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How shopping stacks up in 10 major US cities

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What's shopping culture like near you and far away? CouponBirds analyzed Census Bureau data and other material about shopping in 10 U.S. cities.  
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In-store shopping across the U.S. is making a comeback after the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted many opportunities for shoppers. In May 2022, in-store sales grew 13.4% from May 2021 levels, according to CNN. With the pressures of inflation, consumers want more social interaction and fewer delivery charges.

But where are the best places to go shopping in person?

Cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, or Chicago offer shoppers the usual staples such as shopping malls, farmers markets, and unique boutiques that sell local designers’ clothes or great gift ideas. Other cities are expanding their offerings, such as Boston and Houston, where new stores are opening or have already opened their doors for business.

Other shopping destinations target tourists and levy a steep sales tax. For example, New Orleans and Seattle levy over 9% sales tax for goods. “Overall, the average combined state and local sales tax is 6.57%,” according to an AARP report comparing U.S. states’ sales taxes. However, Philadelphia, arguably a tourist city for its historical landmarks, does not levy a sales tax on clothes or shoes.

CouponBirds used data from the Census Bureau, city and state governments, news coverage, and other resources to compare shopping cultures and trends across 10 major U.S. cities.

Shoppers walking down a busy New York street.

ANGELA WEISS/AFP // Getty Images

New York

Retail shopping in New York City—in areas such as SoHo, Union Square, Greenwich Village, or Times Square—is a very important economic source for the city. With a 2021 population of 8.47 million residents, the taxable retail sales jumped from $48.8 billion in 2021 to $62.3 billion in 2022. For most retail sales, the total tax rate is 8.875%, including local and state levies.

New, experimental ways of selling goods are getting a trial run in New York City. “In 2023, the trend for concept stores is the digital transformation of brick-and-mortar stores,” according to Behavior Analytics Retail. For example, Nike offers a shopping app that helps people choose and find the best shoes or a gift for someone else. Shoppers can also scan their feet, upload the data to the app, and have custom shoes shipped to their homes.

Retailers from other cities are also expanding to New York, with LA landmark Cult Gaia arriving in SoHo. Other stores offer customers services beyond just selling items. For instance, Nordstrom offers a high-end restaurant as well as bars—one called Shoe Bar, tucked away in its basement full of shoes. And American Girl has an interactive and innovative location at Rockefeller Plaza, with hair styling, ear piercing, and manicures.

People and rides at the entertainment center at the Mall of America.

Erwin Widmer // Shutterstock

Minneapolis

With 40 million visitors to the Mall of America each year, the Minneapolis outlet offers 500 retail stores and hundreds of events for locals and tourists alike. There’s even a theme park with roller coaster rides. The mall recycles more than 60% of its waste, doesn’t have central heating, uses over 30,000 live plants as air purifiers, and offers electric vehicle charging stations.

Shopping in Minneapolis may also take visitors to local thrift shops or farmers markets. Women may find trendy indie wear or jewelry, and men may find sophisticated clothes, shoes, or T-shirts. Most farmers markets are seasonal and only open on the weekends, although one is open during the week.

The city, which has 425,336 residents as of 2021, saw $5.3 billion in taxable retail sales in 2020. The local sales tax rate—including state, county, and city taxes—is 7.525%.

People wearing masks shopping for plants and flowers at an outdoor market.

Liu Guanguan/China News Service //Getty Images

San Francisco

San Francisco offers a wide variety of shopping choices throughout the city. Local Take, for example, sells unique handmade gifts and San Francisco-inspired items. There’s also San Francisco Mercantile, which sells over 100 different items from local makers and designers.

Fillmore Street, Japantown, Mission District, and Haight Street are great shopping districts with their own local flair. The Westfield San Francisco Centre, Union Square, Pier 39, and Hayes Valley also offer a range of name-brand and boutique stores. For food shopping, Heart of the City Farmers Market is a farmer-run nonprofit outfit with plenty of fresh and organic options.

The city of 815,000 had $11.1 billion in taxable retail sales in 2021. The total sales tax rate in San Francisco is 8.625%.

Local artisans selling at a market.

Andriy Blokhin // Shutterstock

New Orleans

New Orleans is a tourist city, especially when Mardi Gras season and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival come around. Carnival season and Mardi Gras offer tourists a glimpse into the spirit of New Orleans but also shopping extravaganzas for the parades. At Jazz Fest, local and nationally known craft vendors showcase art, clothing, festival posters and more.

