Tag Archives: consumer panels

Retail Stores Adapt for the Future

future_retail_scenario1I just read an article entitled “Mobile Increasingly the Only Tool Used in Purchasing Decisions”, which stated that mobile is increasingly the only tool used in purchasing decisions. And I thought, “Man! The headline really nailed it!”

Does this mean that “stores” are doomed? Not necessarily.

No one thinks physical stores are going away permanently. But because of the frenetic pace of advances in technology and online shopping, the stores that remain will likely offer amenities and services that are more about experiences and less about selling a product. Think: Apple Inc.’s stores. Associated Press

What kinds of things can we look forward to? Here are some highlights, with bonus dumb commentary!

Services: Stores will offer day care, beauty, and veterinary services, and so on. Sort of like Walmart does today, but more FUTURISTIC, I guess!

Convenience: Self-checkout, drive-thru pickup of items ordered online, etc. It’s my dream that self-checkouts of the future actually work properly at least half the time, which would be a 200% improvement!

Location-based marketing: This is happening now (we talked about it a while back) but will only increase. You walk into the store, the store recognizes your mobile device, and it sends you coupons for the things you typically buy. Also, things related to the things you buy (You like makeup? How about some cotton balls?”) Which is fine. Sadly, they get greedy sometimes, and it’s “You like makeup? How about a lawn mower? Snow tires? Term life insurance?”

Further integration of mobile devices: How about picking an item off the shelf, scanning it with your mobile, and walking out of the store with it. No need for checkout, just cross the threshold, and it’s charged to your account. Maybe, but half the fun of shoplifting is setting off the alarms!

So, stores will adapt. They have to! My question is: are you seeing any of these advancements in your local brick-and-mortar? Seeing any others? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Grab These June Bargains!

Time-to-buy-sign

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. Mine was super, but I am a little slow on the uptake today. So let’s keep it simple and take a look at June Bargains!

  • Patio Sets and Barbecues: but wait until the end of the month to hopefully score some 4th of July bargain goodness!
  • Dad stuff: Tools, men’s suits, anything related to Father’s Day, June 15.
  • Gym Memberships: People are out and about this time of year, not in the gym. Time to swoop in and grab some savings!
  • Paint: For some reason, painters hate painting indoors this time of year. There is a big surplus of paint, and prices are low.
  • Dairy: June is National Dairy Month, so buy in bulk and freeze that cheese, yo!

We have a few links for you below, so take a look, and start saving! What are YOUR spending plans for June? Travel? Home improvement? Getting ready for the 4th of July? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

June Savings Links:

The Wrong Way to Shop?

stock-footage-five-shopping-bags-with-letters-bags-form-the-word-sale-d-animationWalking into my local, famous big-box grocery store on a Saturday afternoon is like walking into an Old West cattle stampede combined with the Normandy invasion multiplied by eleventy-billion. Your first clue about the fun you’re about to have is that the shopping carts are all gone.

And that’s no knock against the store – these are just our shopping habits! Turns out…

The amount of money Americans spend in stores, restaurants, gas stations and online depends heavily on the day of the week. Americans tend to spend the most — an average of $76 a day — on Saturdays, followed by Fridays ($73). MarketWatch.com

If your schedule only allows you to hit the store on the weekend, then you just have to cope. But if you have some flexibility, then you may do well to shop for different items on different days. Such as:

  • Movies on Monday
  • Dining out on Tuesday
  • Groceries on Wednesday
  • Clothing on Thursday

Check out this article for further details. How about you? Have you mastered a savings-by-the-day pattern? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Target Data Breach Aftermath

Oh, Bullseye...who could stay mad at YOU?
Oh, Bullseye…who could stay mad at YOU?

Trolling around for blog topics this morning, I came upon this piece, “The Impact of Target’s Data Breach on Consumer Trust.” And I suddenly remembered that I shopped at Target this weekend, AND I paid with my debit card! I guess my consumer outrage over identity theft had a short shelf-life, eh?

