The Coldest Black Friday Weekend in 10 Years Had Consumers Gobbling Up Seasonal Categories
November 27, 2023
Driest Holiday Weekend Since 2017 Supported Foot Traffic into Shopping Destinations The Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend (November 23 – November 26) was the coldest since 2013 and driest since 2017, helping to kickstart the holiday shopping season with strong seasonal demand. On the heels of a mild week across the U.S., and a very …
Get ready to turn up the excitement dial this Black Friday Weekend!
November 17, 2023
It’s not just a chill in the air; it’s the perfect storm for demand spikes for seasonal categories from winter apparel & accessories to warming foods and beverages. The holiday week will feature a wave of cold temperatures sweeping eastward, pushing markets from the Plains to the East Coast with a trend below normal …
NRF Discusses Holiday Retail Sales Outlook
November 10, 2023
On November 6th, the National Retail Federation (NRF) held a webinar focused on retail sales expectations during the 2023 holiday shopping season. NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz and Vice President, Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen hosted the presentation (view the webinar recording) which discusses the NRF’s 2023 holiday sales forecast, economic considerations, and consumer …
Sustainability can benefit the bottom line.
November 9, 2023
An article on Supermarket Perimeter summarized a report on sustainability from the consultancy group Alvarez and Marsal. Their report – “The Grocer’s Sustainability Playbook: How sustainability can boost your bottom line” – looks into the role AI and supply chain solutions can help businesses achieve sustainability goals. “Does sustainability need to come at the expense of profits,” …
Restaurant Sales Volatility Increases in Winter Months
October 31, 2023
As we flip our calendars to November and Mother Nature begins to flip the weather script, it is a good reminder for quick service, fast casual, and other restaurant chains that the conditions outside will begin to have a greater effect on consumers and therefore, traffic trends and sales. Weather Sensitivity, a metric Planalytics calculates …
NRF CEO says retail inventories are in good shape ahead of holidays.
October 27, 2023
Predictive demand analytics can help retailers sustain healthy stock levels and minimize markdowns. Retail Dive reports that retailers “have largely gotten their inventory under control ahead of the holiday shopping season, National Retail Federation CEO Matthew Shay told the press on Monday.” “The industry is in a better place and will be well positioned for …
Weather-Based Sales Sensitivity During the Holiday Shopping Season
October 19, 2023
Retail’s Q4 (for most, November through January) and the critically important Christmas and holiday shopping season is nearly here. The question on everyone’s mind…: how strong will retail sales be? RIS summarized some of the outlooks in their fourth annual guide to peak selling season: Holiday retail sales are likely to increase between 3.5% and …
Forbes Highlights Key Areas for Retail AI
September 7, 2023
Forbes has laid out four ways artificial intelligence (AI) can be leveraged to improve retail basics. “The days of reactionary responses, such as raising or slashing prices on consumer goods to break even or move excess inventory for long-term success, are gone. Retailers must work in new, better ways, as the economy—along with shoppers and …
Theme Park Operators Point to Challenging Weather in Recent Earnings Calls
August 24, 2023
“The weather continues to get in the way of what was originally forecast to be a strong summer for theme park operators,” according to the Seeking Alpha article Theme parks from California to Florida have been hit by worse weather than normal this summer. Industry leaders, Six Flags Entertainment, SeaWorld Entertainment, and Cedar Fair “all …
FMI Research: More Grocers Plan to Use Technology to Optimize Fresh Inventories
August 11, 2023
“Shrink in fresh departments is considerably higher on average, and food retailers have seen a small increase in their fresh shrink this past year,” reports the FMI in their 74th annual The Food Retailing Industry Speaks analysis. “Technology is helping to support a range of functions for fresh foods operations. Twenty percent of responding retailers …