There are many shopping options during the year, too, such as the French Market, Magazine Street, or the Riverwalk outlets. The French Market is one of the oldest markets in New Orleans and offers a wide range of souvenirs, gifts, local products, and artwork. Don’t forget to stop by Cafe Du Monde for some beignets, cafe au lait, or a hot chocolate. Magazine Street sells international clothing, local art, and pottery. The Riverwalk outlet is a mall that sells items from national and international brands, such as Kate Spade, for a more commercial feel.

In this city of 377,000 people, the sales tax rate is 9.45%, including state and county taxes. In the French Quarter, there is an additional surcharge to pay for additional police patrols, for a total tax rate of 9.695%.

A person carrying several shopping bags with Christmas decorations in the background.

Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe // Getty Images

Boston

Boston, a city of 655,000, offers sophisticated style for shoppers, especially on Newbury Street. There are outlets and other retail centers at Copley Place, 100 Huntington Avenue, or Downtown Crossing. Tourist attractions and even more shopping are at Prudential Center or Faneuil Hall Marketplace. For fresh produce, try the open-air Haymarket.

The state’s sales tax rate is 6.25%, and there is no additional local or county sales tax.

Bundled up shoppers walking downtown in Chicago.

Joel Lerner/Xinhua // Getty Images

Chicago

Chicago shopping offers visitors and locals a luxurious treat at the Oak Street District, where shoppers can choose from Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, or Chanel. For one-of-a-kind boutiques, try Vince, St. John Knits Boutique, or Tod’s. For more boutique shopping, try the Lincoln Park, Hyde Park, or Andersonville neighborhoods. The Magnificent Mile is famous for its 450 retailers, including flagship and department stores, boutiques, and innovative technology. There’s the Green City Market for fresh produce and baked bread and a few thrift stores.

In this city of 2.7 million, the local, county, state, and special sales taxes add up to a rate of 10.25%.

Hollywood streets at sunset lined with palm trees and crowded with people.

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

Los Angeles

Shopping in LA can be an adventure in luxury boutiques, grand-scale retail stores, and trendy rock ‘n’ roll shops. Nearby Beverly Hills is home to the famous Rodeo Drive, part of the so-called Golden Triangle that offers high-end shopping from Missoni, Gucci, and Burberry, among many other high-end brands. Sunset Strip, called “The Strip,” showers shoppers with various restaurants, hotels, and amazing clothing and accessory options.

It’s almost impossible to completely encompass all the options in this city of 3.9 million, with sales from household-name designers to the most exclusive boutiques. When you need a break, try Hollywood Farmers Market in the Fairfax District for fresh produce, and find Your Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen for refreshments from a Black-owned business in downtown LA.

The 2021 population was 3.85 million, and the total local sales tax rate is 9.5%.

The Galleria Mall with an ice skating rink at the bottom decorated with Christmas trees and crowded with shoppers.

Brandon Bell // Getty Images

Houston

Posh shoppers in Houston can visit fancy stores like those from Elizabeth Anthony, I W Marks Jewelers, or Abejas Boutique. To get ready to make an entrance at a fancy event, try some of the luxury brands at the Galleria mall or in the River Oaks District. There’s plenty to eat, too, from all sorts of culinary and ethnic traditions.

The city of 2.3 million has a total local sales tax rate of 8.25%.

Patrons at a gourmet Italian market.

Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group // Getty Images

Philadelphia

Mall shoppers can head to the Fashion District Philadelphia, Market Street, or The Shops at Liberty Place. But to shop like a local, try the Bourse, Fabric Row, or Chestnut Hill neighborhoods for tree-lined streets of boutiques. Rittenhouse Row is Philly’s five-star destination, and West Market Parkway District is more residential, with newer shops opening for the growing population. Old City offers other boutiques like Vagabond and Sugarcube. The 68-year-old shopping center Bala Cynwyd is getting an $8 million facelift.

The city of 1.6 million has a total local sales tax rate of 9%, but there’s no sales tax on most clothes or shoes.

