By Martin Vilaboy
Why Wi-Fi
A survey of more than 400 small, consumer-facing businesses across the U.S. found that the provisioning of complimentary Wi-Fi for customers is driving improvements across key metrics, including foot traffic, time on premises and customer spend. Ultimately, more than three-quarters of respondents (77 percent) rated customer-facing Wi-Fi as “important” or “very important” to their business.
Social Sway?
While the findings have been questioned by proponents of social media, a clear majority of Americans recently told Gallup that social media have no effect at all on their purchasing decisions. Although many companies run aggressive marketing campaigns on social media, 62% in the U.S. say Facebook and Twitter, among other sites, do not have any influence on their decisions to purchase products. “Run Forest Run”
Last year proved to be another historic and record-breaking year for U.S. running events and overall finishers. According to Running USA’s 2014 State of the Sport report, “the Second Running Boom is still going strongly as it enters its third decade.” Indeed, the number of U.S. race finishers has increased nearly 300% since 1990, and female representation has grown from just 25% to an all-time high of 57% in 2013.
9
Percent growth in women’s sunglasses sales in 2013, outpacing the 4 percent increase posted by women’s apparel, according to Accessories Magazine and The NPD Group. “Accessories are clearly outperforming apparel in every aspect,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group.
43
Percent of 750 U.S. Web users who said purchasing with their mobile phone is easy, up from 23% in 2013, according to findings from Accenture.
Stopped in Your Tracks
While in-store tracking holds all kinds of appeal for brands and retailers, shoppers so far are hesitant to take part. Just more than three-quarters of respondents said it was not acceptable for retailers to track shoppers’ in-store behavior via a smartphone, while 63 percent said they would not participate if one of their favorite retailers were to implement a tracking program, show findings from Opinion Lab.Teens Turn Out
They may have their faces glued to their smartphones, but a plurality of teens still prefer to do their shopping in physical stores, most likely due to the social opportunities. Young females decidedly prefer hitting brick-and-mortar to shop. Barrier to Biking
Nearly two in three residents living near new bike lane facilities said they would be more likely to ride a bicycle if motor vehicles and bicycles were physically separated by a barrier, according to a survey from the National Institute for Transportation and Communities. Agreement was highest among the 43% of residents described by the study as “Interested but Concerned.” Waiting on a Return
Mobile is the top area of expected e-commerce IT investment during the next 12 to 18 months, according to eTail’s latest benchmarking report, despite the fact that a majority of respondents have not yet seen positive results from previous mobile marketing efforts.
