Retail

New insights into shopper marketing. Today, the retail industry is in the process of acclimating to a new multichannel environment.

For today's marketers, this means a new kind of shopper is emerging -- one that engages with a wide variety of channels when deciding what to buy and where to buy it. A recent study by Shop.org, comScore, and Social Shopping Labs highlighted this trend by demonstrating that 47 percent of consumers have looked to their mobile devices for product reviews while shopping in a brick-and-mortar store.

The offline and online worlds are blurring, and consumers are turning to an ever-widening variety of social and commercial information sources before making a purchase. All these disparate strands, both offline and online, need to be pulled together into a coherent retail strategy by merchants. The process can be daunting for marketing departments worldwide, but there are many growing retail trends to capitalize on.

More mobile shopping Global shopping communities. Three Studies Take a Closer Look at Hispanics on Social Media.

"Showrooming"

7 Retail Trends That Can Boost Your Business. U.S. retailers saw a glimmer of hope when the Commerce Department reported a 0.4 percent rise in sales in January.

Given the fact that volatile variables that are key to the economic recovery have yet been solved (e.g., the European debt crisis, the housing market slump, etc.), many people, especially business owners, are taking any upswing in economic activity with a rather large grain of salt. However, Colliers International’s new report may give retailers a little insight into navigating such an uncertain economy. The U.S. Retail Highlights: 2012 Outlook gives a holistic view of the retail industry, highlighting not only the current landscape, but emerging trends as well. Although the bulk of the full report has giant retail corporations in mind, smaller businesses can still benefit from several of the report’s findings. Nike Portland store enters 'new evolution of retail' - Portland Business Journal. Nike Inc.

The Bowerman Wall, a 12-foot-by-7-foot video display, shows a mosaic of Nike Inc. co-founder Bill Bowerman comprised of 1,404 tiny images that can be enlarged when touched. The display also includes more than 100 videos telling the history of the brand. Just like it did 20 years ago with the opening of its first Niketown store, Nike Inc. executives on Friday said the company’s new flagship retail operation in downtown Portland will change the landscape of sports retail.

“We believe this store will be a catalyst for the overall marketplace and the sports retail industry,” said Elliott Hill, Nike’s vice president and general manager for North America, during the unveiling of the 26,000-square-foot Nike Portland store. Six Stats on In-Aisle Mobile Engagement. The folks over at long-standing digital marketing agency White Horse have published an interesting new infographic that details the concept of “in-aisle” mobile engagement and it’s increasing growth in recent years.

How Americans used their phones to assist with purchasing decisions this holiday season. How Americans used their phones to assist with purchasing decisions this holiday season More than half of adult cell phone owners used their cell phones while they were in a store during the 2011 holiday season to seek help with purchasing decisions.

Infographic: Online Holiday Shopping Trends. The busy shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost upon us.

If last year is a guide, retailers have upped their search advertising, shopping by mobile phone will rise, women will be doing most of the online shopping searching and shoppers are after offers, promotions and especially free shipping. Data Points: Ka-Ching! Infographic. Malls track shoppers' cell phones on Black Friday - Nov. 22. Through this signage at Promenade Temecula, the mall is notifying shoppers that their phones may be tracked as they move throughout the premises.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Attention holiday shoppers: your cell phone may be tracked this year. Starting on Black Friday and running through New Year's Day, two U.S. malls -- Promenade Temecula in southern California and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Va. -- will track guests' movements by monitoring the signals from their cell phones. While the data that's collected is anonymous, it can follow shoppers' paths from store to store. The goal is for stores to answer questions like: How many Nordstrom shoppers also stop at Starbucks? Walmart Rolls New iPad, Updated iPhone Apps For Relationship Program. Mobile apps can help you spend wisely. Jim Langehennig set out last Black Friday to get a popular HDTV with a great advertised price.

When the Consumer Reportselectronics lab manager got to the store, however, it was sold out. Another model had an unadvertised special, but Langehennig didn't want to buy it without checking the reviews. But he didn't have the magazine's app or mobile site loaded on his new phone. So he drove 30 miles home to use his computer. Fortunately, the other TV was still at the store when he got back. 6 Stats on In-Aisle Mobile [Infographic] A guest post by Eric Anderson of White Horse.

Armed with smartphones and a determination to change the way they buy, shoppers are storming retail aisles. On-the-fly comparison-shopping, scanning, and research are creating new ways for marketers to influence in-aisle buying behavior. But as smartphone usage in the United States reaches critical mass, retailers’ response must evolve rapidly. We set out to identify the areas of greatest opportunity for retailers and CPG to develop a mobile experience strategy that aligns with changing mobile behavior. Epic Retail Fails 2011 [Infographic]