How low will prices go? 2009 might become known as the year of the price cuts, rollbacks, coupon redemptions and strong store brand sales. This is good for shoppers, but will the value strategy backfire on retailers?

With the nation seemingly emerging from recession, American consumers remain skittish about spending their money during this upcoming holiday season.

Consumers are sticking with basic purchases in categories like fresh meat, pasta, packaged dinners along with baking mixes and supplies as meal preparation consumption comes back to the home.
Increases in wine and alcoholic beverages indicate that consumers are opting to consume their favorite beverage at home too. At the same time they are continuing to avoid discretionary items, according to the latest monthly update of U.S. Retailing & Consumer Trends from The Nielsen Company.
The non-edible departments were the greatest contributors to an overall 1.2 percent unit sales decline at food, …

Over the past 20 years, the American household has changed and traditional roles have shifted with men now taking on a greater percentage of the household shopping than in the past. Today, almost one-third of men are now the principal shoppers in the home. With more men in the aisles, marketers need to better understand how they impact brand sales and how to reach this growing segment of principal shoppers.

The shopping mall has been a destination for American teens for decades.  It has become “Main Street” in many communities, and is a convenient place for teens to meet friends and hang out.  According to a new report from Scarborough Research, teen mall shoppers are still spending significant time and money at the mall: 68 percent spend two or more hours at the mall ont heir typical visit, and more than a quarter spend upwards of three hours.  More than half of teens (56%) spent $50 or more on their …

From printable online specials to cell phone downloads to 3D-projected in-store promotions. It’s a brave new digital world at retail, where human interaction now serves as a point of differentiation. Technology is changing the rules at retail.

A jar of mayonnaise or a package of tea is a straightforward product.  But if manufacturers market those products in the U.K. the same way they do in the U.S., they are probably making a mistake.  Nielsen has compiled the following “shopper truths” from around the world to help consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers successfully navigate consumer shopping behavior:

Same category, different market: often requires a different shopper strategy — While some universal truths exist within categories across borders, success of activation strategies …

Although the gas price rollercoaster has slowed down in recent months, and prices have returned to reasonable levels, our weakening economy is impacting how consumers are thinking about where and how they shop and buy, similar to how they claimed to be reacting when when prices were at record highs continues, according to a new survey from Nielsen.
The overall state of the economy has dropped consumer confidence to historically low levels and caused consumers to continue to reduce driving. To deal with gas prices, consumer claims in the areas of …

Nielsen retail industry experts Jonathan Banks, Todd Hale, Tom Pirovano, James Russo, and Jean-Jacques Vandenheede review the key trends that defined the U.S. retail sector in 2008 – and offer their predictions for the new year.
2008: Staying In Is The New Going Out
Americans are spending more time in front of their computers and televisions. The reach and frequency of TV, Internet, and time shifted TV use increased notably in 2008, as consumers on tight budgets opted to save money by staying home. 
2008: Economizing Strategies Go Digital
In 2008, 20% of consumer discussions online referenced strategies for managing grocery budgets.  …

According to Nielsen, discretionary shopping trips continued to decline dramatically in November, as consumers shifted purchases online and to value-oriented retailers.
Overall in November, trips to retailers declined by 2.9% from the previous year.
Retail Channel Trends
Toy stores, electronics stores, and department stores saw the most dramatic declines in the number of shopping trips last month vs. a year ago.  Trips to toy stores dropped by 23%, trips to electronics stores were down by 21%, and trips to department stores fell by 17%, Nielsen reported.
Retail channels offering low prices and strong value …