Britt Beemer Number Quotations

One thing that shocked me was that the number of consumers planning to buy gift cards this Christmas is not as big as last year.

I think at least a third of consumers that previously bought her products will abandon the brand. A number higher than that means the brand is dead.

That number is almost double from last year when only 20 percent of consumers polled has a similar response,

There are a number of consumers I've talked to who have given money to hurricane funds in lieu of gifts. Last year luxury retail was the grand slam .... If this shopper cuts back, it will send Wall Street into a spin.

It's hard to escape a week without some negative story about Wal-Mart. Let's look at the facts. Wal-Mart is clearly the number one retailer in America. Average consumers have to buy the products that Wal-Mart sells and they do this each and every week. The consumer isn't interested in the origin of the products purchased as long as merchandise meets their expectations.

To a great extent, the brand has become a non-brand. It has not been nurtured or built upon for the last few years. They won't necessarily save money, but they'll consolidate their advertising dollars to a limited number of brands and do it better.