Many retailers anticipate 2012 to be a big year in sales, but American consumers aren't so sure. According to the Consumer Reports Index, shopper optimism slipped in March for the first time in three months, suggesting that many Americans aren't as confident about their financial situation as they were initially.

The index was most recently observed at 46.1, down more than three points from 49.6 in February, RetailingToday notes. Additionally, the Trouble Tracker – which analyzes consumer concerns – increased slightly from 49.1 to 52.2 over the same time frame, marking the highest reading since August 2011.

A significant portion of Americans are still recovering from the holiday season, when sales increased significantly over the previous year. Wavering optimism means shoppers will be more hesitant when it comes to making retail purchases.

"Consumers are not yet comfortable in their financial situation as the country limps into its fifth year of near-recessionary times," said Ed Farrell, director of the Consumer Reports National Research Center. "Weak retail is the symptom, not an underlying cause. Consumers will need a clear signal led by a greatly improved jobs outlook to resume spending."

If shoppers are spending less, merchants need to focus on bolstering efficiency. Retail software is one effective way of doing this.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Sunday, March 11th, 2012 at 10:41 am .