U.S. Retail Sales Increased 1.4% in October

U.S. retail sales increased 1.4% in October, above the 0.9% rise projected by Wall Street. The jump came on rebounding demand for cars, a sign the economy kept recovering despite climbing unemployment. Aside from automobiles in October, other sales rose just 0.2%.

The Commerce Department said September sales were revised down to a 2.3% decrease from a previously estimated 1.5% tumble.

Read the full article on WSJ.com

NARMS-U Educational Schedule Coming Together

We are pleased to report that the NARMS-U Spring Conference Seminar Schedule is evolving into what should be a truly enriching educational experience. The Conference is scheduled for April 17-20 at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa. Today, we would like to share the latest revision of the schedule.

We get things started on Sunday, April 18 with the first session running from 4:00 – 5:00 PM. During that time we have, “2010 Sampling Survey Findings,” by Dr. Kenny Herbst of Wake Forest University; “The Down Under Perspective on Merchandising,” by Kevin Moore of Crossmark Australia; “HR Update,” by Russ Hollrah and Craig Sherman; “Partnering with Your Customers to Create Superior Value,” by Jerry O’Brien of the University of Wisconsin and, “Neuromarketing and the Future of Retail,” by Deborah Mitchell of the University of Wisconsin.

We then jump to Tuesday, April 20 for a 9:00 – 10:00 AM block. This session features, “Beyond WOW Customer Service,” by Myra Golden; “NARMS Certify U and You,” by Larry Dorr; “Three Principles for Marketing Today,” by Nancy Wong of the University of Wisconsin; “Branding Up and Down the Value Chain,” by Deborah Mitchell of the University of Wisconsin and, “The Values-Based Retailer,” by Jerry O’Brien of the University of Wisconsin.

After a quick half-hour break, we have another group on Tuesday, April 20 running from 10:30 – 11:30 AM. Among these are, “This Is The time For A Change,” by Dave and Laura Butler; “2010 Emerging Retail Trends,” by Mark Hunter – The Sales Hunter; “Partnering with Your Customers to Create Superior Value,” by Jerry O’Brien of the University of Wisconsin; “Neuromarketing & the Future of Retail,” by Deborah Mitchell of the University of Wisconsin and, “The Psychology of Choice,” by Nancy Wong of the University of Wisconsin.

Because we know that you may want to attend several of these seminars that are going on simultaneously, have no worries. As you have already seen, there will be repeat performances throughout the conference. It start on Tuesday at 11:45 – 12:45 with The Down Under Perspective on Merchandising, 2010 Emerging Retail Trends, The Values-Based Retailer, Three Principles for Marketing Today and Branding Up & Down the Value Chain.

Later that afternoon on Tuesday, April 20 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM there will be yet another chance to catch 2010 Sampling Survey Findings, Beyond WOW Customer Service, NARMS Certify U & You and The Psychology of Choice.

As you can see, we are building an agenda to provide you with maximum value and education under the NARMS-U banner. We hope you will avail yourselves to this exciting opportu

Toys R Us Announces 2009 Holiday Hot Toy List

Scampering Hamsters, a Newly Crowned Princess, a Mind-Bending Game and a Towering, Transforming Robot Among Toys Expected to Top Kids’ Wish Lists this Holiday Season

WAYNE, N.J., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ — While times and trends change, one thing remains constant - every holiday season, kids dream of tearing the wrapping off their Christmas presents to reveal the toys that topped their wish lists. Today Toys”R”Us, the world’s leading specialty toy retailer, unveiled its annual Holiday Hot Toy List, filled with 36 items - new this year - that offer outstanding value in quality, price and play. The selected items provide parents with a starting point in developing their holiday shopping checklists.

Read the press release at PRNewsWire.com

Retail sales last month exceeded expectations

WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales jumped in August as car dealers cashed in on “clunkers,” getting a big boost from the government car rebate program, according to a report that also showed other merchants faring well in an unexpected sign of consumer resilience.

Separately, U.S. producer prices rebounded sharply last month on the back of rising gasoline and other energy costs, though core prices posted only a slight gain.

Retail sales last month exceeded expectations and rose 2.7%, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Wall Street was looking for a 2.0% jump.

