Happy holidays! I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and you’re keeping warm as we transition from a very temperate fall season to a shivering December. I’ve already seen snow a couple of times!
Now that we are in the height of Christmas shopping, I thought I’d share some information I received from reverse search company Social Catfish about online scams that are more prevalent around the holidays and gift-giving. My state, Maryland, ranks 14th in the nation as victims of this type of scamming, losing a record $221 million last year. The Free State also ranks number 5 for victims per capita with 1,372 per 100,000 residents. Yikes! The report said, “Scammers are salivating because Americans will spend a record $240 billion this year buying gifts online, giving them unprecedented opportunities to steal gift-givers’ hard-earned money.”
The bad news is, fraudsters have harnessed AI to launch more personalized and sophisticated attacks which may make them more difficult to spot. But the authors of the report have some hints on how to stay safe by knowing what to look for.
Keep an eye out for lookalike stores with AI chatbots. These are fake e-commerce websites that mimic trusted brands by using AI customer service reps to answer questions in real time creating a sense of legitimacy. To avoid these scams, be sure to carefully check the retailer’s URL and look for tells like “Macys.com” vs. “Maceys.com.”
Another technique to beware of is deepfake videos of trusted public figures who are promoting holiday deals in ads or on social media. Watch for audio that doesn’t sync up such as a facial expression that doesn’t match the tone of voice you’re hearing. Also, as we’ve heard before, watch for odd things like extra body parts, or body parts in the wrong places.
Another scam is phony marketplaces that are selling “discounted” gift cards that actually have a zero balance. To avoid these scams, perform a reverse search to verify the seller’s identity.
Lastly, watch out for “suspicious activity alerts.” Illegitimate players out there will alert you to suspicious activity and prompt you to verify your account. When you click on the link they give you, you end up with an AI customer service rep who steals your information. If you get a suspicious activity alert, DO NOT click on the link they send. If you have an account, go directly to your personal login through their website or app, or call the company directly.
Hope everyone stays financially safe in this era when it’s hard to know who you can trust.
The National Grocers Association has announced the topic for its 2025 Student Case Study Competition, sponsored by UNFI – “A Path To Sustainable Success.” Student teams will develop action plans for how the 2025 participating retailer, Colorado-based Clark’s Market, can minimize its environmental footprint and make the business case for sustainability.
The 2025 competition will be held during the NGA Show February 23-25 at Caesar’s Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Hosted annually by the NGA Foundation, the 501(c)3 nonprofit arm of the association, the competition brings college students from across the country to the NGA Show where they present solutions to an issue currently impacting the independent grocery industry. The program allows students to interact with an independent grocer and ground their education in real-life experience. Participants must move through three rounds of judging from food industry professionals and the winners and their schools receive a cash prize.
What a great subject for this year’s contest! Sustainability is a win-win subject, in my opinion. It’s important for everyone to find ways to cut back on waste and successful programs can do that and save costs as well.
A recent special report from dunnhumby – “Better For You (Customer), You (Brand), and You (Retailer) – found that health-focused shoppers now represent 33 percent of the population, and those shoppers generate $285 billion annually. Additionally, retailers targeting this segment see an average of 7 percent long-term sales growth. The report included the largest 73 U.S. retailers in the industry that sell everyday food and non-food household items.
The top performers in health-focused retailer, the study found, are Natural Grocers, Amazon Fresh and The Fresh Market, and 60 percent of their customers rank physical health as the most important need for them, ahead of financial health (58 percent) and mental health (55 percent), compared to just 32 percent for the average U.S. retailer.
These health-focused customers tend to be younger (18-44), have more children, have higher incomes ($100,000+) and have larger monthly grocery budgets. They also tend to exhibit more omnichannel and loyalty behaviors than their less-health-focused counterparts.
The report also found that the future GenZ customer is reshaping health behaviors – 61 percent of GenZ shoppers care most about mental health, 15 points higher than those between 45-54, and double that of those 75 years and older.
I sense a trend…
You can access the entire report at dunnhumby.com.
That’s it from me this month. I wish you all the best for the rest of this year’s holiday season and for a positive 2025.
