Market buzz

Opinions on extended Thanksgiving Day shopping hours vary by age
 

CINCINNATI – The latest LoyaltyOne research shows there are three kinds of American Thanksgiving Day shoppers:

• 50 percent who say all-day shopping hours on Thanksgiving Day are a bad idea and detracts from the traditional celebration
• 33 percent who say stores being open all day Thanksgiving is a great idea that provides more holiday shopping time
• 17 percent who can’t decide.
   

In the all-important millennial demographic (ages 18 to 34), attitudes about stores being open all day on Thanksgiving shift dramatically compared to the general population (ages 18 to 55+). No less than 50 percent of consumers age 18 to 24 say all-day shopping on Thanksgiving is a great idea. That support dropped only slightly to 48 percent for 25- to 34 year-olds. LoyaltyOne, which provides loyalty marketing services and customer analytics, obtained opinions on extended Thanksgiving Day shopping hours from 1,001 U.S. consumers in a nationwide survey taken in October 2014.

Some other key findings from the research based on various consumer segments include:

• 37 percent of men say being open all day on Thanksgiving is a great idea, compared with 29 percent of women
• 16 percent of consumers age 55 and older say that open all day on Thanksgiving is a great idea
• 40 percent of consumers in the South say all-day store hours on Thanksgiving is a great idea, compared with 32 percent in the West, 29 percent in the Midwest and 26 percent in the Northeast.
   

LoyaltyOne’s survey has a margin of error, which measures sampling variability of +/- 2.6 at the 90 percent confidence level.
 

AmericasMart announces campus enhancements

ATLANTA – AmericasMart is launching a series of enhancements across its 7.1-million-square-foot campus in preparation for 2015’s first global buying event: The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market (Showrooms: Jan. 6 to Jan. 13; Temporaries: Jan. 8 – Jan. 12).

The January 2015 opening of the Floor 15 HOME & DESIGN collection expands the Market’s comprehensive home furnishings product mix through the addition of more than 100,000 square feet of space created expressly for design-led furniture, lighting and home accents.

A new Floor 6 bridge between the Home & Rug collection in Building 1 and the Gift collection in Building 2 completes yet another path through all three AmericasMart buildings — ultimately ending in the permanent Immediate Resources collection on Floor 7 in Building 3. Complementing the new bridge is an update to the Floor 6 elevator lobby, matching it to those on Floor 4 and Floor 5.

The new Café on 14 in Building 2, Floor 14 enhances the shopping experience by allowing buyers to stay in the building during their market breaks. The café is open daily for breakfast and lunch during the market.

AmericasMart also continues to update the AmericasMart app, launched at the January 2014 market. Available on iTunes and Google Play, it allows buyers to browse exhibitors by floor map or in a list, and enables them to record favorite lines and categories, and to plan, organize and manage market details to optimize their AmericasMart visit. Supporting the app is free Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the three-building campus.
 

Scotts Miracle-Gro announces formation of The Hawthorne Gardening Company

NEW YORK —­ (via GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) announced in November the formation of the Hawthorne Gardening Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary focused primarily on the emerging areas of indoor and urban gardening products. Based in New York, the Hawthorne team will focus on building a portfolio of niche lawn and garden brands and products that appeal to younger and more urban consumers.
 

Survey says consumers intend to buy more gifts on mobile devices in 2014

E-commerce firm MarketLive has released results from its annual online shopper survey for the 2014 holiday retail season, according to an article on Retail Customer Experience. Survey results show 36 percent of shoppers intend to buy gifts via their mobile device, up 29 percent from last year, and 49 percent will make purchases based on a social referral, mandating that retailers focus on the experience they provide their customers via these two channels.

The 2014 MarketLive holiday shopper survey consisted of a random sample of 1,000 U.S. consumers who had shopped online at least four times within the past year, own a smartphone, and typically spend $250 or more online annually. The sample was balanced 50 percent male and 50 percent female, and all questionnaires were completed during September of 2014. Median age of the sample was 40.6, median household income was $66,146, and 61 percent attained a college degree or higher.

Some of the results from the survey include:

• 70 percent of shoppers are likely to research on their smartphones the gifts they find in retail stores
• 56 percent are likely to reserve products from their smartphones for subsequent pick-up at retail store
• 30 percent have made a purchase via social in the last year, an increase of 12 percent over 2013
• 49 percent will make a purchase because of a social referral
• 44 percent intend to discover new products via social networks
• 52 percent feel it is important to review products they have purchased
• 48 percent say it is important to share product recommendations with friends/family via social channels
• 42 percent will pin items on Pinterest.