55% Of Money Spent On China-Made Goods Stays In U.S.A.

Spend $1 in goods made in China, and you contribute 55 cents to American businesses. That’s according to a new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, which shows that businesses providing marketing, sales and other services benefit from purchases of China-made items.

Can A Daily Deal Offer Become Too Boring?

Groupon, LivingSocial and the dozens of daily deals sites may have managed to do the impossible: make consumers tired of all the bargains. Although the websites were enticing enough for millions of subscribers to sign up for the sites, retail experts say they went too far and saturated the market.

Are iPads A Retail Game Changer? Maybe Not

Some retail experts say tablets can help retailers focus the shopper’s attention on the product rather than the price. Other experts, however, aren’t quite so sure about that. Siva Kumar, CEO of TheFind, says that tablets have the potential to put some of the power back into a retailer’s hands. Retail experts from Avanade totally disagree.

Retailers Added 26,000 Jobs In July, Second Only To Health Care

With 40 million Americans employed in retail, Congress needs to advance a strong jobs agenda that includes corporate tax reform, visa reform and passing free-trade agreements, NRF officials said recently. According to the latest jobs numbers, the U.S. added 117,000 jobs in July. Of those, retailers added 26,000, second only to the health care industry.

6 In 10 Customers Are Into Couponing

Thanks to Groupon, LivingSocial and other social discount sites, couponing has officially become the next big thing. According to a recent “hot or not” survey, six in 10 adults say extreme couponing is popular now, and nearly three-quarters of women and moms say they are paying attention to the trend.

How To Get Found Online

If you want to succeed in online retailing, you have to play by search engine rules. SEO isn’t new but it’s something that Motorcycle Superstore has recently mastered. By keeping tabs on the actual words people use when searching and changing their site to reflect them, they’ve seen their sales increase 4-5 percent on their customized landing pages.

Why Your Grocery Shoppers Aren’t Gonna Take It Anymore!

As package sizes at grocery stores continue to shrink while prices continue to surge, food shoppers are increasingly turning to private-label and store brand products, a new survey shows. The “pay more, get less” scenario is just not OK anymore. The survey also found that shoppers are using smartphones to price check and get product information.

Would You Like A Belt With That? Fashion Goes Mobile In Portland

Retail on wheels isn’t just for taco trucks anymore. Business owners in Portland, Ore., are now selling clothing out of trailers and buses. According to retail experts at Avanade, this is a brilliant concept. This kind of outside-the-box thinking about bringing the product right to customers is a great way to add value as well.

6 Back-to-School Trends You Can Expect This Fall

What’s going to drive this “holiday” season? Faux fur, red jeans, iPads for fifth-graders and buying stuff online. This is according to Customer Growth Partners. Other hot items and trends for this year’s back-to-school include minimalist cuts and simple fabrics, lace and cutout booties.

Why Retailers Were Fired Up This Independence Day

According to a new survey, millions made Uncle Sam proud by (buying and) wearing patriotic clothing, watching fireworks, attending parades and hosting cookouts. The NRF’s annual Independence Day survey showed that more than 20 percent of consumers had planned to buy patriotic merchandise, up from 16.2 percent last year.

As Demand Shrinks, Grocery Retailers Must Reinvent

Americans are spending less on groceries and if supermarkets don’t find new ways to meet the shrinking budgets, shoppers will go without.