Sustained spending levels may be temporary. There are some caution lights flashing yellow. read more >

Federal economic policy appears to be non-ideological. Let’s call it whimsical. Americans have a reduction in the taxes we pay, but with tariffs, an increase in the prices of products we buy. read more >

Just like any other product, recyclable material has to find a buyer to complete the journey, the transaction. read more >

With the decrease in births to teens and 20-somethings, there is now created a “baby bust” that could be troubling to the economy. read more >

From cars and clothing to insurance, cereal and banking, brands are embracing the values embodied in diversity and aligning themselves with inclusivity. read more >

Retail growth has been on the extreme ends of the spectrum, with those mainstream-conscious stores in the middle maintaining a recession-related status quo. Little to no sales growth. read more >

Daily or routine habits are disrupted by foul weather and foul moods. These atmospheric disturbances also have a direct impact on consumer behavior. And behavior begets spending. read more >

5G is coming. Is the government suggesting it's best to take away from the private sector a new and advanced network and nationalize it? read more >

The internet, this great American invention which has changed the way the world communicates, does business and lives — this vast democratization of connectivity — is under attack read more >

The way Facebook is set up as a social network can influence opinions and behavior through social proofing, endorsements, critiques and reviews. And it is done somewhat passively through conversational and casual messaging. read more >

Democracy and capitalism are not the same. The first is political; the second economic. Nor is one created by the other. But they work well together, undergirded by the freedom to choose. read more >

Corporate social responsibility is a term applied to a company’s adherence to the letter and spirit of the law. It has also come to mean, in a broader sense, how a company and its leadership act based on corporate conscience — that internal guide to the rightness or wrongness of corporate or individual behavior. read more >

Consumption of goods and services is dramatically changing. The traditional retailing business model is experiencing downward pressure on foot traffic, browsing and sales. The browsing is happening online as online sales increase. But is that the whole mosaic? read more >

It’s a paradox: Consumers want to be led, yes. But they also want to be in the discussion about the veracity of the product, cause or campaign. read more >

Why didn’t Sears become the first, or more successful, Amazon? The power of the Sears brand very well could have adopted and commanded the online sales model, returning to its roots and offering the broadest inventory of every product under the sun — online, and delivered directly to you. Just like it was done in 1888 with the first Sears catalog. read more >

Consumers want to be confident about the performance of the product, as well as associating themselves with a winning brand personality. read more >

Sounds like we’re again promoting the notion government should be run like a business. Well, government is not a business. And since it isn’t, policymakers and implementers would struggle to make it run like one. read more >

Consumers need to understand that the cost of a move toward economic nationalism is a cost that will be borne by us all. read more >

If the United States were to impose onerous tariffs on foreign goods, the effect on Arkansas consumers would be higher prices. read more >

If voters know exactly what a sales tax is for — a new jail or community center or fire station, an economic development incentive for a new factory, a local road project — the likelihood local voters will support the local tax is greatly increased. read more >