Sources of Consumer Data

Last Update: October 9, 2024

Introduction

I thought I would collect and share some state-of-the-consumer data that I find useful. Please feel free to share your sources, too. If they are off the beaten path - all the better :)

This article will be updated as I come across new sources, I will use the subtitle to indicate the latest version. I will send out update notifications with notes and maybe the substack chat feature.

The Sources

NRSInsights

The US company IDT 0.00%↑ with its National Retail Solutions (NRS) “operates the largest point-of-sale (POS) terminal-based platform and digital payment processing service for independent retailers nationwide.”

Each month they issue an NRSInsights report via a Press Release on the trends about the sales they report through their POS networks. “As of August 31, 2024, the NRS retail network comprised approximately 32,300 active terminals nationwide, scanning purchases at independent retailers including bodegas, convenience stores, liquor stores, grocers, tobacco, and sundries sellers nationwide, predominantly serving urban consumers.”

As they focus on smaller shops, it is interesting to see the SSS% compared to the wider US commerce statistics. Also, they provide some more granular insights:

August is back-to-school month for many universities and K-12 districts. We saw not only the expected sales growth versus July but also a robust increase versus August 2023, most notably in school-related categories including Office Supply, Writing Tools, and Computer/Printer accessories.

Cookie Snacks and Variety Packs, convenient options for school lunches, also realized strong year-over-year growth, as did sales of Baking Staples, Extracts/Herbs/Spices/Seasoning, Baking Mixes and Baking Supplies.

On the other hand, sales of the Candy/Gum/Mints and Sweet Snacks categories continued to decline year-over-year.

While our measure of inflationary pressure increased in August for the second consecutive month, rising to 3.5%, that increase was largely driven by a spike in the prices of tobacco products. Absent that, the underlying rate of year-over-year increase was 2.5%, the same as July.

As IDT issues the report via press releases you can get them conveniently to your email inbox by subscribing to their alerts.