A new retail and e-commerce report finds inflation is affecting the shopping habits of 85% of Americans, leading most to reduce their purchases and feel unhappier buying online.

In the report published Thursday, Morning Consult found that 77% of Americans are shopping less to save money. Only 41% said they enjoyed online shopping in June, down from 50% in March.

The report warns against blaming supply-chain issues for the trend. It notes that Americans, especially the millennials who make up most online shoppers, have less money to spend as consumer prices rise.

“Online shoppers are reporting fewer delayed orders, but as consumers begin deferring discretionary purchases because of inflation, shopping for fun isn’t what it used to be,” the report stated.

Many shoppers also are coping with inflation by looking for discounts and shopping at discount stores, Morning Consult reported.

Some retailers say the findings are spot-on.

“We sell pet

Read More

Retailers can bar shoppers for – in their view – returning too many items or making too many complaints, as Nannette Herbert has discovered.

Herbert told Guardian Money she has been banned by a number of retailers – including Amazon and Waitrose – for making complaints and refund requests.

Businesses are sometimes alerted when a customer displays “unusual” activity, such as requesting what might be viewed as a disproportionate number of refunds, and can block them from making future purchases.

Consumers can also be banned for making too many complaints if the retailer believes they are abusing the process.

Amazon told Herbert, who lives in London, that it was closing her account last month, saying she had “consistently requested refunds for a large number of orders”.

She says

Read More

Read More

New survey results exclusively previewed by Chain Store Age reveal limits on the effectiveness of online influencers.

According to a survey of 1,000 US adults commissioned by online expert review platform The Desire Companyinitially released to Chain Store Age, nearly all (90%) respondents are overwhelmed to some extent by volume of product information when shopping online. However, this does not necessarily translate to reliance on influencers.

In fact, a vast majority of respondents (87%) said it is likely that influencers don’t even use the products they advertise and only 11% believe that a social media influencer with millions of followers is a trustworthy source of information.

More than four in five (82%) respondents who have purchased something based on an influencer’s pitch say they have had some sort of negative experience with the product, with the most common being that the product didn’t match the influencer’s claims (41%

Read More
E-commerce prices began rising in June 2020, beginning an unprecedented stretch of 25 consecutive months of increases that underscored the severe price pressures hitting the US economy.

That streak has finally ended. Online prices declined by 1% year-over-year in July, snapping a string of nearly two years of persistent inflation, according to a report released Tuesday by Adobe.

The shift is even more pronounced on a month-over-month basis where online prices dropped by 2% in July, Adobe said.

The findings bode well for the inflation crisis, signaling a potential easing of the pricing pressures that have squeezed consumers and raised recession fears.

Gas prices have fallen.  Here's why inflation hasn't

Of course, it may take considerable time before inflation gets anywhere back to normal levels, and Adobe noted that online grocery prices continue to surge.

Inflation remains way too high across the US economy.

Consumer prices surged by 9.1% year-over-year in June, the biggest increase in more than
Read More

ABBC Foundation announced the upcoming global launching of its online shopping mall Buyaladdin, where transactions will be held solely in cryptocurrency. Here, users can buy a vast range of products while also placing their own items up for sale. Notably, ABBC Foundation’s CEO Jason Daniel also announced that 1 ABBC will amount to $100 when shopping at Buyaladdin. In addition, Buyaladdin is headquartered in the United States of America, and managed by CEO Stanley Park stated that this will be one of a kind shopping experience for crypto lovers across the globe.

According to ABC Foundationaccepted payments will be in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and ABBC Coin (ABBC). Buyaladdin will also enable users to not only to use their cryptocurrency to buy, but also to showcase their products through live streaming on the app. This will benefit them to reach an international audience and help maximize their profits.

Read More

A member of staff pushes a trolley as she collects orders at the Amazon fulfillment center in Peterborough, central England November 28, 2013. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Register

  • July retail volumes up 0.3% vs forecast 0.2% decline
  • Growth driven by 4.8% surge in online spending
  • Sales volumes 3.4% lower than a year ago
  • Economists see further fall as double-digit inflation bites

LONDON, Aug 19 (Reuters) – British shoppers spent more than expected last month after being enticed by online shopping deals, official figures showed on Friday, but sales volumes look set to resume their decline as households face the highest inflation in 40 years.

Retail sales volumes, adjusted for inflation and the time of year, rose 0.3% on the month in July – their first increase in three months – in contrast to economists’ expectations for a 0.2% drop in a Reuters poll.

Sales

Read More

Price fluctuations as a result of algorithms have been found to increase feelings of customer betrayal.

Steven Puetzer/Getty Images


hide caption

toggle caption

Steven Puetzer/Getty Images


Price fluctuations as a result of algorithms have been found to increase feelings of customer betrayal.

Steven Puetzer/Getty Images

If you’ve shopped online recently, you may have had this experience: You find an item, add it to your cart, and then when you get around to paying, the price has increased.

You can thank pricing algorithms.

These are computer programs that look at factors such as supply, demand and the prices competitors are charging, and then adjust the price in real time. Now, there are calls for greater regulation at a time when these tactics are expected to become more common.

“A key thing about the algorithm is that given different inputs, like, say, time of day or weather or how many customers might

Read More

July 26 (Reuters) – Canada’s Shopify Inc (SHOP.TO) is laying off 10% of its workforce as the ecommerce company struggles with slowing growth due to a pullback in online shopping after benefiting from a pandemic-fueled surge in demand.

Its shares tumbled 14.7% on the US bourses and on the Toronto Exchange, they shed 14% on Tuesday, pulling Canada’s wider main stock index lower. The shares have lost 75% of their value so far in the year.

Shopify’s turn of fortunes from the most valuable company in Canada last year to its present-day struggle to increase sales come as easing lockdowns have led consumers to return to brick-and-mortar stores.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Register

Shopify down over 75% YTD

Its sales growth during the pandemic led the Ottawa-based company to ramp up hiring and invest in technology, betting that the shift to online from physical retail shops

Read More

Gas prices are rising. Inflation is squeezing us all. And yet there are still things you need to buy. The prices of items on shelves can be shocking these days, but there are ways to ensure that you’re getting the best deals.

That’s where price-comparison apps come in. You can use them whether you’re shopping in a store or online, especially during big sales such as Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday. A quick search can make sure you’ve found the best bargain on that item you really want or need, and maybe even an additional coupon code. The apps are also useful if you’re just bargain hunting, as many of them show you the latest deals and flyers from stores.

There are some things to know before you use a price comparison app:

  • Make sure you’re looking at the same product across stores. Find the exact name and model

Read More