News News

NRF announced today that it will formally oppose a proposed settlement of a federal antitrust lawsuit over credit card swipe fees charged by Visa and MasterCard, and urged retailers to carefully consider their own decisions before next week’s deadline set by the court.

The North American Bangladesh Worker Safety Working Group, a collaboration of five U.S. and Canadian apparel and retail trade associations, today reinforced its commitment to improving worker safety in Bangladesh and outlined a broad set of proposals to further that goal.

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from Senior Vice President David French on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit’s 2-1 decision invalidating President Obama’s “recess” appointments to the National Labor Relations Board:

Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 3.3 percent in May over the same month last year but growth could trickle to a standstill by the end of the summer, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates.

Strengthening employment data, increasing housing prices and a record-breaking stock market provided consumers the confidence they needed to shop in April. According to the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, April retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) increased 0.6 percent seasonally adjusted from last month and increased 3.9 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

The National Retail Federation – the world’s largest retail trade association – today distributed a letter to members of the U.S. Senate urging them to support local retailers and small business owners by approving S.743, the Marketplace Fairness Act, which is scheduled for a Senate vote on Monday evening. In the letter, NRF labeled votes on the Marketplace Fairness Act as key votes.

A new study commissioned by the National Retail Federation and other trade associations shows that imported merchandise has considerably lowered the price of consumer goods for American families while creating millions of jobs for American workers.

The National Retail Federation – the world’s largest retail trade association – today issued the following statement from NRF Chairman of the Board Stephen I. Sadove of Saks Incorporated and NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay on the Senate passage of S.743, the Marketplace Fairness Act:

The National Retail Federation – the world’s largest retail trade association – today issued the following statement from NRF Chairman of the Board Stephen I. Sadove of Saks Incorporated and NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay on the Senate passage of S.743, the Marketplace Fairness Act:

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay and NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz on the April employment numbers:

The NRF Foundation, the careers and education division of the National Retail Federation, today announced the launch of its new Retail Insight Center, a website designed to serve as a resource for researching industry, government, economic and consumer trends within the retail industry.

The NRF Foundation, the careers and education division of the National Retail Federation, today announced the launch of its new Retail Insight Center, a website designed to serve as a resource for researching industry, government, economic and consumer trends within the retail industry.

Working hard to support the family day in and day out, mom will be more than recognized for her devotion this Mother’s Day. According to NRF’s Mother’s Day spending survey conducted by BIGinsight, consumers will spend an average of $168.94 on mom, up 11 percent from last year’s $152.52. Total spending is expected to reach $20.7 billion.

From Samepoint. The Samepoint Big Data Retail team conducted research and analysis of the Social Media landscape to identify which of the nation’s top retailers are experiencing inventory issues, and within which geographical areas. The Samepoint Social Media Retail Application extracted and aggregated the customers’ comments at a regional and store level. These comments were then categorized, analyzed and sorted by sentiment (Positive, Neutral, and Negative).

From Platt Retail Institute. Advancements in digital technology are causing a seismic shift in consumer purchase behavior. Customers today access multiple channels to execute a purchase, leading to the requirement that all channels work seamlessly to support the brand and the experience. This trend started with the Internet, but is now being advanced in a very dramatic and rapid fashion due to mobile and other digital technologies. Consumers, empowered with these digital communication devices, such as smartphones and tablets, are pressuring organizations to deliver compelling and innovative experiences to retain top of mind and share of wallet. As distinctions between purchase channels blur, companies must build a singular view of and communication strategy with their customers, which can include touch points such as call centers, direct mail and catalogs, the Internet, mobile, physical selling locations, and social media.

From RSR and Bronto Software. Data about your buyers is extremely valuable. It can be used for targeted re-marketing that drives repeat purchases and engaged, loyal customers. When it comes to collecting and using data related to purchases on your site, how do you compare?

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on the U.S. Senate vote to proceed with debate on S.743, the Marketplace Fairness Act:

The National Retail Federation today distributed a letter to members of the U.S. Senate informing them of NRF’s decision to key vote the series of anticipated votes on S. 743, the Marketplace Fairness Act. Specifically, NRF will key vote the vote to invoke cloture on the motion, which is expected Monday evening and reserves the right to key vote amendments to the Marketplace Fairness Act as well as final passage.