People exploring the Ballard farmers market.

steve estvanik // Shutterstock

Seattle

Many people think of Pike Place Market or Capitol Hill for Seattle-inspired gifts and funky boutiques, but there are other quirks to this lively shopping town. The Refind Closet, a new resale store in the Madison Park neighborhood, gives shoppers previews of new-to-you items in live fashion shows on Instagram.

In the Ballard neighborhood, shoppers will find fashion boutiques, vintage stores, a farmers market, and home goods and gifts. Sundays on Ballard Avenue showcases local vendors’ baked goods, meats, and apparel. For mall shoppers, try Pacific Place, Westlake Center, or University Village.

The city of 715,000 has a total local sales tax rate of 10.25%.

This story originally appeared on CouponBirds and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

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How businesses can protect themselves from the rising threat of deepfakes

Dive into the world of deepfakes and explore the risks, strategies and insights to fortify your organization’s defences

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In Billy Joel’s latest video for the just-released song Turn the Lights Back On, it features him in several deepfakes, singing the tune as himself, but decades younger. The technology has advanced to the extent that it’s difficult to distinguish between that of a fake 30-year-old Joel, and the real 75-year-old today.

This is where tech is being used for good. But when it’s used with bad intent, it can spell disaster. In mid-February, a report showed a clerk at a Hong Kong multinational who was hoodwinked by a deepfake impersonating senior executives in a video, resulting in a $35 million theft.

Deepfake technology, a form of artificial intelligence (AI), is capable of creating highly realistic fake videos, images, or audio recordings. In just a few years, these digital manipulations have become so sophisticated that they can convincingly depict people saying or doing things that they never actually did. In little time, the tech will become readily available to the layperson, who’ll require few programming skills.

Legislators are taking note

In the US, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a ban on those who impersonate others using deepfakes — the greatest concern being how it can be used to fool consumers. The Feb. 16 ban further noted that an increasing number of complaints have been filed from “impersonation-based fraud.”

A Financial Post article outlined that Ontario’s information and privacy commissioner, Patricia Kosseim, says she feels “a sense of urgency” to act on artificial intelligence as the technology improves. “Malicious actors have found ways to synthetically mimic executive’s voices down to their exact tone and accent, duping employees into thinking their boss is asking them to transfer funds to a perpetrator’s account,” the report said. Ontario’s Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence Framework, for which she consults, aims to set guides on the public sector use of AI.

In a recent Microsoft blog, the company stated their plan is to work with the tech industry and government to foster a safer digital ecosystem and tackle the challenges posed by AI abuse collectively. The company also said it’s already taking preventative steps, such as “ongoing red team analysis, preemptive classifiers, the blocking of abusive prompts, automated testing, and rapid bans of users who abuse the system” as well as using watermarks and metadata.

That prevention will also include enhancing public understanding of the risks associated with deepfakes and how to distinguish between legitimate and manipulated content.

Cybercriminals are also using deepfakes to apply for remote jobs. The scam starts by posting fake job listings to collect information from the candidates, then uses deepfake video technology during remote interviews to steal data or unleash ransomware. More than 16,000 people reported that they were victims of this scam to the FBI in 2020. In the US, this kind of fraud has resulted in a loss of more than $3 billion USD. Where possible, they recommend job interviews should be in person to avoid these threats.

Catching fakes in the workplace

There are detector programs, but they’re not flawless. 

When engineers at the Canadian company Dessa first tested a deepfake detector that was built using Google’s synthetic videos, they found it failed more than 40% of the time. The Seattle Times noted that the problem in question was eventually fixed, and it comes down to the fact that “a detector is only as good as the data used to train it.” But, because the tech is advancing so rapidly, detection will require constant reinvention.

There are other detection services, often tracing blood flow in the face, or errant eye movements, but these might lose steam once the hackers figure out what sends up red flags.

“As deepfake technology becomes more widespread and accessible, it will become increasingly difficult to trust the authenticity of digital content,” noted Javed Khan, owner of Ontario-based marketing firm EMpression. He said a focus of the business is to monitor upcoming trends in tech and share the ideas in a simple way to entrepreneurs and small business owners.

To preempt deepfake problems in the workplace, he recommended regular training sessions for employees. A good starting point, he said, would be to test them on MIT’s eight ways the layperson can try to discern a deepfake on their own, ranging from unusual blinking, smooth skin, and lighting.

Businesses should proactively communicate through newsletters, social media posts, industry forums, and workshops, about the risks associated with deepfake manipulation, he told DX Journal, to “stay updated on emerging threats and best practices.”

