Store Pickup More Popular Than Home Delivery Among Back-to-School Shoppers, According to Sensormatic Solutions Survey
'High interest for in-store shopping and pickup options indicates consumers' appreciation for the unique benefits brick-and-mortar retail has to offer, especially during peak traffic periods like the back-to-school shopping season,' said Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions. 'In-store and curbside pickup options present shoppers a chance to get the best of both worlds: the convenience that comes with online ordering and the immediacy of in-store visits. Retailers who prioritize flawless omnichannel execution this summer are likely to be customer favorites.'
The survey also shed light on when shoppers are planning to kick off their shopping, with August (39%) emerging as the most popular month and July (34%) as a close second. Nearly half (48%) of respondents plan to shop earlier due to concerns about product availability and potential supply chain disruption. These findings are in line with Sensormatic Solutions traffic predictions for the 2025 back-to-school season and historical patterns to date.
Survey responses also reveal the top factors most likely to affect shoppers as they prepare for the upcoming academic year:
1. Price
Price sensitivity is high, with more than three-quarters (76%) of respondents citing cost among the factors most likely to impact their shopping experiences. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of respondents also share that they plan to spend less than they did last year.
34% of respondents say in-store promotions are important to their experiences.
54% of respondents will seek out discount or secondhand retail locations to help control spending.
2. Products and availability
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents cite product availability/supply chain disruptions as a top factor in their shopping experiences, and more than half (55%) rank out-of-stocks among the most significant challenges they anticipate this year.
Among shoppers who say they plan to use BOPIS, more than one-third (36%) cite same-day pickup as a top motivator.
Apparel (69%), shoes (53%) and school supplies (43%) will again be the categories on which shoppers plan to spend the most.
3. In-store experiences
Bottlenecks and poor service still have the power to sway shoppers amid financial and availability-related concerns, though responses were less uniform. Safe and comfortable store environments (44%), proximity to the store (30%) and checkout speeds (26%) are all likely to significantly affect shoppers' choices this year.
Large crowds (43%), lack of time to shop (33%) and long lines at points of sale (25%) are top challenges for in-person shoppers.
49% of respondents noted they prefer to interact with retail associates only when immediate assistance is needed—up from 45% at the end of last year.
'The margin for error on customer experience is getting narrower as expectations rise and retailers continue to improve their operations,' said Tony D'Onofrio, president of Sensormatic Solutions. 'The back-to-school season's busiest weeks are still ahead, so now is the time to key in on merchandise availability, labor optimization, and safety and security to ensure a memorable customer experience. Retailers that consider their operations holistically—from source to store—will be able to connect the dots across their supply chains for greater success.'
To learn more about what shoppers want this back-to-school season, read the full 2025 U.S. Back-to-School Consumer Sentiment Survey results. For more information about Sensormatic Solutions, visit sensormatic.com.
About Johnson Controls
At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.
Building on a proud history of 140 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering.
Today, Johnson Controls offers the world's largest portfolio of building technology and software as well as service solutions from some of the most trusted names in the industry.
Visit www.johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @Johnson Controls on social platforms.
About Sensormatic Solutions
Sensormatic Solutions, the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls, powers safe, secure and seamless retail experiences. For more than 50 years, the brand has been at the forefront of the industry's fast-moving technology adoption, redefining retail operations on a global scale and turning insights into actions. Sensormatic Solutions delivers an interconnected ecosystem of loss prevention, inventory intelligence and traffic insight solutions, along with our services and partners to enable retailers worldwide to innovate and elevate with precision, connecting data-driven outcomes that shape retail's future. Please visit Sensormatic Solutions or follow us on LinkedIn, X and our YouTube channel. Please visit Sensormatic Solutions or follow us on LinkedIn, X and our YouTube channel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Investing in "The DORKs" a Good Idea Right Now?
