Opinion

“Just 1-in-4 consumers expect their financial position to improve in the coming year.” That’s the way SymphonyIRI Group saw it in its recently released report “The Downturn Shopper: Buckled in for a wild and crazy ride.” Among the highlights — or lowlights — of how consumers are responding to the pressure:


• 49% visit the hair salon/spa less often;


• 40% are trying fewer new products;


There’s been discussion for years about the “moment of truth” and whether the ultimate — and final — purchase decision is made at the shelf. Shopper behavior in a store has been studied, analyzed, hypothesized and debated. Some would argue there is too much stimuli at the shelf, others not enough. Some may suggest that retail pricing is the key deciding factor. Perhaps it’s category assortment, in-stock condition or shelf-edge signage. Still others suggest competitive positioning is the key determinant.

With the holiday season fast approaching, there has been a significant amount of press coverage regarding the role mobile devices will play in driving retail sales this season. The consensus is that mobile devices are changing the shopping landscape, and that the 2011 holiday season will be the tipping point — the year that consumers widely integrate mobile devices into their shopping routine.

A few years back, The Economist stated that 70 percent of the value of a new car lies in intangibles. It is a great reminder that companies — and brands — are made up of impressions, insights and even ideas.

I know this older guy at my gym — I call him “The Professor,” mostly because he used to teach journalism, but also because it’s more fun to say and easier to remember than his actual name. He’s 85 now, and he says if he doesn’t get to the club to swim laps and sit in the steam room at least three times a week, he feels like he’s doing something wrong. He says he feels the same way about flu shots and all vaccinations for that matter.


I’m not going to lie about it. The first thing I thought as I checked into the U.S. Capitol on official business to moderate a special Congressional briefing hosted by the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists was: “Wow, this is pretty cool.”


Truth is, the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists believed that Drug Store News could make some pretty complex ideas understandable for a group of 20-somethings whose job it is to tell 435 members of Congress what to think and how to vote.


WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Mom isn't the only one making a shopping list these days. And any of those extreme couponers armed with a pair of scissors, a load of circulars and coupon clippings, and a shopping list of their own, well, they're not the problem, either. The problem is the leaders of organized retail crime units who are making those shopping lists, walking into a store, hitting a display case and walking right back out — all before the manager has a chance to say, "Um, excuse me sir? Can I help you?"