BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 25, 2012 – Electronics were at the top of everyone’s shopping list over the holidays. In a new consumer electronics study by Market Force Information, 100% of survey respondents reported purchasing a consumer electronic device for themselves or others during the holiday season. Video games and gear were the most popular items, followed by TVs.

The survey of more than 4,200 consumers by Market Force, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions, was designed to uncover which electronics were most popular among holiday shoppers in 2011, what factors influenced their buying decisions and where they made their purchases.

Brick-and-mortar dominates for CE
Surprisingly, more holiday shoppers got into their cars than logged into their computers to shop for electronics. Of those surveyed, only 35% said they bought an electronic device online, while 100% said they bought at least one device from a retail store.

Why brick-and-mortar and not online? More than half said they bought from a retail location because of the immediacy of the purchase, and 46% were lured by special in-store promotions. Another 39% wanted to avoid shipping costs, while 35% wanted an in-person demonstration of the device.

Best Buy was the most popular retailer for pricey consumer electronics, followed by Walmart and Target. Wireless phone stores, Apple Stores, Staples and GameStop were also called out, although none received more than 5% of the mentions.

Sales associates wield retail power
The survey also discovered that retail sales associates wield enormous clout during the electronics buying process. More than three-quarters of shoppers said they were helped by a sales person, 44% received a specific product recommendation from the associate and, of those, 85% bought the product that was recommended.

“We discovered that the human factor in the retail process is incredibly powerful when consumer electronics are concerned,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer for Market Force. “Not only do shoppers value and trust the opinions of electronics sales people, they also tend to follow their advice, which tells us this role carries more weight than in other industries.”

‘Game on’ for holiday electronics sales
In the blazing battle of consumer electronics dominance, the video game industry proved victorious. Thirty-two percent of survey respondents reported buying gaming gear for themselves or others, just edging out the 31% who bought TVs, DVD players and other TV components. There was a tie for third between smart phones and digital cameras, each with 24%, while 23% bought a computer. Despite the hype, tablet computers like iPads and e-readers like Kindle were only purchased by 21% and 20%, respectively.

Market Force conducted the consumer electronics survey in January 2012. The pool of 4,206 survey respondents ranged in age from 18 to more than 65, and reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with half reporting household incomes of $25,000 – $50,000 a year. Seventy-two percent were women, the primary household consumer purchasers. More than two-thirds are married.

For more information on Market Force’s customer intelligence solutions for the retail industry, visit http://www.marketforce.com/industries/retail.

About Market Force Information
Market Force is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses, including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than 125 years of combined industry experience, Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions – from 600,000 field associates across North America and Europe who conduct mystery shopping, merchandising and retail auditing, to real customer surveys and proprietary decision-support tools. Its solutions provide a holistic view of the customer’s on-site experience and identify the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. Market Force was named one of Forbes’ America’s Most Promising Companies in 2011. For more information, visit www.marketforce.com.

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BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 22, 2011 – Market Force, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions, and its client ConocoPhillips have received the Ventana Research Leadership Award for Customer Excellence. The Ventana Research 2011 Leadership Awards recognizes innovative companies and their customers that have most effectively achieved success through the use of people, processes, information, technology and best practices. This is the second recent honor bestowed upon Market Force, which was also recently named to Forbes’ list of America’s 100 Most Promising Companies.

Ventana Research selected ConocoPhillips for its implementation of Market Force’s customer intelligence solutions. It also instituted mechanisms to gather customer feedback and ensure every station carrying its brand adheres to the high standards that consumers want and deserve. Its customer intelligence program led to increased customer satisfaction and revenue growth.

“The Leadership Awards honor organizations across the world that have distinguished themselves in their approach to using business and information technology,” said Mark Smith, CEO and chief research officer of Ventana Research. “Market Force and ConocoPhillips distinguished themselves as pioneers in Customer Excellence for their successful transformation of the customer experience using technologies and processes that derived true business value.”

Through work with more than 350 of the world’s major brands, Market Force has culled a set of best practices that underpin retail performance and crafted a suite of customer intelligence solutions to enable companies to excel. Services include mystery shopping, customer satisfaction surveys, call center services and audits, as well as sophisticated analytics to tie those data to bottom line results, and a robust technology platform to host it all.

“It’s gratifying to see our hard work recognized by prestigious organizations like Ventana Research and Forbes,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer for Market Force. “These awards are a testament to the incredible work our team is doing, and they also validate the business results of our customer-driven clients like ConocoPhillips.”

