It’s been a fast-paced month at NRF. From the release of Shop.org’s annual State of Retailing Online and new research on how social networks impact shopping to the launch of a national 60-day campaign to fight swipe fees and preparation for NRF’s annual Loss Prevention Conference in Dallas, there have been dozens of projects in the works at one time. In fact, as we compiled all of this, I was struck by the fact that there really wasn’t much more we could have crammed in to last month. I won’t blame you if you missed something! Without further ado, here’s what your peers found most valuable on NRF websites and communications in May:
NRF's Swipe Fees Take-Action Center
NRF information:
- Last month’s largest attention-getter was the announcement of NRF’s 60-day campaign to preserve swipe fee reform. In a matter of days, thousands of people visited NRF’s Take-Action Center to get involved and voice their support for the swipe fee reform scheduled to be enacted on July 21. The site makes it easy to email or tweet your Senators, “like” the page on Facebook, listen to our radio ads, or get more information about the issue. If you haven’t spoken up in favor of swipe fee reform yet, this is the time to be heard. The clock is ticking on this one. Really.
- A late Easter meant that Mother’s Day snuck up quickly on the calendar, but that didn’t keep shoppers from spending. Retailers in all formats were encouraged by the release of NRF’s Mother’s Day survey, which showed that average spending for Mother’s Day would increase to $140, a number more in line with what we were seeing in the post-recession days. (Psst: Think mom gets all the glory? Think again. Check out our just-released Father’s Day survey to see what retailers can expect this month as wives and kids go shopping for Dad.)
- Although gas and commodity prices threaten growth, businesses were encouraged when April sales rose over last year, marking the tenth straight monthly retail sales increase. Clothing stores were a particular bright spot, largely due to Easter spending.
- Federal regulations have made the process of administering and accepting gift cards more complicated. So it’s no surprise that one of the most popular resources last month was a Grant Thornton white paper in our Retail Reference Center discussing the issues and opportunities around gift cards and federal oversight.
- We’re hiring! As NRF searches for a senior vice president to round out its all-star executive team, the posting for a Senior Vice President of Communities and Networks and Shop.org Executive Director generated a lot of attention. (Looking for more information on the position? See what our recruiter has to say about this incredible opportunity.)
Top blog posts from Retail’s BIG Blog and the Shop.org Blog:
- How retailers and customers use tablet devices
- New NRF video explains impact of swipe fees on consumers
- Talking with…OfficeMax marketing exec Bob Thacker
- Joe LaRocca outlines key trends in loss prevention
- Four ways Rue La La engages and empowers their members
Top retail news stories in NRF SmartBrief: