Gyms Are Capitalizing on the Death of Fashion
Business InsiderMay 9, 2017
With Kate Spade Acquisition, Coach Sets Course for 'Modern Luxury' Domination
The Business of FashionApril 12, 2017
Nearly Every American Spent Money at Wal-Mart Last Year
NBC NewsApril 11, 2017
How Retailers Are Thriving Despite the Supposed Death of Their Industry
EntrepreneurApril 11, 2017
Ninety-Five Percent of US Consumers Made at Least One Trip to Walmart Last Year
QuartzApril 10, 2017
More Trouble for Restaurants: Loyal Customers Are Cutting Back
CNBCThe restaurant industry could be headed for an even greater funk this year, as more consumers opt to save their money rather than dine out. Analysts at The NPD Group expected quick-service chains to see traffic grow by about 1 percent, while visits to full-service chains are anticipated to fall 2 percent.
April 1, 2017
How to Win the 'Value War' in Quick Service
QSR MagazineThe NPD Group studied leading quick serves offering value bundles and found that although value bundles are not driving the average check amount, they are driving other key metrics, such as combo incidence. Quick-service burger customers, for example, are experiencing double-digit incidence success by offering value bundles. Additionally, The NPD Group found that value bundles drive monthly visit frequency and, therefore, lead to a higher monthly spend among buyers.
March 21, 2017
The Unexpected Benefit of US Political Protests: A Spike in Poster Board Sales
QuartzIn the week before the Women’s March on January 21, which saw millions of women take to the street across the world to advocate for human rights, materials for protest signs were flying off the shelves across the United States. About 2.7 million poster and foam boards were sold that week, according to an analysis by market research firm The NPD Group.
Compared to the same week in 2016, that was an increase of 33 percent for poster boards, and 42 percent for foam boards.
March 20, 2017
Nike Earnings: What to Watch
The Wall Street JournalNike, the world’s largest sportswear maker, is facing increased competition at home, where it faces ongoing pressure on sporting-goods retailers, the demand for more casual “athleisure” styles and archrival Adidas AG, which more than doubled its share of U.S. footwear in January, according to The NPD Group.
March 16, 2017
Buying a New TV? Here’s How to Cut Through the Jargon
The New York TimesShould you buy now or wait? Consider upgrading now if you have not bought a television in the last two years, Stephen Baker, vice president of technology industry analysis at The NPD Group, a consumer research firm, wrote in an email. Improvements in electronics make for superior picture quality, standards have been settled and the technology has been vetted. “It is pretty clear that 2017 is going to be the most compelling year” since the introduction of flat-panel models to get a new television, he wrote.
March 13, 2017
Shoe Manufacturing May Come Back to America, but the Jobs May Not
Business InsiderBut Brands like Nike and Adidas are looking for ways to bring their products to market faster than manufacturing in Asia allows. The solution, then, is to reshore American manufacturing, but find somewhere to cut costs. Since the largest cost is labor, cutting down the workforce significantly would be prudent. Enter automation. Essentially, shoe manufacturing is already on its way back to the US, but the manufacturing jobs may not come along with it. "It's a drop in the bucket," Matt Powell, an analyst at NPD, told Bloomberg. "I don't see a day where we'll be making shoes in the US at a commercial scale."
March 11, 2017
The Relentless Drone Invasion is Moving from Photography and Deliveries to Racing
CNBCIn a field defined by camera drones like the DJI Phantom—and at a time when unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are delivering packages, taking pictures and undertaking clandestine government operations—drone racing remains a niche. However, the FAA expects the commercial drone market to explode from 1.9 million in unit sales last year to 4.3 million by 2020. In a 2016 report, The NPD Group said commercial drone sales skyrocketed by more than 200 percent from 2015.
March 8, 2017
New Data Reveals Mobile Ordering Is Sending BILLIONS of People Into America's Restaurants
The StreetHaving a slick mobile ordering app should no longer be an afterthought for restaurants. The use of mobile apps, text messages and the Internet to order food spiked 18 percent in 2016 and now accounts for 1.9 billion foodservice visits, The NPD Group said in a report on Tuesday.
March 1, 2017
Think Tank: Retail’s Wake-up Call, by Marshal Cohen, NPD's Chief Industry Analyst
WWDWe live in contradictory times. Early in the 2016 holiday season, most forecasters were calling for strong year-over-year growth. So why did we hear broad-based and acute retail pain as early in the post-holiday season as January 4? Macy’s laid off 10,000 people; the Limited announced the closing of all 240 of its stores; Wal-Mart eliminated 1,000 managerial positions. And that was just in the first week of the year. Before the end of January, we heard that Wet Seal was also closing all its stores. Usually this kind of news is held back until February.
March 1, 2017
Can Hudson's Bay Win Over Loyal Macy's Customers?
FierceRetailAs Hudson's Bay continues to show interest in taking over Macy's, one question for the parent company will be how the two customer bases will overlap. Analysts at NPD Group used Checkout Tracking purchasing data to examine the similarities and difference among the items sold at Macy's and those sold at Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue to identify the clear difference among their customers. Results suggest that a takeover might not only benefit Hudson's Bay in the way of real estate, but also be a way to win back apparel sales that it loses to Macy's.
January 18, 2017
The Best-Selling Mascara Is Sold Once Every 10 Seconds
TODAYFinding just the right mascara, lipstick or even perfume is never an easy task. There are just way too many options! to find the best-of-the-best, Redbook magazine partnered with market research firm The NPD Group to discover the top-selling department store cosmetics in the country.
