Digital Coupons, March Spending Pulse, A&F Expansion

The number of digital coupons available at major online distribution sites increased by 33.6%, and the number of manufacturers offering them (290) grew by 17% in 2010, according to Supermarket News.
The figures come from Marx, Minneapolis, a division of Kantar Media.

Stats & Research

• Electronics sales and department stores showed modest gains while luxury and e-commerce recorded strong growth in March 2011, according to the MasterCard Advisors Spending Pulse.
• Overall self-reported daily consumer spending in stores, restaurants, gas stations, and online averaged $64 per day in March 2011, according to Gallup.
• Three in 10 Americans, 21 and older (29%) say they drink alcohol at least once a week, including 5% who drink daily and 10% who drink several times a week, according to Harris Interactive.

Store Openings & Closings

• Abercrombie & Fitch plans to open 20 new Abercrombie & Fitch flagships and 40 new Hollister stores outside the US by 2015.

E-commerce & Multichannel Retailing

• ShopRunner has launched a members-only shopping program which offers online consumers unlimited, free two-day shipping, free shipping on returns and special offers across a variety of stores and brands.
• Twitter is finally giving advertisers what they’ve been asking for: geo-relevant ads, along with more-detailed user analytics that will allow marketers to fine-tune their tweets and figure out who exactly is paying attention to them.
• Google, Inc. is working on a major overhaul of YouTube as it tries to position itself for the rise of televisions that let people watch online video in their living rooms, according to people familiar with the matter.
• The biggest day in 2011 for Presidents’ Day emails was Friday, Feb. 18, while the first reference to Presidents’ Day was Feb. 3 and the last was Feb. 28, according to the Retail Email Blog.
• The encryption used by many web sites to prevent eavesdropping on their interactions with visitors is not very secure.

CRM

• Dunkin’ Donuts has unveiled its first national customer loyalty program, “DD Perks Rewards,” which allows members to redeem unlimited rewards for purchases made with a Dunkin’ Donuts Card.

Business & Finance

• Following a 150% surge in cotton prices since August 2010, apparel makers are now turning to cheaper fabrics, and scaling back details like tags and buttons to trim expenses, while retailers are hiking prices up to 10-20%.