new security feature. Here’s why you need to turn it on now.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #105: November Metrics are in! 📊🕰️

As we start December, it’s time we see what it takes to become a top-performing store.

Despite this November having less foot traffic than last year, both the furniture and mattress industry saw significant increases in their average ticket in November 2022.

This week we take a look at the top 20% of stores with the highest conversion rates in both the furniture and mattress industry to see how November played out.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • November in the furniture industry: Changes in traffic and increases in the average ticket.
  • November in the mattress industry: How the mattress industry increased conversion rate by 4%.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

Week 40 Retail Foot traffic 2022

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

November 2022: Furniture industry

November 2022 furniture industry metrics

November 2022: Mattress industry

November 2022 mattress industry metrics

Retail Snippets

Finding the line: Why reduced consumer spending requires smarter tactics in-store.

 

Amazon: Is Amazon done disrupting retail?

 

Black Friday Sales: Here’s what Black Friday sales tell us about the retail sector.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

Copyright showdown: ‘Goblin mode’ chosen as Oxford word of the year for 2022.

 

Near-miss: Microsoft Teams adds free communities feature to take on Facebook and Discord

 

Rise of the bots: ‘Scary’ AI ChatGPT could eliminate Google within 2 years.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #104: Retail’s next biggest opportunity

Over the last year, retailers lost over $94.5 billion due to retail shrink.


Retailers across the country are struggling to find a middle ground between preventing theft and improving the in-store experience.

This week we discuss what retailers are doing to combat retail theft and take a look at how computer vision is changing retail.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • Computer vision in retail: How stores are utilizing the overload of data.
  • Retail Theft: Retailers resort to a heavy-handed approach to retail theft.

  • Holiday Shipping: USPS is better equipped for 2022 holidays after past peak struggles.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

Black Friday Predictions

Over the last year, retailers lost over $94.5 billion last year due to retail shrink.
 
Retailers across the country are struggling to find a middle ground between preventing theft and improving the in-store experience.
 
Measures to stop theft, such as locking products up or adding alarms, have introduced friction into the buying journey as customers have to wait for staff to unlock cabinets or retrieve items from storerooms.
 
Then on the flip side, attempts to simplify the shopping experience may actually facilitate theft.
 
Despite the friction it may cause, More retailers have turned to locking items up or shifting inventory to stockrooms to keep shoplifters from snatching items off shelves.

Click HERE to read more about Retail theft.

Computer vision meets retail

Retailers who successfully leverage computer vision with diagnostic, proactive, and predictive analytics are gaining the much-needed competitive edge.
 
Computer vision provides video and audio for additional context, complementing other types of data.  No matter if you are at your store for 9 hours a day, or an hour a week, it is impossible to see everything the way artificial intelligence can comprehend every second of the day.
 
The combination of foot traffic data and AI allows you to not only see exactly how long a customer was in a store, but you can see exactly where customers are spending their time.

Click HERE to learn more about computer vision.

Retail Snippets

Holiday Shipping: USPS is better equipped for 2022 holidays after past peak struggles.

 

Report: DroneUp has partnered with Walmart to make home deliveries even faster.

 

Holiday hiring: Google enhances AR search tools to help harried holiday shoppers.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

Black Friday: Where shoppers may see the biggest discounts on Black Friday—and where they won’t.

 

Amazon: Amazon Alexa is a “colossal failure,” on pace to lose $10 billion this year.

 

Box office: ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ projected to open to $150M-$175M+ at U.S. box office.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #103: Discover the latest consumer trends!

Regardless of where consumer habits bring people to shop, whether that be online or in-store, consumers are demanding consistently great retail experiences.

This week we discuss evolving consumer habits and why conscious purchases are on the rise.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • Impulse buys reach new heights: Why consumers are spending more on impulse purchases.
  • Evolving consumer habits: consumers are demanding consistently great retail experiences.
  • Privacy concerns: Google reaches record $392M privacy settlement over location data

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

Evolving consumer habits

Regardless of where consumer habits bring people to shop, whether that be online or in-store, consumers are demanding consistently great retail experiences.