January 15, 2017
An Unlikely Group of Stores is Becoming a Major Threat to McDonald's
Business InsiderConvenience stores now make up 10 percent of the quick-service market, NRN reports, citing data from industry research group NPD. "Quick Service Restaurants really have to pay attention to [convenience] stores," NPD analyst Bonnie Riggs told Nation's Restaurant News in November. "They are making inroads and stealing visits from QSR."
January 13, 2017
Why Carmakers Want to Keep Apple and Google at Arm's Length
The VergeNathan Shipley, an auto industry analyst at The NPD Group, says maintaining control over vehicle data will be key to staying ahead as a manufacturer. Vehicles are becoming "computers on wheels," he says, where the car part is as important to a connect car as the phone part is to a smartphone. "So why do [automakers] want control over the data? It is and will become their competitive edge," he says.
January 11, 2017
Power: The 10 People Who Run This Industry
Outdoor Retailer DailyNo.7, The Prophet: Matt Powell, Sports Industry Analyst, The NPD Group, Inc.
When talking about the "most powerful" folks in the outdoor industry, connections count for a lot—and Matt Powell might be the most connected guy here. His LinkedIn profile, with more than 9,500 connections, is the top one percent most viewed on the social networking site. Why does everyone want to know Powell? Simple. He's the keeper of the most important resource for outdoor brands and retailers: data.
January 11, 2017
Fat Finds Favor on U.S. Tables Again
San Francisco Chronicle“Avoidance of traditional health-related attributes like fat or cholesterol are waning,” says David Portalatin, vice president and industry analyst of the market research company The NPD Group. The percentage of adults who checked food labels for total fat decreased from 46 percent to 31 percent between 2006 and 2015, Portalatin found. The percentage who checked for calories and sodium also dropped, while the percentage who checked labels for sugar held steady at 41 percent.
January 11, 2017
Big Business of Footwear on Display at Outdoor Retail Expo
Associated PressRetail stores are looking for footwear that strikes the right balance between performance and fashion, said Julia Clark Day, executive director of business development for the sports division of the market research firm The NPD Group. Hikers want a shoe that won't give them blisters while on the trail but still look good while getting drinks afterward, she said. Footwear has long been a key segment in the industry, and sales in recent years have held steady. It accounted for $4.7 billion in sales 2016, second only to outerwear within an industry that did $18.8 billion in sales last year, according to data from The NPD Group.
January 6, 2017
Toy Sales Spiked 26 Percent in the Week Before Christmas
CNBCSo what were all those last-minute shoppers buying? It appears toys were high on their shopping lists. Toy sales spiked 26 percent in the week leading up to Dec. 24, according to data released by The NPD Group. Marshal Cohen, NPD's chief industry analyst, called the week's success a "perfect storm of holiday shopping behavior."
January 4, 2017
The Big Thing in TV Sets This Year Is ... Big TV Sets
Associated PressWhat's new in television sets this year? Incrementally better pictures, larger screens and cheaper prices — and that's about it. "We've seen strength across all categories, small screen, large screen, older technology and newer tech," NPD analyst Stephen Baker said. He said the combination of lower prices, picture quality and screen size has "brought a lot of customers back into the market."
January 4, 2017
7 Big Trends To Expect in Fashion and Retail in 2017
Footwear NewsThe year of retail’s redefinition is upon us, so says The NPD Group’s retail-industry analyst Marshal Cohen. While 2016 had its bright spots — and was certainly a better year for retail overall than many predicted — fashions firms will bid farewell to the past 12 months as they wait with bated breath for better days to come.
January 4, 2017
2017 Retail Predictions: From Marshal Cohen, The NPD Group
Accessories MagazineWhat will 2017 bring to the retail industry? Accessories caught up with Marshal Cohen, Chief Industry Analyst, The NPD Group, Inc., who puts the past data, current thoughts and future projections into his crystal ball for us. Here, some notes from our chat.
January 3, 2017
Beantown as Shoetown: Sneaker Makers Stake Claim in Boston
Associated Press"These companies cluster because they're primarily looking for talent. You want to be where the people are," said Matthew Powell, a sports industry analyst for The NPD Group, a New York-based market research firm. "They're also trying to stay close to their consumer. Millennials are clustering in large cities, so it's a great way to be plugged into where your consumer is."
December 29, 2016
Paper Calendars Endure Despite the Digital Age
The New York TimesThe sales of appointment books and planners grew 10 percent from 2014-15 to 2015-16 to $342.7 million, and decorative and other calendars increased by 8 percent to $65 million in that time, according to figures from The NPD Group, a consumer research firm. Personalization has helped make planners and appointment books popular, Leen Nsouli, an analyst of the office supplies industry at NPD, said in an email.
December 28, 2016
Business From Food to Fashion to Toys, What's Expected to Sell Big in 2017
The Washington PostThe business of getting gorgeous roughly breaks down into four areas: makeup, skincare, hair care and fragrance. And Karen Grant, beauty industry analyst at The NPD Group, a market research firm, said makeup is where she expects we’ll see “seismic momentum” in 2017. Eyebrow grooming products such as tinting gel and sculpting pencils should be especially popular, Grant said, continuing a recent hot streak.
December 23, 2016
Why Michael Jordan Still Dominates The Basketball Shoe Market
ForbesOn the current episode of Forbes SportsMoney, sneaker guru Matt Powell digs into the economics of the sneaker market, explaining why retro basketball shoes are hot and performance shoes are cold. Powell hangs his at The NPD Group, which predicted sales for Under Armour's Curry 2 shoe.
December 21, 2016
Why Board Games Are On Trend for the Holidays
NBC NewsFueled by interest in games like Hasbro's Speak Out and Pie Face Showdown as well as more adult games, including X-rated versions of longstanding favorites — think Trivial Pursuit and Taboo — the game segment has seen sales soar 20 percent this year, according to The NPD Group.