Read the entire article on WSJ.com

Seeing Store Shelves Through Senior Eyes

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. — Before walking into a Walgreens drugstore here, Todd Vang donned glasses that blurred his vision, slipped un-popped popcorn into his shoes and adjusted tape that bound his thumbs to his palms.

The get-up was part of an exercise designed to help retailers better understand the physical challenges facing elderly shoppers. Mr. Vang, a 42-year-old Walgreen Co. vice president, struggled to pick up a can of soup. “I can’t imagine how this would feel if the store were crowded,” he said.

Read the entire article at WSJ.com

ISI Network LinkedIn Group Tops 500 Members

ISI Network has reached another milestone with our LinkedIn group — 500+ members from 20 countries and still growing every week.

Our opt in email registrations (the e-Letter list) are just shy of 1,000 and we hear the volume of the In-Store Implementation discussion increasing across the industry. The news stories and discussions found on our group page are an excellent barometer of this.

I encourage you to stay interested; stay engaged; and encourage your colleagues to participate: http://instoreimplementation.com .

Best regards,
Jamie Tenser, Director

Unilever, Kroger Step Up E-Coupon Efforts

Add Unilever and Kroger to the growing ranks of digital coupon partnerships, as consumers become more and more willing to seek out high-tech sources for old-fashioned deals.

“We are working with a number of our customer partners to deliver digital coupons, to ensure that Unilever delivers coupons where consumers are looking for them — via print or online,” says a Unilever spokesperson. “We are currently partnering with Kroger on a digital coupon program in which consumers can go online, register their Kroger loyalty cards and add Unilever coupons to them.”

Read the entire article…

Shoppers Stick with Brick-and-Mortar for Back-to-School

The down economy is putting a damper on back-to-school shopping this year, and while consumers may look for savings online, they plan to do most of their purchasing in-store.

Data from BIGresearch and the National Retail Federation (NRF) indicates that nearly one-half of US consumers with children ages 6 to 17 will be cutting spending on back-to-school items due to the recession.

With so much emphasis on savings, it is no surprise that nearly three-quarters of consumers plan to shop at discount stores.

Read the rest of the article….

Target Expands This Sunday

Discount retailer Target Corporation will open 23 new U.S. stores on Sunday, July 26, 2009. The new locations will include 17 general merchandise stores with expanded food options, four general merchandise stores, and two SuperTarget stores with full grocery sections.

Target, which will operate 1,719 stores in 49 states as of July 26, says the new store openings will create 4,000 jobs. Each general merchandise store employs 100-250 associates and is approximately 127,000 square feet, while each expanded food format store employs 100-250 associates and is approximately 135,000 square feet. Each SuperTarget employs 200-300 associates and is approximately 186,000 square feet.

Continue reading the article…

The Battle for Brand Loyalty

While reading a recent Advertising Age article, “Package-Goods Brands Lose Loyalists in Recession”, I was struck by the actual impact of the recession on household names. The article points out that a recent study by Catalina Marketing shows that, “More than a third of formerly faithful consumers abandoned Crest, Hunt’s, PineSol and Tylenol.” We’ve all been reading and hearing that brands are taking a hit, but that one sentence really transmits the weight of the situation. As providers of at-retail merchandising and marketing services, we have to ask ourselves what we can do to help the brand marketing situation.

According to the article and study, well-supported brands fared better. They are mostly referring to advertising and price promotion here, but you have to wonder if the message doesn’t ring true for shelf support as well. The cost of losing a loyal customer is high, the article talks about losses anywhere from 5- 25%. That’s an area where our services easily fit into the picture. For pennies on the dollar, NARMS members can make sure that products are on the shelf, displays are built and samples are available to support the massive advertising and promotion dollars. One thing is for sure; consumers are switching or trading down more quickly than ever. Why give them a chance to even consider such a move?

Eric Anderson, associate professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, says that brands should use, “Non-price mechanisms,” to secure brand loyalty. His point is that price promotion only hastens the disloyalty. The question is, “Are our services one of these non-price mechanisms?” That probably depends on the individual needs of each brand marketer, but I think we can make a strong case.