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A research blog transforming data into stories about consumer trends. Hundreds of journalists trust our data. We have been cited in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and more.

Free burritos helped, but Chipotle sales still not recovered from outbreaks

It took Chipotle nearly two years, but its sales had almost recovered from several food-poisoning outbreaks that plagued its stores—and its customers—in late 2015. After a lot of reparations in the form of free burritos, sales earlier this year were nearing pre-outbreak levels. But then in July, norovirus turned up in a Virginia Chipotle.

Kate Gessner — 19 Oct 2017

Price hikes may chill subscriber growth, but Netflix still dominates streaming video

We learned last week that Netflix is planning to raise its prices (again). When this has happened in the past, notably in 2011 and in 2016, some Netflix members decided not to stick around. Time will tell if the newest price hikes will chill the company’s subscriber numbers again but, right now, Netflix is so dominant in the streaming-video landscape, the truth is, it might not really matter.

Kate Gessner — 12 Oct 2017

Whole Foods still ‘Whole Paycheck’: spending remains the same despite Amazon price cuts

Amazon’s first big move at Whole Foods was to lower prices on grocery staples, which risked a drop in revenue if shoppers chose to pocket the savings. Instead, the gamble paid off. Throughout the first week, customers still spent similarly high amounts, and the discounts increased new traffic.

Kate Gessner — 05 Oct 2017

And now their watch has ended: Game of Thrones finale means likely loss of subscribers for HBO Now

Thinking of cancelling your HBO Now membership now that Game of Thrones is over? You’re not alone. It’s no secret that the show caused HBO viewership to skyrocket, but just how much of HBO Now’s business depends on it?

Kate Gessner — 28 Sep 2017

QVC buys competitor HSN to make a stand among giants Amazon and Walmart

Any channel surfer who has quickly clicked past a TV shopping channel may be surprised to learn that QVC’s planned purchase of the Home Shopping Network (HSN) is about to turn these two televised shopping stations into North America’s third biggest online retailer, after Amazon and Walmart.

Kate Gessner — 24 Aug 2017