 

A recent survey by Ris news asked retailers what they think can be done to keep up with the ever-changing consumer habits. Some of the major takeaways included improving inventory visibility, empowering workers with technology, and becoming a master of the return process.

 

Today, about 30% of all products ordered online are returned, compared with only 8.9% bought in brick-and-mortar stores. According to a Peerless Research Group study, only 32% of retailers have any formal process for managing returns. By managing returns efficiently, you can reduce transportation and labor costs, enabling higher recovery of returned and excess inventory.

 

Click HERE to learn more about how to keep up with the ever-changing trends.

Conscious Purchases

A recent report found that 57% of shoppers will spend the same amount or more during this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday than in 2021.

 

The survey also found that 40% of consumers are willing to pay extra for climate-conscious products this holiday. Nearly two-thirds of shoppers (63%) would also recommend a product if they think it isn’t very harmful to the planet.

 

Even with the price of goods increasing, consumers are willing to spend extra if it means the product is beneficial to the environment.

 

Click HERE to learn more about the recent surge in conscious purchases.

Retail Snippets

Privacy concerns: Google reaches record $392M privacy settlement over location data.

 

Report: Target earnings miss by a mile amid significant change in consumer shopping patterns.

 

Holiday hiring: Self-checkout now comprises nearly 40% of grocery checkout options.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

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Jupiter opposition: Microsoft Teams now has Solitaire and Minesweeper in games for work push.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #102: October Metrics are in!

As we start November, it’s time we see what it takes to become a top-performing store.

 

Despite this October having less foot traffic than last year, both the furniture and mattress industry saw significant increases in their average ticket in October 2022.

 

This week we take a look at the top 20% of stores with the highest conversion rates in both the furniture and mattress industry to see how October played out.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • October in the furniture industry: Changes in traffic and increases in conversion rate.
  • October in the mattress industry: How the mattress industry increased average ticket by 11%.
  • Gone missing: Free returns may soon be a thing of the past.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

Week 40 Retail Foot traffic 2022

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

October 2022: Furniture industry

October 2022 furniture industry performance metrics

October 2022: Mattress industry

October 2022 mattress industry performance metrics

Retail Snippets

Finding the line: How current World events have impacted the retail industry.

 

Gone missing: Free returns may soon be a thing of the past.

 

Report: 74% of Millennials Would Like Pre-Owned Gifts.

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Blood moon: The best images from the total lunar eclipse from Tuesday night.

 

Mattress Mack: ‘Mattress Mack’ scores $75 million payday with Astros’ World Series victory.

 

New discoveries: Eggo Waffles Puts Its Spin on Egg Nog.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #101: Is AI in retail a gimmick or a game-changer?

While AI was once a far-fetched idea, companies such as Dal-e have proven the power of AI through their text-to-image generator.

 

But how far is AI from becoming a valuable asset for the retail industry?

 

This week we diverge into the future of the industry and how to keep your store secure in the new world of retail.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • Foot traffic trends: How last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.
  • Store Security: Managing customers through software, not hardware.
  • AI in retail: Gimmick or Game-changer?

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

Week 43 Retail Foot traffic 2022

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

How To Secure The New World Of Retail

The retail sector has been challenged to transform over the past few years and now faces a new wave of cybersecurity threats. 

 

Stores across the country have been forced to scale and digitize their infrastructure and operations rapidly while complying with new data and privacy laws and contending with a growing wave of sophisticated cybersecurity attacks.

 

Unfortunately, the systems that built the industry were never architected to handle the mass network distribution and heavy shift to e-commerce that occurred during COVID.

 

A recent study by Forbes found 3 simple ways to secure your company against Cyber security threats:

 

  1. Manage customers through software, not hardware.
  2. Boost team skillsets so you can fully embrace the cloud.
  3. Seize the opportunity to become a true market leader.

AI in retail: Gimmick or Game-changer?

While AI was once a far-fetched idea, companies such as Dal-e have proven the power of AI through their text-to-image generator.

