Customer Retention

Consumer anxiety persists amid soaring inflation. Consumer confidence slid in July to its lowest level since February 2021. According to the latest survey from the Conference Board, fewer Americans think conditions will improve over the next several months and more were pessimistic about their own financial prospects for the short term. To add to consumer…

Leatherman, a multitool manufacturer based in Portland, Ore., started its business with a prototype and a Cabela’s order for 500 of its multipurpose tool products. Since that original sale in 1983, Leatherman has expanded its reputation and brand among tinkerers and problem-solvers globally, developing recognition for quality products among a very loyal customer following. While…

Years ago, brand loyalty was built on the quality of goods or services. Retailers could focus their attention inward and rely almost exclusively on offering the “best of the best” — or “the best of the best for the price.” Changes in consumer preferences have made this model nearly obsolete. Of course, quality and price are still…

Online commerce experienced massive growth during the COVID pandemic. Consumers turned to online channels for just about every kind of purchase — from groceries to cars. From 2020 to 2022, consumers spent a total of $1.7 trillion online, an increase of $609 billion (61 percent) compared to the two prior years. U.S. ecommerce sales jumped…

Returns have been hitting the headlines lately, with around 16 percent of all merchandise bought in 2021 returned by shoppers. In Europe we’ve seen retailers, including Zara, move from free online returns to charging consumers to send back items. Fast-fashion favorite Asos.com has also recently warned its revenues are being hit by rising costs and…

Retailers know the pandemic transformed e-commerce with a flood of orders from existing customers, brand-new online shoppers, and consumers from other countries. Of course, order volume and customer profiles aren’t the only e-commerce changes since March 2020. Understanding the nuances of those changes is critical for online retail success now. To get a clearer picture…

Technology has been woven into the fabric of our daily lives, with consumers banking, communicating and shopping online. However, the convenience of e-commerce can come at an expense. As consumers have moved deeper toward a digital-first world, questions and concerns about data privacy have grown exponentially. Under increasing pressure, Google recently announced that it will…

As digital ad costs continue to climb, it’s no surprise that direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) brands are looking for new ways to connect with customers. However, they cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach to customer engagement. Today’s shoppers are split on where they prefer to engage with brands. In fact, our recent Brand Authenticity Report found that nearly…

The COVID-19 pandemic plus the war in Ukraine created a perfect storm for inflation, and now the prices of goods and services are dominating the minds of consumers everywhere. Annual inflation rose by 8.3 percent in April, close to a 40-year high, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Everything from food and gas to…

The COVID-fueled e-commerce party couldn’t last forever. Businesses knew that it was only a matter of time before consumers reverted to their pre-pandemic shopping habits of mixing online and in-person shopping. That time appears to be upon us. A recently released Mastercard SpendingPulse report showed a year-over-year (YoY) retail sales increase of 7.2 percent in…