August 18, 2014

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MnRA hosts our next Women In Retail event September 17.  Don't miss an insightful discussion of generational dynamics around customer service, loyalty programs, and social media.
Better, Stronger, Faster Retail
Exploring Dynamics Across Generations - From Millennials to Boomers, September 17

Looking for retail strategies to be successful across today's consumer generations?

Join the Minnesota Retailers Association and hosts Roberta Bonoff, Hillary Feder, Victoria Hoshal, Kirsten Pardoe, and Jill Renslow for our Women In Retail event featuring an engaging conversation surrounding customer service, loyalty, and social media in today's multi-generational retail environment.

The evening includes networking and an insightful panel of shared learnings from Best Buy, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Social Lights, and Weber Shandwick.

Women In Retail
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Mall of America Executive Center, Level 4 East

Panelists and Discussion Leaders

No cost to attend. Non-members welcome. Complimentary appetizers. Cash bar. Space limited to 100 participants.  

 

Click to register now, call (651) 227-6631, or e-mail [email protected].

 

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E-Commerce
Twenty Years Of Online Shopping   

From Marketplace Tech, Ariana Tobin, August 12, 2014

"Twenty years ago this week, someone paid $12.48 plus shipping for [a Sting album]. We're not talking about Sting's 1993 album - "Ten Summoner's Tales" - for its musical merits.  It is, in fact, pretty average as far as Sting albums go, with two hit singles and a few Grammy nominations.  No, "Ten Summoner's Tales" has made it into the annals of contemporary history as the unremarkable item purchased in the first "online secure commercial
 transaction." It was the sale that proved online retail safe enough to make it, well, average.      

After that, the phrase "e-commerce" started popping up everywhere (it was almost as pervasive as Marketplace host David Brancaccio's favorite, "information superhighway").  By 1999, the Census had begun requesting e-commerce data as part of the overall economic picture. Commerce Department surveys showed the number of people shopping online rocketed from 13 percent in 2000 to 21 percent in 2001. 

Retailers waded straight into those "Fields of Gold". Today, those numbers have quadrupled. Forrester says approximately 69 percent of Americans regularly buy products online, and those consumers generally do 16 percent of their shopping over the Internet. In their words, more and more people shop from rooms "besides their office," like the living room or the kitchen, on tablets and cell phones -  many of which they bought online in the first place.

 

To put it mildly, e-retail continues to grow:  

 

Forecasted Online Retail Sales 




 


Economy
U.S. Retail Sales Basically Flat In July; Recent Job Growth Fails To Boost Consumer Spending  

From the Star Tribune, Josh Boak, August 13, 2014


"U.S. retail sales were essentially flat in July, providing evidence that consumers have yet to shed their doubts about the economy despite recent job gains.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that seasonally adjusted retail sales were unchanged in July compared with the prior month. Total sales rose a statistically insignificant $161 million from $439.6 billion in June. Spending dipped at auto dealers and department stores last month. The losses were offset by gains at grocery stores, gasoline stations, restaurants, clothiers and building material stores.

The figures suggest that Americans are hesitant to spend, which could limit growth for the economy. Retail sales are closely watched because consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity. Retail sales have flat-lined even though employers have added more than 200,000 jobs a month for the past six months. Payrolls increased by 209,000 in July and 298,000 in June.

But those gains have yet to meaningfully boost wage growth above inflation, causing spending to be more restrained. Retail sales have increased 3.7 percent over the past 12 months, but economists doubt that spending can grow much faster unless incomes increase.

"Consumers just don't have the cash flow to finance sustained gains above 4 percent," said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics."

 


Public Policy
NCSL: Lawmakers To Talk Policy At National Summit This Week In Minnesota 

From the Pioneer Press, Bill Salisbury, August 18, 2014


"Nearly 5,000 state lawmakers and legislative staffers and the lobbyists and corporate sponsors who want to schmooze with them will descend on Minneapolis this week for the 40th annual National Conference of State Legislatures' annual summit.

The largest gathering of lawmakers and their staffs in the country, the summit will be crammed with more than 100 policy sessions on topics ranging from criminal justice and education to transportation and taxes, plus a bundle of "fun events," said Minnesota Senate President Sandy Pappas, DFL- St. Paul, who is co-hosting the convention.

Legislators and their families will be offered trips to the Mall of America and the Minnesota State Fair, plus a St. Paul tour. They also can take tours of the Mayo Clinic, a farm and Xcel Energy's control room. But most summit events will be policy-wonk sessions held at the Minneapolis Convention Center from Tuesday through Friday.

"It's an opportunity to learn cutting-edge positions on pressing issues facing the states," Pappas said.

Some of the big-name speakers include retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Grammy-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma, political pollsters Neil Newhouse and Geoffrey Garin and best-selling political authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann."

 


Member Service
MnRA's RetailPlus+ Buying Group

The Minnesota Retailers Association (MnRA) has leveraged the collective clout of our members to offer increased savings on the products and services essential to retailers. These vital products and services help Minnesota retailers navigate the often complicated terrain of operating as a retailer.

Thank you for your patience as we redesign the web presence of the RetailPlus+ Buying Group in the coming weeks.

Question on the program? Contact the MnRA staff at (651) 227-6631.

Bar code
Minnesota Retailers Association
400 Robert Street North, suite 1540
St. Paul, MN 55101
Tel. (651) 227-6631 - mnretail.org - [email protected]


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