Key Points The DORK stocks -- Krispy Kreme, Opendoor Technologies, Rocket Companies, and Kohl's -- are getting attention. Each of these companies is losing money, but trading volume is spiking. 10 stocks we like better than Krispy Kreme › There's a new investing trend out there. Well, perhaps "newish" is the best way to put it, because to my eyes this is just a recycling of the meme stock fad that swept through the markets four years ago. That didn't end well for a lot of people, and I have similar expectations for this one. The stocks feeding into this trend are known as DORK stocks -- an acronym for the stock tickers of Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ: DNUT), Opendoor Technologies (NASDAQ: OPEN), Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT), and Kohl's (NYSE: KSS). Just as in the meme stock boom of old, some of these companies are seeing wild changes in price and valuation for no good reason. But the trading volume is up as investors' interest is piqued. If the DORK stock name isn't enough to scare you off, then perhaps a closer look at the companies would do it. However -- and I can't stress this enough -- investing in DORK stocks seems to be a really bad idea. If you're itching to try it, here's what you should know. Hype isn't a realistic strategy First, let's take a look at the companies. Krispy Kreme makes great doughnuts, but I'm not willing to say it's a good investment today. Opendoor, which operates a digital platform that allows people to sell their houses, is linked closely to Rocket Companies, which allows people to apply for mortgages and manage their money. Kohl's is a struggling big-box clothing retailer. Krispy Kreme saw first-quarter revenue drop by 15% from a year ago, and posted a loss of $33.4 million and an earnings per share loss of $0.20. Opendoor's Q1 revenue dropped by 2%, to $1.2 billion, and the company posted a net loss of $85 million. Rocket saw its Q1 revenue drop 25% from a year ago to $1.03 billion, and posted a loss of $212 million. And Kohl's saw net sales for the first quarter drop 4.1% to $3 billion. Like other DORK names, Kohl's was in the red for the quarter, posting a loss of $15 million. So, the DORK stocks, at least today, are officially losers. But there are a few meme-type catalysts that are pushing them into the public eye, such as short interest. Rocket and Kohl's both have more than half of their outstanding shares shorted, while Opendoor has more than 30%. All of those numbers are incredibly high. When investors short a stock, they're betting that the price will go down, so there's a lot of money out there betting that these names will drop. Retail investors can lap up additional shares in hope that hedge funds that are betting against a stock will find themselves squeezed and have to sell at a higher price -- similar to the infamous short squeeze of GameStop in 2021. We're back to 2021 I know there are lots of retail investors who enjoyed the 2021 meme stock fad that included names like GameStop, AMC Entertainment, and BlackBerry. I wasn't one of them. In fact, I wrote pretty stridently against investing in meme stocks, because I see it as a sure way of losing money over the long term. When you're trading on pure momentum without a solid underlying business, you're just asking to lose your money. Some of the DORK stocks are already showing major volatility. Kohl's, which normally has a trading volume of 13 million shares, saw 209 million shares traded on July 22. The stock price jumped 120% over a two-day period, but has since lost nearly all those gains. Opendoor became hot when a hedge fund manager put a price target of $82 on the stock, which had been struggling to remain at more than $1 and avoid potentially being delisted from the Nasdaq. Now Opendoor is up 380% in the last month (although at this writing, it still trades for less than $2.50 per share). The stock saw massive trading volume of 1.8 billion shares on July 21 and 1.07 billion shares on July 23. (Its average volume is only 164.8 million shares.) Krispy Kreme's shares haven't been as volatile (probably because the short interest is comparatively low). But it still had more than 152 million shares trade hands on July 23, compared to its average trading day of 8.2 million. Rocket Companies also saw action July 22 and July 23 as more than 51 million shares changed hands each day, versus the company's average trading volume of 15.4 million shares. But the reality is that you can't time the market, and many more people lose money than win trades with meme stocks. Because short-term stock prices are a product of supply and demand, you can't predict how a stock price will move -- and if you guess wrong, you could sustain some big losses. How to invest My advice is to hold back. There are hundreds of better choices than a meme stock, and you should instead be looking for names with good fundamentals, decent profit, and a sustainable business model. But if you are determined to invest in DORK stocks, hedge your bets. Invest responsibly, with only a small part of your portfolio that you are willing to lose. You never want to overplay your hand, particularly with volatile investments -- and those include DORK stocks. Should you buy stock in Krispy Kreme right now? Before you buy stock in Krispy Kreme, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Krispy Kreme wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $636,628!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,063,471!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,041% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 183% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Patrick Sanders has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends BlackBerry and Rocket Companies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is Investing in "The DORKs" a Good Idea Right Now? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
AT&T Shares Have Sunk Despite a Subscriber Surge. Time to Buy the Dip?