For more information on Market Force’s customer intelligence solutions, visit http://www.marketforce.com/customer-intelligence

About Market Force Information

Market Force is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses, including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than 125 years of combined industry experience, Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions – from 600,000 field associates across North America and Europe who conduct mystery shopping, merchandising and retail auditing, to real customer surveys and proprietary decision-support tools. Its solutions provide a holistic view of the customer’s on-site experience and identify the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. Market Force was named one of Forbes’ America’s Most Promising Companies in 2011. For more information, visit www.marketforce.com.

BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 14, 2011 – In spite of the shaky economic news overseas, fashion retailers in the U.S. have at least one reason for optimism. Consumers are trying new brands at a higher rate this year, and buying more when they do. More than twice as many consumers visited a new fashion retailer for the first time than during the same timeframe in 2010, according to an annual consumer survey conducted by Market Force, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions. Thirty-two percent of consumers surveyed in October reported trying a new fashion retailer over the past 90 days, up from 14% in 2010.

Kohl’s received the most new trials by consumers this fall, followed by Abercrombie & Fitch and H&M. But new trial is heavily influenced by the proximity of stores to consumers; so larger brands will tend to dominate. Market Force wanted to find out which retailers received the most new trials per store so it indexed the results by store count. When indexed, H&M convinced the largest number of consumers to visit one of their stores for the first time, followed by Nordstrom, Anthropologie, White House/Black Market and Coldwater Creek. Of those surveyed who tried a fashion retailer for the first time, 75% said they made a purchase during that visit, up from 59% in 2010, which could signal a return in consumer confidence. See Graph 1.

Graph 1: Fashion Retailer New Trial Visits 

The survey of nearly 7,000 consumers across North America revealed that consumers were most likely to try a new retailer when shopping for casual clothing (71.3%) and business attire (22.8%).

“The fact that consumers are trying new retailers is good news for brands in this economy,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer for Market Force. “It shows that retailers are getting more effective at drawing new consumers into their doors.And our data shows that one of the best ways to do that is to consistenly delight those customers with great service and good merchandise selection.”

Store Recommendations – That’s What Friends Are For
A friend’s stamp of approval wields significant influence in the decision to walk into a new retailer. The survey found that recommendations from friends are the top impetus for consumers to try a new store, followed by “just an impulse to go shopping.” Really great sales, promotions and discounts, and the inability to resist an item they love were other factors that weighed heavily in consumers’ new store trials.  See Graph 2. The reasons given for not making purchases at a new retailer were high prices or the inability to find sale items.

Graph 2: Factors Driving New Trials

The Social Media Factor
The study also showed that consumers use online research extensively before shopping, but manage online relationships with retailers carefully. For example, the majority (73%) said they research prices online before they head to the store, and one-third turns to social media for information about fashion retailers or clothing brands. However, few follow retailers on Twitter (7%, up from 2% in 2010) or friend them on Facebook (38%). And social media advertising plays a very small role in influencing consumers to try new retailers. So, while consumers acknowledge that social media is highly influential in their shopping choices, it appears that conversations with friends are much more impactful than the social content pushed by the retailer.

Social media does appear to be playing a larger role in their online research. In Market Force’s 2010 retail survey, one in 10 respondents said they had read an online post or blog about a specific retailer or brand of clothing. That number jumped to 37% in 2011. Additionally, 7% of consumers in this year’s survey had blogged or created an online post about a specific retailer or brand of clothing.

Spend Trends
Not surprisingly, consumers continue to be conscious of spending this year. Most consumers (74%) reported spending an average of less than $100 per month on clothing, while one-quarter said they spend up to $250 every month, similar percentages were found in the study a year ago. See Graph 3.

Graph 3:  2011 Consumer Fashion Spending  

Market Force conducted the fashion retail survey in October 2011. The pool of almost 7,000 survey respondents ranged in age from 18 to more than 65 and reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with three-quarters reporting incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Eighty-one percent were women, the primary household consumer purchasers. Half of the participants said they have children at home. 

For more information on Market Force’s customer intelligence solutions for the retail industry, visit http://www.marketforce.com/industries/retail.

