According to the newly released "What Women Want From the Web Report," Summer 2010, by Unicast, 95% of women plan to go online, and 62% notice and/or interact with online advertising. Women aged 18-24 use the web more than other age groups for all activities except keeping up with news, 53% vs. 67% overall. The report found women who visit blogs notice online advertising far more than overall respondents. While this group is just 13% of women who read blogs regularly, it shows females are potentially more open to ads from relevant sources of information that they trust.

The CPG industry has been abuzz over assortment downsizing, says a recent report summarizing the March 2010 "Nielsen Retailer Assortment Survey." Yet, despite all the talk of major SKU reductions, the average food channel store decreased variety by just 1% in 2009. The majority of grocery retailers plan to either maintain current levels or continue slimming SKU count in 2010. According to the study, 40% of food retailers surveyed claimed to have decreased assortment roughly 5% on average. One-third of retailers claimed to have maintained the assortment status quo, while 22% claimed to increase assortment options an average of …

In a new survey to better understand the retirement needs of Americans, Ipsos found that 60% of adults aged 25 and older were trying to meet basic financial needs and savings goals, while only one in five were actively building savings and investments. The report concludes from this, that corporate economic recovery has yet to trickle down to Main Street. The ongoing emphasis on safety and security seems particularly evident considering that, despite exceptionally low yields, the financial product used by consumers more than any other was traditional savings (71%), with life insurance, the next closest, used by 50%.

A recent survey, by myYearbook and Ketchum of teen social media users, showed that not only are Online Influencers more likely than the average teen to participate in social media activities by updating their status at least once per day or sending 3,000 texts per month and spending more time socializing and influencing their peers offline. Social media teen Influencers are defined as the top 15% most active and most engaged teens in the myYearbook community. A teen's social media popularity translates offline, as teen social media Influencers are 40% more likely to have attended a party over the …

According to new Centro research designed to spotlight various aspects of digital media planning efficiency and workforce productivity in the online advertising workplace, the results offer some empirical evidence illustrating the need for more streamlined digital media processes. Two hundred eighty-eight media professionals responded to survey questions, which was hosted on a third-party survey site from May 11-14, 2010. In response to spend more time on strategic work in lieu of the distraction of "managing administrative and logistical activities," ...

The June Consumer Reports Trouble Tracker Index measuring financial difficulties faced by consumers in the past 30 days, worsened, rising to 63.5 from 53.0 in May. The most troubling increase is in missed mortgage payments, which reached 3.9%, its highest level since tracking began in April 2009. The latest numbers show consumers have taken a step back facing increases in financial difficulties and a soured employment picture, says the report.

According to the latest Online Shopper Intelligence survey, one-third of online shoppers surveyed said they generally use coupon sites while shopping online. 35 million consumers visited coupon sites in April 2010, up 5% from the year prior. Besides the consumer benefit, says the report, coupons have a significant impact on retailers' bottom lines. More than half of the consumers who used a coupon code during their last online purchase said that if they had not received the discount, they would not have bought the item(s), suggesting that coupons can be a highly effective sales driver.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers' Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2010-2014, global entertainment and media spending is expected to rise from $1.3 trillion to $1.7 trillion by 2014, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.0%. The US E&M market is expected to grow at 3.8% CAGR reaching $517 billion in 2014, from $428 billion in 2009. Fast changing consumer behavior is expected to be the catalyst of the entertainment and media industry change over the next five years,

According to the results of the 2010 Mom Social Influencer segmentation study by BabyCenter, five unique segments of social moms are broken down into two categories, the Influencers, Field Experts, Lifecasters and Pros, and the Influenced, labeled in the report as Butterflies and the Audience. The Influencers make up only 18% of social moms, but they wield 78% of the influence. Tina Sharkey, Chairman and Global President, BabyCenter says "Since 2006, the number of moms using social media has skyrocketed more than 500%... marketers (can) shift their mindset from social media to social marketing by gaining a better understanding …

According to the latest edition of The Nielsen Company's Three Screen Report, over the last two years, ownership of HDTVs, DVRs and smartphones have increased at double and triple digit rates. More than half of US TV households now have HDTV, up 189% from the first quarter of 2008, and more than one-third now have DVRs, up 51%. High-speed broadband Internet access, now in 63.5% of homes, has created a better user experience for watching online videos.