To keep ahead of any possible attacks, he said companies should establish protocols for “responding swiftly” to potential deepfake attacks, including issuing public statements or corrective actions.

How can a deepfake attack impact business?

The potential to malign a company’s reputation with a single deepfake should not be underestimated.

“Deepfakes could be racist. It could be sexist. It doesn’t matter — by the time it gets known that it’s fake, the damage could be already done. And this is the problem,” said Alan Smithson, co-founder of Mississauga-based MetaVRse and investor at Your Director AI.

“Building a brand is hard, and then it can be destroyed in a second,” Smithson told DX Journal. “The technology is getting so good, so cheap, so fast, that the power of this is in everybody’s hands now.”

One of the possible solutions is for businesses to have a code word when communicating over video as a way to determine who’s real and who’s not. But Smithson cautioned that the word shouldn’t be shared around cell phones or computers because “we don’t know what devices are listening to us.”

He said governments and companies will need to employ blockchain or watermarks to identify fraudulent messages. “Otherwise, this is gonna get crazy,” he added, noting that Sora — the new AI text to video program — is “mind-blowingly good” and in another two years could be “indistinguishable from anything we create as humans.”

“Maybe the governments will step in and punish them harshly enough that it will just be so unreasonable to use these technologies for bad,” he continued. And yet, he lamented that many foreign actors in enemy countries would not be deterred by one country’s law. It’s one downside he said will always be a sticking point.

It would appear that for now, two defence mechanisms are the saving grace to the growing threat posed by deepfakes: legal and regulatory responses, and continuous vigilance and adaptation to mitigate risks. The question remains, however, whether safety will keep up with the speed of innovation.

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Small banks emerge as the top source for small business financing

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Findbusinesses4sale used the Fed's Small Business Credit Survey data to compare approval rates among small business financing options.
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When it comes to borrowing money, small businesses are most likely to apply at large banks. But they often find success with their counterparts in the finance world: small banks.

Small banks—or those with less than $10 billion in total assets—comprise most of the banks in the U.S., much like small businesses account for nearly all U.S. businesses. More than 80% of small businesses that applied for financing at small banks were at least partially approved in 2022, according to data from the Fed’s most recent survey of small business employers. However, only 30% of small businesses applied at small banks when they sought financing.

About 2 in 5 small business employers applied for some traditional financing in 2022. Most needed the money to meet operating expenses, while a little over half sought cash to expand their operations.

Findbusinesses4sale used the Fed’s Small Business Credit Survey data to compare approval rates among small business financing sources, taking a closer look at their differences. Approval rates are based on applications for loans, credit, and cash advances at the various institution types. The Fed report was released in March 2023 based on a 2022 survey of nearly 8,000 small businesses with employees.


A bar chart shows the share of small business applicants at least partially approved for loan requests, separated by the type of source applied to.

Findbusinesses4sale

Small banks surpass online lenders, finance companies in approval rates for small business applicants

Also known as community banks, small banks are well-equipped to lend to small businesses because of their intimate knowledge of local economies. Small businesses are often young, with short histories, small operations, little collateral, and unproven financial success. These factors can make it difficult for founders to qualify for credit and loans—they’re simply a riskier investment for a funder to take on.

Small banks’ decision-makers live within the same areas where they grant loans, and they have insight into how certain businesses could fare within their neighborhoods. That makes it easier for them to analyze the risk of lending to small businesses and, in turn, decide whether to approve their applications. At least 3 in 5 (61%) applicants considered to be a medium or high credit risk were approved for financing at small banks; at large banks, not even half (45%) of these riskier applicants were approved.

By operating across smaller locales, community bank operators also have the opportunity to forge stronger relationships with business founders. The Fed survey shows that about 2 in 3 small businesses that applied for financing with these banks did so because of an existing relationship. Many of these relationships were forged in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, when community banks came through for small businesses with relief funds, including more intensive support in understanding and completing complex applications.

Small firms applying to other sources, such as online lenders and finance companies, are most often motivated by making quick decisions and perceiving that they have a higher chance of being approved. That was the case five years ago, but approval rates for both sources lagged behind small banks in 2022. Indeed, approval rates at both have fallen significantly since 2019, while approvals at small banks have grown.