About Market Force
Market Force Information Inc. is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses, including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than

125 years of combined industry experience, Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions – from 600,000 field associates across North America and Europe who conduct mystery shopping, merchandising and retail auditing, to real customer surveys and proprietary decision-support tools. Its solutions provide a holistic view of the customer’s on-site experience and identify the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. For more information, visit www.marketforce.com.

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BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 7, 2011 — Kohl’s is the nation’s favorite fashion retail chain, according to an annual consumer survey conducted by Market Force Information, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions. This is the third year in a row that Kohl’s has earned the top spot. Nordstrom ranked as consumers’ second favorite, followed by Macy’s, Dillard’s and JCPenney.

Market Force surveyed almost 7,000 consumers across North America and asked them to select their favorite fashion retailer from a list of 91 national chains. Results were first tallied based on the number of total votes, where Kohl’s took a clear lead with 16% of the vote total. But the number of votes has a strong correlation to the number of stores. Market Force wanted to determine which chain received the most votes per store, so it indexed the findings by store count. The results showed that Kohl’s still is consumers’ top choice. 

Before the votes were indexed, Kohl’s earned the most total votes, while JCPenney amassed the second most, and then Macy’s, Walmart and T.J. Maxx.

Kohl’s Triumphs as Nation’s Favorite
When the votes were indexed to account for number of stores, Wisconsin-based Kohl’s retained the No. 1 position, making it a clear consumer favorite. Nordstrom moved into the No. 2 spot, Macy’s and Dillard’s tied for No. 3, JCPenney landed in the No. 4 slot, and Coldwater Creek rounded out the top five. See Graph 1.

Although they still made it into the top 16 overall, brands like Walmart, Target and Dress Barn landed toward the bottom of the rankings.

“More than 70% of surveyed consumers said that they shopped most recently for casual clothing, with business clothing coming in a distant second. That number grows to a whopping 90% when we asked what they shopped for at their favorite retailer. That tells us that price and type of merchandise loom large as selection criteria for a casual fashion retailer,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing office for Market Force. “Kohl’s has achieved that great balance of broad selection and good prices, particularly in the casual clothing sector. But, notice that Nordstrom secured second place, and specialty stores like Coldwater Creek and Ann Taylor Loft came in sixth and seventh. Those results might suggest that consumers are loosening their pocketbooks in favor of quality over a bargain for select fashion items.”

Marshalls Gets Points for Loyalty Program, Macy’s Scores for Designer Selections
Market Force also looked at how the favorite fashion retail chains compared in different categories to determine if certain attributes set apart the leaders from the rest. Kohl’s performed consistently well across the board, leading in almost every category, including no-hassle returns, prices, easy parking, dressing rooms, atmosphere and customer service. Marshalls was the only retailer that received high marks for loyalty program benefits. Macy’s trumped the others for offering the widest assortment of clothing and accessories from specific designers. See Graph 2.

Market Force conducted the fashion retail survey in October 2011. The pool of almost 7,000 survey respondents ranged in age from 18 to more than 65 and reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with three-quarters reporting incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Eighty one percent were women, the primary household consumer purchasers. Half of the participants said they have children at home. 

For more information on Market Force’s customer intelligence solutions for the retail industry, visit http://www.marketforce.com/industries/retail

About Market Force Information
Market Force Information Inc. is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses, including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than

125 years of combined industry experience, Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions – from 600,000 field associates across North America and Europe who conduct mystery shopping, merchandising and retail auditing, to real customer surveys and proprietary decision-support tools. Its solutions provide a holistic view of the customer’s on-site experience and identify the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. For more information, visit www.marketforce.com and follow us on Twitter @MarketForce.

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BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 11, 2011 — Baja Fresh, the nationwide Mexican-inspired restaurant with 253 locations, has partnered with customer intelligence solutions company Market Force to measure and bolster its unique brand offering through mystery shopping.

The chain’s commitment to the health and happiness of customers everywhere translates into a brand promise of perpetually fresh, healthy ingredients and engaging, conscientious service. It is a commitment that is at the core of their value proposition, empowering their guests to EAT WELL. LIVE FRESH.

But what exactly does that mean for each and every customer that chooses Baja Fresh, and how does the brand endeavor to fully embody that promise on a daily, store-level basis? According to Chuck Rink, president of Baja Fresh, it is through consistent measurement and analysis of customer experience metrics across all restaurants delivered in partnership with Market Force.

