- by Chris Dyer
- August 17 2018
- consumers
- Recreation
You Shall Not (Movie)Pass!
MoviePass, a subscription-based service originally designed to allow subscribers to view unlimited movies in theaters nationwide for a single monthly rate of $9.95, sounds too good to be true. Maybe it is?
- by Chris Dyer
- August 15 2018
- consumer goods
- online retail
Mattress Retailers Are Losing Sleep
Online sales of mattresses are a growing market, particularly for “bed-in-a-box” companies. Intensifying competition from formless digital stores is keeping brick-and-mortar players up at night, one might say.
- by Chris Dyer
- August 15 2018
- Industrials
- Metals & Minerals
Steel & Aluminum Fabricators Under Pressure… to Grow?!
The fabricated metal products industry is one of many targeted in the Trump administration’s recently imposed tariffs, and like other industries, the potential outcomes are largely unknown. Retaliatory tariffs are mounting. Will the smaller actors in the US fabricated metal products industry maximize their capabilities and expand to meet rising demand?
- by Owen Stuart
- August 13 2018
- Energy & Resources
Lower Standards for Gas May Get a Pass
In August 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a plan to freeze the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. While freezing the standards would likely stall the climb in fuel efficiency among the US motor vehicle park, ultimately increasing demand for motor vehicle fuel, the sharp legal resistance to the proposed changes will tie up the rulemaking for several years, ensuring that such rules are unlikely to take effect until the legal challenges are resolved. As a result, automakers will conform to previously established 2020 targets that make automobiles more fuel efficient, likely reducing demand for motor vehicle fuel for the next 2-4 years.
- by Owen Stuart
- August 13 2018
- Energy & Resources
Feeling Pain at the Pump? Blame Global Politics
Gas prices across the US have risen, and consumers are feeling the pain. Prices averaged $2.93 per gallon in the US during the month of July, and relief is definitely not in sight. Unfortunately, a confluence of geopolitical events and consumer habits have made petrol pumping prices pretty pear-shaped.
- by Chris Dyer
- July 27 2018
- Materials & Chemicals
- Trade
Trade War: Will PVC Resin Take a Hit?
Price-competitive globally, US producers of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) found extensive opportunities abroad over the past decade, particularly as China and other developing countries built out their infrastructure. In 2017, China accounted for 11% of US PVC exports. As the Trump administration outlines its tariff plans, China has readied its own. Both countries have added a list of second-tier tariffs – primarily focused on chemicals – to be imposed on a case-by-case basis. Will PVC resin make the cut?
- by Owen Stuart
- July 18 2018
- consumers
- manufacturing
- technology
Consumers Fight for the Right to Repair
Ever had an electronic piece of equipment that was awesome – until it broke? When electronics or appliances fail, most repairs must be carried out by a repair shop that has been authorized by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), usually using OEM parts – otherwise, any warranty attached to the product will be voided. Because most customers want to preserve their warranty, OEMs possess considerable insulation from threats of competition in both the service and replacement parts markets.
- by Chris Dyer
- July 16 2018
- consumer goods
The Spy Who Can’t Clean Shag Carpet
With the fast-paced lifestyle of many Americans today – particularly millennials – it comes as no surprise that more and more people are interested in robotic vacuum cleaners, despite them being generally less powerful and more expensive than their traditional counterparts. As more companies introduce their own products, consumers are finding it easier to clean up things like pet hair on hard floors and maintain cleaner homes. Others are growing worried about some of the advertised features, as well as some unadvertised ones.
- by James Lacy
- June 22 2018
- beverage trends
- consumer trends
- water
Watering Down The Beverage Industry
Consumers are increasingly choosing bottled water over carbonated soft drinks and other beverages due to greater awareness of the negative health effects associated with beverages containing sugar and artificial ingredients. Furthermore, the use of flavor drops enable consumers to customize their drink with as much or as little flavor and sugar as they desire.
- by Chris Dyer
- June 22 2018
- consumer trends
- food
- frozen food
- Millennials
Millennials Might Save the Frozen Food Aisle
Millennials have built up quite a list of industries and businesses for which they are responsible for “killing” over the past few years – from restaurant chains and mass-produced beer to starter homes and napkins. Finally, it seems millennials have redeemed themselves in what is arguably the last place one might expect: the frozen food aisle.