Key Points AT&T continues to see strong subscriber additions. However, investors were disappointed that the company did not raise guidance. 10 stocks we like better than AT&T › AT&T (NYSE: T) has quietly been a great-performing stock over the past couple of years, but it has pulled back after the company failed to raise its guidance when it reported its second quarter results. Investors were expecting a hike after rival Verizon Communications did so a couple of days earlier. Let's look at AT&T's results to see if the pullback is a buying opportunity. Strong subscriber growth When it comes to wireless subscriber growth, AT&T has taken advantage of a Verizon price hike earlier this year to gain customers. In the second quarter, it added 479,000 retail postpaid subscribers, including 401,000 retail postpaid phone additions. It did lose 34,000 prepaid subscribers, but that is generally viewed as a less important segment than subscribers who get a monthly bill. Overall mobility-segment revenue increased 6.7% to $21.8 billion. Mobility service revenue rose 3.5% to $16.9 billion, while equipment sales surged 18.8% to $5 billion. Postpaid phone average revenue per subscriber (ARPU) edged up 1.1% to $57.04. Turning to broadband, AT&T added 243,000 fiber subscribers and 203,000 internet air subscribers. The company lost 93,000 non-fiber subscribers as they continued to switch to faster options. Broadband ARPU climbed by 7.5% to $71.16, while fiber ARPU rose by 6.2% to $73.26. Total consumer broadband revenue was up 5.8% to $3.5 billion. Fiber will be a big focus for the company, with it looking to ramp up its investment to a pace of 4 million new locations per year. It just surpassed 30 million fiber locations and is looking to double that number by 2030, including through assets it has agreed to acquire, its Gigapower joint venture with BlackRock, and agreements it has with other commercial open-access providers. The investment in fiber will be helped by new tax provisions in the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" that allow some assets to immediately be fully depreciated in the year they go into use. On the downside, AT&T's business wireline segment saw a 9.3% decrease in revenue to $4.3 billion. The segment flipped from an operating profit of $102 million in the second quarter of last year to a loss of $201 million this year. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for the segment fell 11.3% to $1.3 billion. Total revenue rose by 3.5% to $30.8 billion, while adjusted earnings per share (EPS) jumped by 5.8% to $0.54. The results surpassed Wall Street expectations for adjusted EPS of $0.52 on revenue of $30.8 billion. AT&T generated $9.8 billion in operating cash flow, and free cash flow of $4.4 billion. It paid out just over $2 billion in dividends, good for a coverage ratio of 2.2 times. The company has held its quarterly dividend of $0.28 steady since May 2022, and the stock currently has about a 4% forward dividend yield. Looking ahead, the company largely kept its guidance intact, which was disappointing after Verizon raised its full-year EPS outlook. AT&T is looking for its mobility service revenue to grow by 3% or better, with adjusted EPS of between $1.97 to $2.07, which would be down from the $2.26 it produced in 2024. It forecast free cash flow to be in the low to mid $16 billion range. Metric Prior Guidance New Guidance Mobility service revenue growth The higher end of 2% to 3% 3% or better Adjusted EPS $1.97 to $2.07 $1.97 to $2.07 Adjusted EBITDA 3% or better 3% or better Free cash flow $16 billion-plus In the low to mid $16 billion range Source: AT&T Further out, AT&T expects to spend between $23 billion to $24 billion a year on capital expenditures (capex) in both 2026 and 2027. It projects that its free cash flow will be more than $18 billion in 2026 and more than $19 billion in 2027. Should investors buy the dip? AT&T has been taking it to Verizon in subscriber additions, offering more-aggressive deals on smartphones and keeping prices lower than its rivals, while committing to strong network reliability. Its overall second-quarter results were solid; however, investors were clearly looking for the company to raise EPS guidance after Verizon increased its forecast and with the tax benefits it will see from the One Big, Beautiful Bill. But these tax benefits will eventually hit the bottom line, and the company is looking to take advantage of the bill to more aggressively grow its fiber network. That's a smart move given that Verizon is set to greatly expand its fiber network when it completes its acquisition of Frontier Communications next year. Also, 2026 could be the year of the bundle for wireless companies, and AT&T is looking to ramp up its fiber network to compete against what should become a stronger Verizon. Even with the stock's pullback, AT&T still trades at a large premium to Verizon. It has a forward price-to-earnings multiple (P/E) of about 13.5 based on 2025 earnings estimates, versus a forward P/E of 9 for Verizon. Until recently, Verizon historically had the higher multiple. Given the valuation gap, its higher yield (about 6%), and Verizon's impending Frontier acquisition, I prefer it over AT&T. Nonetheless, I think both can be strong long-term investments, and both should benefit from the One Big, Beautiful Bill. Should you invest $1,000 in AT&T right now? Before you buy stock in AT&T, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and AT&T wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $636,628!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,063,471!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,041% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 183% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Geoffrey Seiler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. AT&T Shares Have Sunk Despite a Subscriber Surge. Time to Buy the Dip? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dogs of the Dow: Why Verizon's (VZ) High Dividend Yield Still Looks Safe
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is included among the 11 Dogs of the Dow Dividend Stocks to Buy Now. A smiling customer receiving customer contact center solutions on their smartphone. A high dividend yield can sometimes signal trouble, but that's not the case with Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), despite its 6.3% yield. The company's latest quarterly performance suggests its dividend is well-covered. In the second quarter, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) posted solid results with revenue up 5.3% to $34.5 billion and adjusted earnings growing 6.1% to $1.22 per share. Wireless service revenue rose to $20.9 billion, leading the industry, while broadband and business wireless segments also expanded. The company added more than 300,000 new mobility and broadband customers, with Fios gaining ground. Recent efforts to improve customer loyalty and attract new users played a key role in this growth. Over the first half of the year, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) generated $16.8 billion in operating cash flow, $200 million more than the same time last year. After spending $8 billion to support its fiber and 5G infrastructure, it still had $8.8 billion in free cash flow— enough to easily cover $5.7 billion in dividends and leave $3.1 billion in excess cash. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) has raised its dividends for 18 consecutive years, which makes it a reliable choice among income investors. The company's quarterly dividend comes in at $0.6775 per share. While we acknowledge the potential of VZ as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