“We’re not only committed to providing delicious, healthy food for our guests, but also to fitting in with their daily lifestyles and their expectations for a brand they can depend on,” said Rink. “Our food is our first line of excellence, guaranteed to be fresh every time. Additionally, we strive to supplement that pledge with a bright, positive and energetic experience in our stores and our service – all vital elements of our brand that Market Force helps us drive across the board.”

The freshest food is only the first of many focus areas that Baja Fresh depends on to excel in the casual-dining arena. The company’s mystery shopper program also provides insight into things like store appearance, ambiance, cleanliness, employee attitude and other customer experience drivers, along with analytics to reveal what measures of each are the most powerful customer loyalty indicators.

“One of every two dollars spent on food today is spent in a restaurant, and we have enormous choice as consumers,” said Janet Eden-Harris, Market Force’s chief marketing officer. “Mystery shopping, especially when integrated with other types of customer intelligence, is an essential way to stay on top of those factors that drive customer delight and brand growth. Baja Fresh takes its commitment to its customers seriously. It’s no wonder they’re driving growth—they’re a great example of the dividends that consistency and sophisticated insights can return in customer loyalty.”

Market Force provides mystery shopping through an extensive network of more than 600,000 independent contractors dubbed The Force™, which is comprised of consumers across North America and Europe. Members of its experienced mystery shopper network will anonymously visit or call Baja Fresh locations and submit comprehensive reports providing an informed, unbiased view of their experiences. Market Force’s analytics and insights are then applied to this data to show where each store is performing well, where specific improvements are needed and the modeled impact of those improvements.

For more information on Market Force’s mystery shopping solutions, visit www.marketforce.com/solutions/mystery-shopping

If you are interested in becoming a Market Force mystery shopper, register at www.marketforce.com/the-shopper-force

About Market Force Information
Market Force Information, Inc. is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for business-to-consumer companies including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions that provide clients with the business intelligence they need to delight their customers and drive bottom-line results. The company measures store-level operations and customer attitudes through mystery shopping, customer feedback, market audits and merchandising services, with the analytics to drive targeted improvements. For more information, please visit: www.marketforce.com and follow us on Twitter @MarketForce.

About Baja Fresh
At Baja Fresh you’ll find eating well is a way of life and a state of mind. Baja Fresh believes in real food, made by real people, for real people. Food that’s always prepared by hand from real recipes and real farm fresh ingredients. All entrées are made with never frozen steak that is all natural and never frozen chicken that is all natural and hormone free. Don’t forget the handmade guacamole and salsa bar hosting 6 salsas made fresh everyday, all day.  Eat Well. Live Fresh at Baja Fresh. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Cypress, Calif., Baja Fresh operates or franchises 255 restaurants in 24 states and Dubai. To learn more about Baja Fresh visit www.bajafresh.com

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Are consumers planning to shop on Black Friday? And where will they shop for apparel this holiday season? We thought we’d ask.

On October 26th at 1 p.m. Eastern Market Force presents the results of a new panel research study on consumer preferences for apparel retailers that delves into questions like the following:

• How much do consumers plan to spend this holiday season on apparel?
• What are their favorite apparel retailers , and why?
• What clothing retailer have consumers tried for the first time in the past 90 days?
• What matters most to consumers at a retailer? Price? The shopping experience? Selection?
• How influential is social media on consumer’s choices of a fashion retailer?

These are some of the topics we’ll delve into in the upcoming webinar on October 26, 2011. Join Dr. Cheryl Flink as she shares the results of this new research.

CLICK HERE to register.

BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 3, 2011 — Cheesecake Factory is the nation’s favorite casual-dining restaurant, according to an annual consumer restaurant chain survey conducted by Market Force Information, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence and customer experience management solutions. This is the second consecutive year the popular U.S. chain has landed in the survey’s No. 1 spot.

More than 4,500 consumers across North America participated in the survey, which was conducted in August 2011. It examined which casual-dining restaurants consumers prefer and which attributes are the most important to them. Market Force first calculated the favorites based on pure number of votes, and then factored in the number of locations for each chain to effectively measure which chain garnered the most votes per restaurant.

When the consumers were shown a list of the country’s 51 top casual-dining restaurants and asked to select their single favorite, Olive Garden earned the most raw votes (for the second consecutive year), followed by Applebee’s (which tied for first place with Olive Garden in 2010), and then Red Lobster, Chili’s and Outback Steakhouse. See Graph 1.

