We Are Entering The Best Environment For Retail In Many Years

A company called Springboard, that collects and sells data on retail activity, recently completed a survey of US consumers. Their data indicate that 88% of consumers are now comfortable to at least some degree in making trips to retail destinations. And it’s not theoretical. 45% of consumers intend to visit a shopping destination over the Memorial Day weekend. You might say that if consumers are comfortable heading to stores, it may mean that the online sales will stop growing or decline. But that’s not what we’re seeing. Todd Kahn, CEO and Brand President of Coach, told me that their online business “has been an ‘and’ and not an ‘or.’” Where their stores have been open for a while, such as in Texas, “we are not seeing a diminution of digital sales in those areas,” he said. Consumers returning to stores don’t seem to be reducing their online shopping, online continues to perform even as the stores improve. Read more at Forbes.