A new rewards program from Groupon aims to increase the likelihood that flash-in-the-pan daily deal customers become long-term customers.
What do chicken thighs, home safes, used SUVs, temporary tattoos for pets, American sperm, and Asian-American egg donations have in common? Lately, consumers have demonstrated a curiously high level of interest in these goods and services, along with a few other random ones.
According to the findings of a new survey, one of the biggest complaints among online shoppers regards the checkout procedure. Specifically: Having to enter payment and shipping information before finalizing a purchase. But is this annoyance really a blessing in disguise?
Target started selling Amazon‘s line of Kindle e-readers two years ago. Head over to Target.com now, though, and you’ll discover a wide assortment of e-readers, but not a single Amazon Kindle for sale. Kindles are being taken off the shelves at Target’s nearly 1,800 stores as well, as the retailers’ battles over “showrooming” and brand [...]
Two classic staples for Friday night, or any night really, are getting makeovers. Among the newest options for consumers are beer that doesn’t taste like beer, frozen pizza that doesn’t taste like cardboard, and gas stations that bring a whole new meaning (and joy) to the term “filling up.”
In recent months, car sales have been booming at the same time that consumers have been paying more per vehicle. Because demand for cars is high, it would seem like a safe assumption that people need new wheels because we’re all driving more nowadays. Actually, the opposite is true.
Walmart became the world’s largest retailer by attracting consumers who were most interested in low prices, not a highfalutin, top-notch shopping experience. So it’s unsurprising that Walmart has received poor ratings in studies covering customer service and broad range of shopping categories. But at least Walmart’s got the cheapest prices and packs in the most [...]
This week, the Federal Trade Commission weighed in on the topic of consumer privacy with a new report that essentially says individuals need more protection than the rules and guidelines in place today provide. ”The traditional distinction between personally identifiable information and ‘anonymous’ data has blurred,” the agency says in its report. It says companies need [...]
Got an in-box clogged with ads from retailers? You’re not alone. In recent months, many stores have been sending customers promotional e-mails at a pace of more than one per day. Spam-happy retailers such as Neiman Marcus deluged subscribers with over 500 e-mails in 2011. But amid studies showing that consumers are growing less likely [...]
The value of consumers’ personal data online has been a hot topic lately. The astronomical $100 billion some analysts have suggested Facebook could be worth when it goes public stems from the fact that the social media powerhouse has reams of data on users’ chatting, browsing and buying habits. But we’re so short-sighted we won’t [...]
It happens all the time: You buy an item at one price, and then see others buy the same item a little later on for a much cheaper price. This is standard practice nowadays, but it still gets customers angry. How angry? A new study demonstrates the “boycott effect,” in which consumers who pay full [...]