 

Automation, data, and technology, like machine learning algorithms, are used in retail AI to give customers highly customized shopping experiences.

 

By 2028, the global AI in retail market size is expected to reach $24.1 billion. The growth comes from the endless amount of possibilities AI brings into the market, such as COVID-19 impact analysis, higher supply chain capabilities, higher efficiency in saving cost and optimizing the experience for customers.

 

While that all sounds amazing, only time will tell how long it will take for AI to meet these insane expectations.

Retail Snippets

2023 and beyond: Top three retail industry trends of 2022 & 2023.

 

Retail tech: UPS and FedEx rate increases are coming. Here’s how shippers can prepare.

 

Helping hand: How retailers can help consumers with the stress of moving.

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Watch: Five ways to attract winter wildlife to your garden.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #100: The Final Word on Retail Trends

Retail Traffic Trends #100

After 99 weeks of providing retail trends, we are proud to release the 100th edition of Retail Traffic Trends.

Going back to our roots of reporting foot traffic trends, this week we discuss the re-emergence of in-store shopping during the holiday season and talk about all things new to Doorcounts in the coming weeks.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • Skip the line: Why advanced checkout tech is surging.
  • In-Store shopping: The in-store rush is right around the corner.
  • New to Doorcounts: The latest update on all things Doorcounts.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

Week 42 Retail Foot traffic 2022

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

Doorcounts update

As part of our ongoing upgrading of Doorcounts infrastructure, we will be upgrading one of our servers on Monday, October 31.

 

You shouldn’t see any differences in function or performance. The only thing you will notice is that we are disconnecting the in-app chat feature. In the following weeks, we will be re-implementing a new chat feature that will be more helpful! Not to worry you can still submit support tickets or chat with support at support@doorcounts.com.

In-Store shopping is In again

Despite the rise of e-commerce shopping over the last few years, a shift is right around the corner.

A recent JLL survey of over 1000 consumers discovered that 63.2% of consumers plan to do at least some of their shopping in stores this year, up from 58% in 2021.

This is followed by 55.3% who plan to shop with an online-only retailer and 49.1% ordering online from a brick-and-mortar store.

Among the main reasons why customers want to shop in stores for the holidays are to see products before buying them (54.5%), enjoy the ambiance of the store (36.9%), and avoid shipping costs and delays (32.7%), the survey found.

Retail Snippets

Skip the line: Advanced checkout tech is surging among c-stores.

 

Retail tech: Different ways to personalize your site for today’s consumers.

 

Helping hand: How retailers can help consumers with the stress of moving.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

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Tourists’ resurface: Tourists stranded underground at Arizona’s Grand Canyon Caverns are back on the surface.

 

UFO watchdogs: NASA announces team of scientists who will study mysterious ‘UFO’ events in the sky.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #99: What September’s retail sales mean for the holidays

What do September’s retail sales mean for the holidays?

A small but notable 11.5% rise in e-commerce during the month suggests that people are shopping early for the holidays, which research shows is, for some, to help stretch strained budgets.

This week we discuss what to expect this holiday season and announce our newest Doorcounts integrations.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • Retail tech: Retail Tech offers renewed potential and optimism for the industry.
  • Holiday predictions: How stores are utilizing the overload of data.
  • Doorcounts + Furniture Wizard: U.S. retail sales are expected to grow 7.1% this holiday season.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

Week 41 Retail Foot traffic 2022

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

Doorcounts + Furniture Wizard

Doorcounts and Furniture Wizard integration announcement

We are pleased to announce our new integration with Furniture Wizard!

 

You can now automate the flow of sales data from Furniture Wizard into Doorcounts.

 

If you are a furniture Wizard customer and are looking to integrate with Doorcounts, email our Support Team at support@doorcounts.com.

What September’s retail sales mean for the holidays

Consumers are spending and shopping early, but inflation is still squeezing their pockets.

Retail sales rose 7.1% in September in the segments followed by Retail Dive (which doesn’t include grocery, gas, or restaurants). Overall inflation also remained stubbornly high in the month at 8.2%, so, while consumers are spending, they’re getting less for their money, and volumes are therefore down in many categories.

