NPD Releases Shopping Activity Weekly Holiday Trends Report

Port Washington, NY (PRWEB) November 01, 2011

This weeks Shopping Activity Weekly Holiday Trends* report from leading market research provider The NPD Group, Inc.s shows an increase in the number of shoppers in Brick & Mortar stores.

However, while the report shows that shopping activity was up, the Brick & Mortar Shopping Conversion Rate shows a trend toward fewer purchases.

See Chart: Brick & Mortar Shopping Conversion Rate/Weeks Ending Oct.10th Oct. 31st

Just how good is Halloween for the retail business? asks Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group, Inc., It turns out that not all Halloween shopping brings treats for retailersfinding just the right costume or decorations or candy make shopping more about searching and less about settling. And this week we can see that in the drop off in our shopping conversion rate as more people browse and dont make a purchase.

A look at the Online Share of Buying for the 4 weeks reported here remained in the 12 percent range.

See Chart: Online Share of Buying Visits/Weeks Ending Oct.10th Oct. 31st

*The Shopping Activity Weekly Holiday Trends is special report from The NPD Group, Inc.s Shopping Activity Service. The Shopper Activity Weekly Holiday Trends report will follow the weekly holiday shopping trends over the course of the 2011 holiday retail season and will be released weekly. Shopping Activity Services is a study fielded to 4,750 U.S. consumers daily. It captures brick and mortar shopping behavior and online purchase behavior in categories from Apparel to Entertainment to Groceries to Video Games.

About The NPD Group, Inc.

The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,800 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food, home and office, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless. For more information, contact us, visit http://www.npd.com/, or follow us Twitter at twitter.com/marshalcohen and twitter.com/npdfashion. Become a fan of Marshal Cohen at http://www.facebook.com/npdmarshalcohen and watch more on NPDs YouTube channel.

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Holiday Cooking Secrets for iPad App Launched

Louisville, CO (PRWEB) November 07, 2011

Holiday cooks will want to use this app, created by Food and Health Communications, over and over during the holiday season and many recipes can be made all year. Many are favorites that everyone loves and some are new to impress even the pickiest eater. These holiday recipes are easy to make and they work every time. They have been tested and reviewed for more than 15 years by Food and Health Communications. There is no other source of healthy holiday cooking recipes that is as comprehensive, healthy or creative as Holiday Secrets.

Many Recipes Are Used Through the Entire Holiday Season

-Healthful holiday appetizers for parties

-Quick recipes for all year

-Complete holiday meal: roasting a turkey, making lowfat gravy, side dishes, and turkey leftovers.

-Holiday desserts - how to make pie that is half the calories from everywhere else, great bread pudding, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, cookies and egg nog.

-Gifts from the kitchen - save money and impress family and friends

Great Photos:

-Better still, the color photos are plentiful throughout the app and for each dish - see the finished dish for great presentation ideas

-Finishing tips, plating tips and ingredient tips are shared throughout the app

Easy to Use:

The Holiday Secrets App has many useful features:

-Online videos streamed from the internet to save memory

-Favorites - find favorites and save them to refer back quickly - easy to edit

-Email - email the recipe to friends or to print later

-Photo gallery - look through the photos and pick a dish to make

-Easy to find recipes listed by categories

-Help and support for app use and kitchen questions

These recipes include:

-Complete nutrition analysis, low in fat and sodium

-Beautiful innovative designs and presentations

-Special masterpiece desserts will stun any audience

-Tested and developed over 15 years by award winning chef

-Easy to follow step by step directions

http://foodandhealth.com/blog/2011/11/happy-holidays/

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Give the Gift of a Trip to the Hocking Hills this Holiday Season

Logan, OH (PRWEB) November 21, 2011

As stores and malls continue to fill with products and customers this holiday season, the Hocking Hills region has created a number of travel packages and special deals for shoppers looking to get away from the crowds to reconnect with family and friends. Sharing travel opportunities with loved ones is a unique gift alternative that allows recipients to unwrap a more relaxing, rejuvenating experience that will be remembered for years to come. Ohios Hocking Hills offers a variety of travel opportunities sure to fit the recipients on any gift givers list this holiday season.

