Success Tips
Retailers with well-stocked shelves and a customer-friendly return policy tended to fare better than other retailers during the holiday season, according to accounting firm KPMG. In a phone survey, the accounting firm noted that 76 percent of customers said their spending decisions were influenced most by when a store had the item they expected while 58 percent said the store’s return policy was a major factor. Newspaper ads affected 47 percent of customers’ shopping decisions, and coupons had an effect on 43 percent of consumers. The survey of 815 shoppers showed that 28 percent shopped at mass retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Inc., 14 percent shopped at power retailers such as Best Buy Inc., 12 percent at specialty retailers such as Gap Inc., 10 percent at mid-tier stores such as J.C. Penney Inc. and Kohl’s Inc., and 8 percent at department stores such as Macy’s Inc. and Dillard’s Inc.
