Cognac is the most successful style of brandy, with a golden period in the late 1980s and early 90s (mainly in Japan) and another strong spell in the mid-1990s throughout China, according to research undertaken by global drinks industry website just-drinks.com. 12 Nov 2007
Innovation is alive and well among coalition loyalty programs around the world. Despite their advancing age, coalitions are continuing to innovate to keep their programmess fresh and relevant to their target members. 9 Nov 2007
A new forecast published this week by retail analysts Verdict Research, a Datamonitor company, predicts that UK shoppers will spend more than ever in the run-up to Christmas. However, with incomes squeezed by high mortgage costs and wages only rising slightly, consumers will rely on credit to fund their festive spending. 7 Nov 2007
Just as South Africa's credit levels are seen by the authorities to be way too high, so growth in spending on credit cards in the United Kingdom has reached record levels. And as in SA, that's good news for the financial institutions, but bad news for credit levels. 6 Nov 2007
Online retail sales in the United States jumped 23%, to US$28.4 billion, during the third quarter of this year compared with the same July-September period in 2006. 2 Nov 2007
Forty four percent of traffic to consumer packaged goods (CPG) sites comes from search, according to new joint research1 from comScore, Procter & Gamble, Yahoo and SEMPO. And these buyers spent 20% more in the month following their search activity, reveals the study. 31 Oct 2007
Profitable and efficiently run businesses valued from R30 million and upwards, as well as growing businesses requiring equity for growth are in demand among investors, says Adam Cowell, CEO of Pam Golding Commercial's Business Sales & Acquisitions division. 25 Oct 2007
Retailers that have no online presence are eyeing the upcoming holiday season somewhat anxiously. The credit crunch following the subprime mortgage crisis is expected to squeeze many consumers' budgets. Also, fuel prices still remain higher than retailers would like. Online shopping is less affected by these trends. 24 Oct 2007
Many of us have gone to wine tasting, or tried a nibble of something in a supermarket, or taken a car for a test drive. Well, there's a term for this sort of thing – tryvertising. 24 Oct 2007
An up-coming ECR conference is a must for decision-makers within the marketing, FMCG, IT, supply chain and associated sectors of the retail industry. 23 Oct 2007
Linking a product to a celebrity or TV show can work well, but can be problematic if the popularity of the celebrity or show falters – or in the case of some celebrities, goes from hero to zero. And that applies in South Africa as much as it does anywhere else – in this case, the UK. 19 Oct 2007
A just-released report from London reveals that while the growth of virtual communities and online social networking sites has exploded, trends indicate that this growth will level out by 2012. 18 Oct 2007
Research shows that unethical business practices, customer dissatisfaction and lack of innovation erode consumer trust. And though the following article relates to Europe, there are lessons for South African business; lose your customers' trust and winning it back will be an uphill road. 17 Oct 2007
After analysis of previous years' holiday sales figures, eCommerce solutions provider Volusion Inc., predicts that the biggest shopping day of the year will break the typical pattern seen in most years this decade. 17 Oct 2007
Sales of organic coffee are growing faster than one can say, "Espresso, please!". US retail sales of organic coffee in 2006 increased 24% to US$110.36 million, according to the Organic Trade Association's (OTA's) 2007 Organic Manufacturer Survey. 15 Oct 2007
Britain's music and video retailers are beleaguered and are looking to HD DVD and downloads to revive a depressed market. 12 Oct 2007
The theme for the 2007 meeting will be “Drivers for future growth: Waves and currents” and it's aimed at giving members of the institute a better understanding about what the main drivers of future growth are going to be, rather than narrowly focusing on trends per se. 12 Oct 2007
The Clicks ClubCard loyalty program, which has been in operation in South Africa for over a decade, and currently has over 2.2 million active members, is to upgrade its benefits to its members and suppliers. 10 Oct 2007
USA - Wine marketing researchers at VinterActive have released the results of their annual research report on consumer preferences and purchasing plans for wine gifts in the upcoming holiday season. The results are indicative of the sales slump that the wine industry worldwide seems to be experiencing. 9 Oct 2007
Toys for Smart Play!, the 16th annual report of Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products 2007 awards is now freely available to parents, teachers and others in the online magazine, Dr. Toy's Guide. 8 Oct 2007