Both online lenders and finance companies still approve slightly higher shares of applicants with medium to high credit risks compared to small banks, but only by a few percentage points. At the same time, many more borrowers reported dissatisfaction and challenges working with these lenders, including high interest rates and unfavorable repayment terms.

On the other hand, the vast majority of borrowers from small banks were happy with their experience—much more than those who borrowed from any other type of lender.

Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.

This story originally appeared on Findbusinesses4sale and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

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The new reality of how VR can change how we work

It’s not just for gaming — from saving lives to training remote staff, here’s how virtual reality is changing the game for businesses

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Until a few weeks ago, you might have thought that “virtual reality” and its cousin “augmented reality” were fads that had come and gone. At the peak of the last frenzy around the technology, the company formerly known as Facebook changed its name to Meta in 2021, as a sign of how determined founder Mark Zuckerberg was to create a VR “metaverse,” complete with cartoon avatars (who for some reason had no legs — they’ve got legs now, but there are some restrictions on how they work).

Meta has since spent more than $36 billion on metaverse research and development, but so far has relatively little to show for it. Meta has sold about 20 million of its Quest VR headsets so far, but according to some reports, not many people are spending a lot of time in the metaverse. And a lack of legs for your avatar probably isn’t the main reason. No doubt many were wondering: What are we supposed to be doing in here?

The evolution of virtual reality

Things changed fairly dramatically in June, however, when Apple demoed its Vision Pro headset, and then in early February when they were finally available for sale. At $3,499 US, the device is definitely not for the average consumer, but using it has changed the way some think about virtual reality, or the “metaverse,” or whatever we choose to call it.

Some of the enhancements that Apple has come up with for the VR headset experience have convinced Vision Pro true believers that we are either at or close to the same kind of inflection point that we saw after the release of the original iPhone in 2007.Others, however, aren’t so sure we are there yet.

The metaverse sounds like a place where you bump into giant dinosaur avatars or play virtual tennis, but ‘spatial computing’ puts the focus on using a VR headset to enhance what users already do on their computers. Some users generate multiple virtual screens that hang in the air in front of them, allowing them to walk around their homes or offices and always have their virtual desktop in front of them.

VR fans are excited about the prospect of watching a movie on what looks like a 100-foot-wide TV screen hanging in the air in front of them, or playing a video game. But what about work-related uses of a headset like the Vision Pro? 

Innovating health care with VR technology

One of the most obvious applications is in medicine, where doctors are already using remote viewing software to perform checkups or even operations. At Cambridge University, game designers and cancer researchers have teamed up to make it easier to see cancer cells and distinguish between different kinds.

Heads-up displays and other similar kinds of technology are already in use in aerospace engineering and other fields, because they allow workers to see a wiring diagram or schematic while working to repair it. VR headsets could make such tasks even easier, by making those diagrams or schematics even larger, and superimposing them on the real thing. The same kind of process could work for digital scans of a patient during an operation.

Using virtual reality, patients and doctors could also do remote consultations more easily, allowing patients to describe visually what is happening with them, and giving health professionals the ability to offer tips and direct recommendations in a visual way. 

This would not only help with providing care to people who live in remote areas, but could also help when there is a language barrier between doctor and patient. 

Impacting industry worldwide

One technology consulting firm writes that using a Vision Pro or other VR headset to streamline assembly and quality control in maintenance tasks. Overlaying diagrams, 3D models, and other digital information onto an object in real time could enable “more efficient and error-free assembly processes,” by providing visual cues, step-by-step guidance, and real-time feedback. 

In addition to these kinds of uses, virtual reality could also be used for remote onboarding for new staff in a variety of different roles, by allowing them to move around and practice training tasks in a virtual environment.

Some technology watchers believe that the retail industry could be transformed by virtual reality as well. Millions of consumers have become used to buying online, but some categories such as clothing and furniture have lagged, in part because it is difficult to tell what a piece of clothing might look like once you are wearing it, or what that chair will look like in your home. But VR promises the kind of immersive experience where that becomes possible.

While many consumers may see this technology only as an avenue for gaming and entertainment, it’s already being leveraged by businesses in manufacturing, health care and workforce development. Even in 2020, 91 per cent of businesses surveyed by TechRepublic either used or planned to adopt VR or AR technology — and as these technological advances continue, adoption is likely to keep ramping up.

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