As you will recall, Target had a terrible security breach involving their card-readers back on Black Friday….er, Black Friday weekend…um, make that November 22nd to December 15th! Bad security issue, even worse public relations nightmare. Heck, the Target CEO just stepped down!

So, have we changed our habits in the aftermath? Obviously, I haven’t – and I remember saying “I will NEVER shop there again!” But how about you? Let’s look at the stats, as compiled by Bizrate Insights:

  • 35% of Target’s customers have changed their shopping behavior.
  • 22% shop there less
  • 13% have stopped shopping there altogether (22+13=35!)

And it seems that the ones who shop there less are more cautious when they do:

  • 44% now pay only in cash

How about you? There seemed to be a rash of these things during the Holiday shopping season. I remember Michael’s Crafts got hit, too. Are you changing your habits? Being more cautious? Don’t care? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Mother’s Day by the Numbers! (2014)

mothers_spending_shareMother’s Day is here! Whether you enjoy a close, loving relationship with your mom or, you know, NOT, Mother’s Day is an important holiday. How will we be spending our time and money this Mother’s Day? Well, according to an article published by the National Retail Federation, entitled “Families Look to Shower Mom with Gift Cards, Brunch, Apparel Items This Mother’s Day,” it looks like we intend to shower mom with gift cards, brunch and apparel items this Mother’s Day! Here are the stats!

  • 81% will send a card to Mom
  • 67% will send flowers
  • 43% will buy a gift card
  • $3.8 billion spent on brunch or dinner
  • $3.6 billion on jewelry
  • $2.3 billion on flowers
  • $2.1 billion on gift cards

How about you? What are your plans for your mother, grandma, wife, etc? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page. Have a great weekend, and a terrific Mother’s Day!

And here are some more fun stats for Mother’s Day!

Garage Sale Season!

Bad Photoshopp presents: My Mom's Garage Sale!
Bad Photoshop presents: My Mom’s Garage Sale!

Garage sale, yard sale, rummage sale, tag sale… whatever you call it, ‘tis the season! Check out these statistics:

  • Number of US garage sales each week: 165,000
  • Number of people who attend: 690,000
  • Average weekly garage sale revenue: $4.2 million

And my favorite statistic…

  • Profit margin when somebody buys your crap and re-sells it on eBay: 462% !!

This is the time of year when those huge nationwide sales begin. You’ve got the Great US 50 Yard Sale, which stretches from Maryland to California – over 3,000 miles! There are plenty of others like it; we’ll give you some links below.

Just so happens I’m on a trip back home to Ohio, helping my mother organize a big garage sale – so come on by! Here’s a question: in Ohio, sales are held on Friday and Saturday. In South Carolina, they are almost always Saturday only. Why is that, do you think? What’s the tradition where you live? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great garage sale weekend!

Here are some links:

A Sam-tastic Opportunity Just Got Better!

 

sams connect thing 3As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Bro! Why buy a can of Axe Body Spray when you can buy a whole case, Bro?” Buying in bulk can be a great deal, especially if you have a large crew. And Sam’s Club is one of the premier names in the biz. So it’s big news when a giant like that teams up with MindField Online.

MindField Online Announces “Member Connect” with Sam’s Club

MindField Online has been proud to be associated with Sam’s Club for almost two years ago. Now the partnership gets even better with the Sam’s Member Connect Panel!

The Member ConnectPanel is open for MindField Panelists who are also Sam’s Club members. So, if you aren’t a Sam’s member, but someone else in the household is, then that person can participate and get the incentive. So go to the Sam’s Member Connect page at the MindField website and give it a shot!

To take part, head over to the “Welcome Sam’s Club Member!” page at the MindField Online website. First, click the box that says, “I have read and accepted the Member Terms of Agreement, Privacy Policy and Data Quality Statement.” And congrats on being among the 2% of people that ACTUALLY READ the Member Terms of Agreement, Privacy Policy and Data Quality Statement before accepting! Then fill out the required info. Also, do the thing about setting your email privileges to accept MindField emails.

