trends

From greeting a customer by name–which science shows lights up a different cortex of the brain than hearing the sound of any other word–to presenting products tailor-made to his or her specific taste, it’s hard to overestimate the importance of a personal connection to successful retailing. In fact, research by marketing agency Medallion Retail shows that 46 percent of consumers will buy more from a vendor who personalizes their shopping experience.

As you’ve no doubt seen, this holiday shopping season is all about mobile. With my respect for the power of technology, I’m glad to see retailers recognizing the impact mobile devices are having on shaping shopping habits.

In my first column in this series, I highlighted three consumer trends that will stick around: local goes social, personalization goes high-tech and the dissolving of lines of distribution. This article focuses on three ways to activate mobile before year-end to create localized, personalized interactions that lead to sales.

This is the first installment in a three-part series on high-tech shopping trends.

What are the consumer trends that can bring cheer to your holiday, year end and beyond? I’m tracking three: local goes social, personalization goes high-tech and lines of distribution are dissolved. Regardless of the size of your operation, the trends in consumer shopping transcend stores and apothecaries. They are part of a bigger picture in consumer demand and will go well into 2016.

Pantone 15-3919 Serenity and Pantone 13-1520 Rose Quartz are both the Pantone Color of the Year for 2016, as announced by Pantone, an X-Rite company and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries. The two colors are considered a harmonious pairing of inviting shades that embody a mindset of tranquility and inner peace.

Customer service mistakes made with Cyber Monday online shoppers could lead to significant in-store sales losses in the 2015 holiday gift-buying season, according to the latest LoyaltyOne consumer research.

Nearly half (47%) of Cyber Monday shoppers indicated they’ll be reluctant to make an in-store holiday season purchase from a retailer with whom they have an unhappy online experience on the Monday after Thanksgiving, per LoyaltyOne’s October 2015 nationwide survey of 1,019 American consumers.