Insight Report | May 13, 2021 Premium April 2021 Leading Indicators of US Retail Sales: Surprisingly Slow Labor Market Mars an Otherwise Strong MonthIn our monthly Leading Indicators of US Retail Sales series, we examine several key macroeconomic indicators of US retail sales and analyze how they may impact the industry in the months to come. We analyze the latest available data, as of the end of April 2021, covering the job market, income and savings, and housing. Read More
Deep Dive | May 10, 2021 Premium US Consumer Tracker: Fewer Consumers Are Avoiding Public Transport, Overall Recovery Continues (Full Report)Our latest survey report provides a detailed update on US consumers’ behaviors, concerns and expectations, with a focus on the implications for retail. We present findings on where, how and how much consumers are shopping, as well as consumer avoidance of public places and what activities they have done in the past two weeks. Our consumer survey was undertaken on May 3. Read More
Insight Report | May 10, 2021 Register for Free Access US Consumer Tracker: Fewer Consumers Are Avoiding Public Transport, Overall Recovery Continues (Select Findings)This free report features select findings from our latest survey of US consumers, undertaken on May 3. We discuss respondents’ behaviors and expectations, with a focus on implications for retailers. Read More
Insight Report | May 6, 2021 Premium US and China Quarterly Economic Update, 1Q21: Strong Year-Over-Year Chinese Growth; US Economic Boom Fully Under WayIn this report, we discuss macroeconomic indicators from the US and China—including GDP and industrial production. Recently released data show a continued recovery in the US and China. Read More
Deep Dive | May 4, 2021 Premium US Consumer Tracker: How Consumers Plan To Celebrate and Spend for Mother’s Day (Full Report)Our latest survey report provides a detailed update on US consumers’ behaviors, concerns and expectations, with a focus on the implications for retail. This week, we discuss consumers’ celebration and spending plans for Mother’s Day. We also present findings on where, how and how much consumers are shopping, as well as consumer avoidance of public places and what activities they have done in the past two weeks. Our consumer survey was undertaken on April 26. Read More
Insight Report | May 4, 2021 Register for Free Access US Consumer Tracker: How Consumers Plan To Celebrate and Spend for Mother’s Day (Select Findings)This free report features select findings from our latest survey of US consumers, undertaken on April 19. We discuss respondents’ behaviors and expectations, with a focus on implications for retailers. Read More
Insight Report | May 3, 2021 Premium Restaurants Set To Boom in Summer 2021—What Will This Mean for US Grocery?As US consumers receive vaccinations and become more comfortable visiting public places, a rebound in restaurant spending is inevitable. We explore the potential bounceback of the restaurant industry in the US and discuss its impact on the grocery spending habits of different consumer segments. Read More
Insight Report | April 29, 2021 Premium March 2021 Monthly Consumer Update: US, UK and ChinaAnalyzing consumer demand in March 2021, we saw solid retail sales growth in the US, the UK and China. We also consider wage growth and food and fuel prices in these three markets. Read More
Insight Report | April 29, 2021 Premium A Closer Look at China’s Five-Year Plan and Its Implications for RetailChina’s latest five-year plan provides guidance for the nation’s overall development over the period 2021–2025. We explore this plan and investigate its implications for retail, covering topics such as digital commerce, duty-free shopping, data security and digital currency. Read More
Insight Report | April 28, 2021 Premium 2021 US Tax Tracker #3: $211 Billion Refunded, Down Versus Last YearEach year, the IRS reports tax return filings and refunds on a weekly basis until the extended deadline of May 17 this year. We look at what happened what has happened in the 2021 tax filing season so far, as of April 16, 2021. This report covers the number of returns filed and processed, the total and average refunds returned and a comparison of the 2021 tax filing season to date versus the comparative period in 2020. Read More
Deep Dive | April 26, 2021 Premium US Consumer Tracker: Apparel Purchases Continue To Surge (Full Report)Our latest survey report provides a detailed update on US consumers’ behaviors, concerns and expectations, with a focus on the implications for retail. We present findings on where, how and how much consumers are shopping, as well as consumer avoidance of public places and what activities they have done in the past two weeks. Our consumer survey was undertaken on April 19. Read More
Insight Report | April 26, 2021 Register for Free Access US Consumer Tracker: Apparel Purchases Continue To Surge (Select Findings)This free report features select findings from our latest survey of US consumers, undertaken on April 19. We discuss respondents’ behaviors and expectations, with a focus on implications for retailers. Read More
Insight Report | April 26, 2021 Premium March 2021 UK Retail Sales: Total Sales Jump 9% Year Over Year Ahead of Lockdown ExitWe review data for UK retail in total and by sector for March 2021. Retail sales jumped significantly year over year in March, partly due to the annualization of pandemic-related spending patterns. Nevertheless, even compared to pre-pandemic retail sales figures from March 2019, total retail sales saw a strong increase this month. Read More
Insight Report | April 23, 2021 Premium High US Imports and Port Congestion Impacts To Be Drawn Out Through 2021The Covid-19 pandemic has upended various aspects of the retail supply chain and has resulted in a high level of US imports. We discuss the impact of this on ports and the rest of the supply chain. Read More
Insight Report | April 22, 2021 Premium March 2021 US Retail Traffic and In-Store Metrics: Traffic Declines Ease Even as Covid-19 Cases RiseMarch 2021 saw a total US nonfood store traffic decline of 27% year over year, a strong improvement from February. We review weekly shopper traffic trends through the month, as well as traffic by retailer vertical, region and retailer location type. Read More