We also want to extend a huge welcome to Sam’s Club Members who are joining MindField for the first time through the Member Connect Panel.   Any questions about the Sam’s Member Connect Panel? Hit us up at the MindField Online Facebook page, and we will try to get you an answer ASAP!

How to Spend Your Tax Refund?

MW-BV866_pftaxr_20140304115214_MGThe tax-filing panic has passed for another year. Now, we play the Waiting Game (“I’m SICK of the Waiting Game! I want to play Hungry Hungry Hippos!” Homer Simpson) Anyway, if yours is the average American family, you’re likely to get about a $2,600 refund from Uncle Sam.

What to do with that money? The urge to splurge will always be there. It’s natural to want that big flat screen TV or that getaway vacation. But, how about some more… responsible ideas?

It’s The Consumerist to the rescue. They have an ongoing series of financial self-help articles with the umbrella heading “How Not to S*ck at….” And this week’s topic is spending your tax return. Here are some bullet points highlighting “How Not to S*ck at Spending Your Tax Refund.”

  • Pay Down Debt
  • Emergency Fund
  • Boost Your Retirement Nest Egg
  • Save For College
  • Create a Fund For Anything (pay cash for the thing you want instead of credit.)
  • Give It Away
  • Make Additional Mortgage Payments
  • Do Those Home Repairs

Of course, more tips and lots more detail at the original piece, so check it out! Now, the big question is… how will YOU spend YOUR tax return? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Tax Day Freebies!

Merely a serving suggestion...
Merely a serving suggestion…

And now, a tradition not nearly as annoying as those corporate April Fools’ Day pranks we talked about previously: the Tax Day Freebie! Restaurants, bars, hotels and other retailers love to capitalize on our tax day grief, offering various freebies, 2-for-1’s and “$10.40”-themed deals on April 15. And the list grows every year! Here are some samples:

  • Free curly fries at Arby’s
  • “Sing for Your Supper” at Hard Rock Café
  • Dinner for 2 for $10.40 at Boston Market
  • A big ol’ bag of bagels and cream cheese from Bruegger’s for $10.40
  • Free document shredding at Office Depot
  • Free sandwich at Schlotzky’s Deli
  • Half-off fro-yo at PinkBerry
  • Free coffee at Micky D’s
  • Free shave ice from Kona
  • Half-off lunch at Sonny’s BBQ
  • Half-price drinks and slushees at Sonic

…and on and on. Here are some links. What’s your favorite Tax Day deal or freebie? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Links to Tax Day Deals!

The Thrill of the Hunt?

saveWhen it comes to groceries, do you experience the thrill of the hunt? Trekking from store to store, tracking down that bargain, snaring it, bagging and tagging it, taking a photo with it, and so on? Whatever, man. No judgment here!

But if you’re like me (i.e., a DUDE) the answer is “No”. I have one store for the weekly haul, and one store for the quick, one-or-two-item grab without the 3-mile walk. I barely think about the fact that there are at least 4 other grocery stores I could visit, not to mention the CVS’s, Dollar Stores and Big Lots that have grocery items now.

They say that people generally only know the prices of 4 items, and I can’t even claim that! So, this news from Walmart is interesting… Starting last month, Walmart began testing the “Savings Catcher” in Atlanta, Charlotte, Lexington, Dallas, Huntsville, San Diego and Minneapolis. You go to the website, enter some info from your receipt, and it scans the prices of the different competing stores near you. If it finds a lower price at, say, Kroger, it sends you an e-coupon for the difference. It may be for 27 cents for one item, but for a $100 receipt, or for a whole month, it could add up.

It’s just a test for now, and only in a few cities but, if you want to learn more, visit the Savings Catcher site. So, what do you think? Would you give up the thrill of the “bargain safari” and let the computer do the work? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!