According to the National Retail Federation's 2011 Tax Returns Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, many Americans are now keen to use their tax refunds to treat themselves or their families to a major purchase. 13.2% of Americans will spend their refund on a big ticket item, such as a new television or furniture up from 12.5% last year. But with the economy also serving as a reminder that it's best to be financially prepared for the worst, 42.1% of people will put their refunds away for a rainy day vs. 40.3% in 2010.

Deloitte's new "State of the Media Democracy" survey reveals that 71% of Americans still rate watching TV on any device among their favorite media activities, supporting the notion that traditional television advertising continues to be a viable model. In addition, 86% of Americans stated that TV advertising still has the most impact on their buying decisions.

According to a new report from Exact Target and CoTweet, data from "The Social Break-up" indicates 18% of email users say they never open email from companies, and 77% of all US online consumers say they have become more cautious in the past year about giving their email addresses to companies. Consumers are also highly sensitive to the difference between permission-based emails from companies they know and trust and unsolicited messages from unknown companies.

According to the Coupons.com Digital Coupons Trends Report for 2010, more than $1.2 billion in digital coupons savings was issued in 2010, representing a 41% growth over the year before. Digital coupons dramatically outpaced the growth of their newspaper counterparts compared to coupons distributed in newspapers of 7%.

According to a new study, "Inside the Buy," by the AMP Agency, to determine what's behind consumer's shopping behaviors, just 3% of consumers say they are loyal to a particular brand and never buy anything else. The study considered digital behaviors in five leading consumer categories: baby products, consumer electronics, food and beverage, health and beauty, and fashion. Today's digital minded consumer has widened the scope of purchase possibilities, which appears to have shifted consumers' mindset and redefined contemporary brand loyalty. With only 3% of consumers loyal to a particular brand and never buy anything else, 97% have an …

According to new Nielsen research, grandparent households spend 4.4% more per year than all other households, which equates to an extra spend of more than $300 a year. And, grandparent households represent a sizable target of 69.6 million, which will continue to grow another 11% between now and 2015.

According to a recent USA Today/Gallup Poll, only 31% of Americans believe they could live comfortably on something less than $50,000 a year, though the median family income is now about $52,000. But 62% say they would need $50,000 or more to achieve a comfortable lifestyle. In a 1987 USA Today poll, just 8% of Americans believed they would need $100,000 or more to live comfortably, while 56% thought they could achieve that on something less than $50,000.

Accordingly to the 100 merchants (EG100) evaluated in the e-tailing group 13th Annual Mystery Shopping Study, merchants are "... reducing the clutter, raising the bar, embracing technology, and reaching beyond their websites to deliver a more polished customer experience..." says Lauren Freedman, President of the e-tailing group. Slide shows to optimize key pages are being implemented by 57% of the merchants responding. Among the 70% of merchants who employ drop-down navigation menus, 69% of them are merchandised (i.e. new, sale, promos), enabling the creative and meaningful grouping of products.

A new global research initiative by IDG Research Services to gain insight into tech marketers' marketing/media spending plans and priorities for 2011 finds that 63% of marketing decision makers report a modest increase in media spending from 2010 to 2011. 6% expect a significant increase and only 10% report any contraction in spending in 2011. Global decision makers are significantly more likely to forecast an increase in spending than those with regional or local responsibilities.

According to a recent report by the Pew Research Center, Generations and Their Gadgets, younger adults are leading the way in increased mobility, preferring laptops to desktops and using their cell phones for a variety of functions, including internet, email, music, games, and video. Cell phones are by far the most popular device among American adults, with 85% of adults owning cell phones, and 90% of all adults live in a household with at least one working cell phone.