Graph 1: Casual-Dining Restaurant Rankings – Based on Raw Number of Vote

Cheesecake Factory Hits Sweet Spot as Nation’s Favorite
However, the top vote-getters are not necessarily the consumer favorites. Since consumers are only likely to vote for restaurants they patronize and that are located in their area, Market Force indexed the results to account for the number of restaurant locations per chain. When the votes were weighted, Cheesecake Factory was the first choice among consumers by a wide margin, earning 7.3% of the vote share – more than double the 3.2% earned by the second-place finisher Texas Roadhouse. Olive Garden came in third in the study with 2.8%, and P.F. Chang’s and Carrabba’s Italian Grill followed in fourth and fifth place. Sixteen chains made it to the top of the rankings, each collecting 0.2% or more of the vote.

This is the second year in a row that Cheesecake Factory, Texas Roadhouse and Olive Garden took the top three spots. In Market Force’s 2010 restaurant chain survey, Cheesecake Factory ranked first, Texas Roadhouse and Red Robin tied for second, and Olive Garden came in third.

On the flip side, restaurants that are not tickling as many tastebuds this year include Denny’s, IHOP and Ruby Tuesday. While in the top 16 overall, all three landed on the bottom of these rankings with one-half percent or less of the vote. See Graph 2.

Graph 2: Casual-Dining Restaurant Rankings – Indexed by Number of Locations

Which Restaurants Reigned Supreme by Attribute?
Market Force attempted to uncover why respondents prefer one casual-dining restaurant over another by asking those who selected a given brand as a favorite to rate them by attributes such as food quality, taste, speed of service, cleanliness and value. The categories with the greatest variance in consumer ratings were value and speed of service. Consumer favorite Cheesecake Factory did not excel on any one attribute, but it fared well across all of them, particularly in the important areas of food quality and taste. Golden Corral scored highest on value – a category showing quite a bit of differentiation – as well as on speed of service, which is logical given it offers a self-service buffet. See Graph 3.

Graph 3: Casual-Dining Restaurants – Rankings by Attributes

Ruby Tuesday Differentiates Through Healthy Choices, IHOP Through Its Green Practices
Market Force also looked at how the chains differentiate by other noteworthy attributes, such as healthy choices, accommodating children, atmosphere and green/sustainable practices. Ruby Tuesday was called out for having the healthiest menu choices, Golden Corral was the most kid-friendly, Carrabba’s rated highest for atmosphere and IHOP led in sustainable/green practices, a category where several restaurant chains received zero votes. Meanwhile, Red Robin ranked lowest in both the atmosphere and healthy choices categories, and P.F. Chang’s was at the bottom for accommodating children. See Graph 4.

Graph 4: Casual-Dining Restaurants Ranked by Differentiating Attributes

Charting Casual-Dining Restaurants on The Customer Delight Index
In a related Market Force survey, 3,300 consumers were asked to rate their last experience eating at any casual-dining restaurant. Market Force analyzed the data to develop a Consumer Delight Index revealing the intersection between the likelihood of recommending the restaurant to friends/family and overall satisfaction. Top-ranked chains were plotted on the graph, with the median scores providing a quadrant measure. On this index, eight brands came out with above average index scores, including Texas Roadhouse which came in first with an average satisfaction rating of 4.7 and a recommendation rating of 73%. Cheesecake Factory came in second with an average satisfaction score of 4.58 and with 72% of respondents likely to recommend it. Red Robin rounded out the top three with an average satisfaction rating of 4.6 and 67% of consumers likely to recommend it. Other high-scoring restaurants included Outback Steakhouse, Cracker Barrel, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday. See Graph 5.

Graph 5: Casual-Dining Restaurants – Customer Delight Index

The pool of survey respondents ranged in age from 18 to more than 70 and reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with 62 percent reporting incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Seventy six percent were women, the primary household consumer purchasers. Half of the participants said they have children at home.  

For more information on Market Force’s customer intelligence solutions for the restaurant industry, visit http://www.marketforce.com/industries/casual-dining.

About Market Force Information
Market Force Information Inc. is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses, including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than

125 years of combined industry experience, Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions – from 600,000 field associates across North America and Europe who conduct mystery shopping, merchandising and retail auditing, to real customer surveys and proprietary decision-support tools. Its solutions provide a holistic view of the customer’s on-site experience and identify the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. For more information, visit www.marketforce.com and follow us on Twitter @MarketForce.

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