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, were finding more and more visitors come to the Hocking Hills to really relish the season; reconnect with family and friends; and recharge from overscheduled lives, said Karen Raymore, Executive Director of the Hocking Hills Tourism Association. In any season, Hocking Hills offers the chance for its visitors to make unforgettable memories and planning a holiday or winter getaway is a great way to start a new tradition in a stunning natural setting.

Highlights of the travel packages and specials that are available in the Hocking Hills are below.

For the Outdoor Lover

Hocking Hills Hikers Package: Created with accommodations at Hocking Hills Cabins, outdoors adventurers will appreciate this one-night package that includes walking sticks, a local trail map and a souvenir backpack to carry the complimentary brown bag lunch. After an exhilarating hike, guests will enjoy a Royal Foot Treatment from Blue Valley Massage & Traveling Spa and dinner at The Spotted Owl Cafe. Package price begins at $ 306 for two adults.

For the Pampered Traveler

Relax, Recharge, & Reconnect Package: What better way to pamper a loved one than with the Relax, Recharge & Reconnect package at Love Shack Cabins? The package features a two-night stay; complimentary bottle of wine or champagne; and an in-cabin, side-by-side couples massage and hot stone treatment. Guests will also enjoy a 3-course gourmet meal at Grouse Nest Restaurant. Packages start at $ 550 per couple.

Get Snowed In: Delight in the beauty of a Hocking Hills winter with a two-day weeknight special at Cabins by the Caves. Upon arrival, guests will be treated to a dozen roses and Anthony Thomas truffles to set a pampered mood. This package also includes complimentary breakfast and an opportunity to really rejunvenate with a late checkout. Packages start at $ 325 and can be upgraded to accommodations in a luxury lodge.

Fantastic Holiday Savings

Cold Days, Hot Savings: For a special deal that includes the family even the pet! Honey Ridge is offering a 10 percent discount for stays at this two-bedroom cottage. The property is close to pet-friendly trails that are fun for the whole family. Rates start at $ 106 per night.

Holiday Special: Now through December 28, Big Pine Retreat is taking 10 percent off any two-night stay or 20 percent off any stay of three or more nights. Tucked away on 40 acres of private property, the cabins at Big Pine Retreat can accommodate groups of up to 10. Nightly rates begin at $ 145 prior to discounting and guests should mention Holiday Special when making reservations.

End of Year Weekday Special: Perfect for the entire family, Four Seasons Hideaways offers accommodations for up to 14 guests. Through the end of 2011, Four Seasons Hideaways is offering a free third night with every two nights booked on trips between Sunday and Thursday. Rates start at $ 399 per night.

For more information about visiting Hocking Hills, check out 1800hocking.com, like the Hocking Hills Tourism Association on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or join the conversation on the Hocking Hills blog.

About the Hocking Hills Tourism Association

Located 40 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio, Hocking Hills offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences that make every day feel like Saturday, with plenty of free activities. The region boasts a wide variety of affordable lodging options, from camping, cabins and cottages to hotels and country inns. In addition to numerous hiking trails, parks and forests, the Hocking Hills area offers unique gift and antique shops, canoeing, horseback riding, golf and more. Complete traveler information on accommodations, festivals and the many sites in the Hocking Hills region is available at 1800Hocking.com or toll-free at 1-800-Hocking (800-462-5464).

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Letter-samples.com Announces Free Holiday Letter Samples Available in Editable, Savable and Printable Formats for Visitors

Salt Lake City, Utah (Vocus/PRWEB) February 18, 2011

Letter-samples.com now offers its visitors holiday letter templates and samples. Sample letters are ready to download in a variety of formats and can be easily edited by visitors for personal use. The new holiday letter samples are available for a wide range of holidays and occasions to fit every visitors need. Free holiday letter templates are professionally designed to convey the look and feel of the season.