A small but notable 11.5% rise in e-commerce during the month suggests that people are shopping early for the holidays, which research shows is, for some, to help stretch strained budgets.

A recent survey predicts that a quarter of holiday shoppers planned to begin before September 30 and a half are set to begin before October 31,” Bankrate Senior Industry Analyst Ted Rossman said in emailed comments.

Retail Snippets

Holiday rush: U.S. retail sales are expected to grow 7.1% this holiday season.

 

Retail tech: Retail Tech offers renewed potential and optimism for the industry.

 

A new order: U.S. retailers fill store shelves with leftover holiday inventory.

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New locations: Starbucks India launches first Reserve store.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #98: September Metrics are in!

As we start October, it’s time we see what it takes to become a top-performing store.

Despite this September having less foot traffic than last year, both the furniture and mattress industry saw significant increases in their average ticket in September 2022.

This week we take a look at the top 20% of stores with the highest conversion rates in both the furniture and mattress industry to see how September played out.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • September in the furniture industry: Changes in traffic and increases in the average ticket.
  • September in the mattress industry: How the mattress industry increased daily revenue by 10%.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

Week 40 Retail Foot traffic 2022

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

September 2022: Furniture industry

September 2022 furniture industry performance metrics

September 2022: Mattress industry

September 2022 mattress industry performance metrics

Retail Snippets

Finding the line: How current World events have impacted the retail industry.

 

Credential harvesting: Credential harvesting is the retail industry’s top threat.

 

Customer-centric: How customer-centric technology is reshaping the retail industry.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

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Near-miss: NASA’s DART alters asteroid’s course in ‘watershed moment for humanity’.

 

New discoveries: Lake Mead water crisis is exposing volcanic rock from eruptions 12 million years ago.

Read More

Retail Traffic Trends #97: Retail vs. Ransomware

Over the last year, 55% of retail respondents reported an increase in the volume of cyberattacks, 55% reported an increase in attack complexity, and 51% reported an increase in the impact of attacks on their organization.

This week we discuss the latest in retail theft and what you can do to prevent loss.

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

  • Retail vs ransomware: Everything you need to know to protect your store.
  • Computer vision: How stores are utilizing the overload of data.
  • Holiday rush: U.S. retail sales expected to grow 7.1% this holiday season.

FOOT TRAFFIC INDEX

Here’s a look at last week’s foot traffic compared to the same time last year.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to Daily Foot Traffic Index

Week 39 Retail Foot traffic 2022

FOOT TRAFFIC TRENDS

Industry insights so you can convert your foot traffic into more sales.

Retail vs. Ransomware

A new State of Ransomware in Retail 2022 report from Sophos found that retail had the second highest rate of ransomware attacks last year of all sectors surveyed after the media, leisure, and entertainment industry.

 

Globally, 77 percent of retail organizations surveyed were hit—a 75 percent increase from 2020. This is also 11 percent more than the cross-sector average attack rate of 66 percent.

 

Over the last year, 55% of retail respondents reported an increase in the volume of cyberattacks, 55% reported an increase in attack complexity, and 51% reported an increase in the impact of attacks on their organization. 

Computer vision meets retail

Retailers who successfully leverage computer vision with diagnostic, proactive, and predictive analytics are gaining the much-needed competitive edge.

Computer vision provides video and audio for additional context, complementing other types of data. No matter if you are at your store for 9 hours a day, or an hour a week, it is impossible to see everything the way artificial intelligence can comprehend every second of the day.

The combination of foot traffic data and AI allows you to not only see exactly how long a customer was in a store, but you can see exactly where customers are spending their time.

Retail Snippets

Holiday rush: U.S. retail sales expected to grow 7.1% this holiday season.

 

Employee first: REI commits to closing stores on Black Friday forever.

 

A new order: Tupperware moves from living rooms to Target stores.

RANDOM IRRELEVANCE

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Goodwill: Another Goodwill resale site launches as the market takes off.

Read More

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