Retailers face obstacles going into holiday shopping season

International TV news and business press, Jan 1, 2014 – Nov 15, 2014

November 25, 2014. New York. – As the holiday shopping season begins, retailers face negativity on international TV news related to economic uncertainty, financial performance, and regulatory and legal spats. While quoted financial analysts in opinion-leading media have a more optimistic view of the industry, caution is clear, according to new research from Media Tenor International.

“As retailers look to the holiday shopping season to make their performance goals for the year, the media suggests obstacles are in their way,” says Racheline Maltese, a researcher at Media Tenor. “With most coverage focusing on financial performance, consumers aren’t always receiving information they may want on product quality, customer service, and pricing. Additionally, caution on the performance of retailers may exacerbate consumer wariness about the economic climate as a whole, negatively impacting holiday spending.”

The winners in media coverage were Alibaba on its recent IPO and Aldi on job creation and expansion. Often-dominant online retailer Amazon faced negativity on disputes with suppliers, financial performance, and regulatory issues.

This research examined all 63,320 reports international TV news and 1,736 quoted analyst statements in opinion-leading business media from January 1, 2014 – November 15, 2014.

For over 20 years Media Tenor’s mission has been to contribute to objective, diverse and newsworthy media content by bringing together the diverse parties. Media Tenor’s global research projects include analyses of election campaigns, investor relations, public diplomacy, corporate communications and other topics critical to news makers and news audiences.

For more information, please contact Racheline Maltese at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 212-935-0210.