Letter-samples.com hosts one of the largest online libraries of free letter samples. The website is the first to allow users free of charge to download any template or letter sample in a variety of formats with the click of the mouse. Website founder, David Urmann, says the website aims to take the work out letter writing by proving a wide range of easily editable letter for every occasion . Visitors should be able to find the letter they want and easily edit to fit their purpose so that a job that used to take the better part of an hour now takes just minutes.

The website offers a wide variety of letter writing samples for all probable letter writing needs ranging from categories like business, intra office, employment, professional, cover letters, billing and collection, credit letter writing samples in addition to the personal and love letter samples. In addition the site hosts a wide variety of templates that can be downloaded and then fit to any sample letter or the visitors own personal content. One example is the newly launched Christmas templates which are available as word documents with background graphics and headers and footers that are preformatted to fit the exact holiday theme. The sleek and simple website design makes it very easy for the user to navigate to the letter sample in question. A user can always drop in a feedback or two or even inquire about anything related to any of the categories of letter samples using the inquire about our services feature on the homepage. The most sought after letter models are available for download free of cost on the homepage itself.

Letter-samples.com visitors after finding the letter they are looking for can simply click the print option below the letter and they will be redirected to another page where they can make any changes that they want to the letter with the help of a text editor. After making all the necessary changes, users can choose to save or print the letter right from the website. The highly advanced letter editing technology makes it possible for the users to add their own personal touch to any letter before saving or printing it.

Letter-samples.com is regularly updated with new letter models which are added frequently. The owner of the website has already announced that they will be adding hundreds of more letter writing samples to an almost already complete collection. In addition, the website also features a robust, career-oriented forum where people can share questions and discuss topics from interview questions to college scholarships.

Writing or composing letters has never been an easy task, especially for those who are hard pressed for time, entangled in the hectic schedule of their daily routine. And sometimes written words can convey the meaning in the best manner compared to the spoken ones. So this is when you feel the need for someone or something that can help you compose that letter for you containing everything you wish to express in the best possible way. Letter-samples.com is an exhaustive resource of letter writing ideas, falling under formal as well as informal categories of letters, hosting and maintaining an ample quantity without compromising the top quality.

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Texas Oncology Encourages Healthier Living this Holiday Season, Provides Tips and Recipes

Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) November 08, 2011

With eggnog, sugar cookies, and cheese balls among the most popular dishes served at holiday parties, its no wonder the season causes even the biggest health nuts and strictest dieters to stray from their nutritious paths. A healthy lifestyle is an important weapon in the fight against disease, so this holiday season Texas Oncology encourages people to make small changes that could result in big health payoffs. To make it easy, Texas Oncology introduces its Healthy Holiday Recipe Collection, with this years featured Merry Mulling Mix recipe, and shares tips to promote healthier eating and exercise during the holidays.

According to a recent report by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), healthier lifestyles and better diets could prevent up to 2.8 million cases of cancer each year. The number of cancers around the world has increased by 20 percent in less than a decade to around 12 million new cases a year. WCRF named cancer, along with other chronic diseases like heart and lung disease and diabetes, among the worlds biggest health challenges.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle with a well-balanced diet full of nutrients is important for overall well-being and critical to preventing and fighting cancer, said Dr. Lalan Wilfong, medical oncologist at Texas Oncology. This season, give the gift of health to yourself and others by making better choices and simple adjustments to your regular holiday routine that can help reduce the risk of disease later in life.

Small Changes, Big Health Pay-Offs

The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly a third of cancer deaths could be prevented by improving nutrition, limiting alcohol intake, participating in more physical activity, and quitting smoking.

When planning holiday gatherings and creating new traditions, here are some tips to help you stay on track while still spreading holiday cheer: