One of the biggest retail trade shows in the U.S., NRF Retail's Big Show, just concluded this week. As our teams get settled in from a very busy and successful show, we wanted to take a look back and share a quick recap. Here’s a Storify highlighting our favorite moments from the show:
2018 is right around the corner, and it’s time for retailers to start thinking about how they can elevate their game in the New Year. According to Salesforce’s research, 50 percent of consumers are likely to switch brands if their expectations aren’t met. Thanks to technological advancement, shoppers can easily find multiple sellers selling the same products via their smartphones. In fact, 70 percent of consumers feel that technology has made it easy for them to take their business elsewhere. Thankfully, there are strategies to avoid these outcomes, meet customer expectations and avoid losing sales to competitors.
The holidays are upon us, and Black Friday is just the start for the busiest shopping season of the year. According to a National Retail Foundation (NRF) survey, holiday retail sales in November and December are expected to increase between 3.6 and 4 percent for a total of $678.75-$682 billion, up from $655.8 billion last year. This is further confirmed by Deloitte’s 2017 Holiday Survey, which mentions that about 80 percent of consumers expect to spend the same or more this holiday season as they did last year.
The millennial generation – those who are between the ages of 18 and 35 – is the single largest generation ever seen in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, this highly-prized group that draws attention from all corners of commerce, had 75.3 million members at the end of 2015. Make no mistake – the millennials are the ones who are driving innovation and adoption of new technologies, and those whose job it is to understand consumer behavior and societal changes are taking their cues from millennials.
6 Factors that determine whether it’s time to upgrade
As we move into a cashless society, accepting electronic payments is more important than ever for all business types. With recent changes in credit/debit card acceptance and the proliferation of mobile wallets, electronic payments have evolved and become more sophisticated. To keep up with these changes, many merchants are now asking us, “When is the right time to upgrade our payment technology?”
