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For online retail, the holidays are coming earlier and earlier

Nov 15, 2024
Web retail requires no mall Santas or displays, and shoppers easily compare prices online, so the messaging starts around Oct. 1, experts say.
kerkez/Getty Images

More consumers are planning to use generative AI for holiday shopping

Nov 13, 2024
Amazon and Walmart are both touting AI chatbots as a convenient way to shop this holiday season. But will it really change the way we buy?
It's the first holiday season for Rufus, Amazon's AI shopping assistant, which launched in February.
Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

Retailers say supply chains are back to normal. That's good news for holiday shopping season.

Nov 5, 2024
And all of those supply chain issues during the pandemic taught some businesses valuable lessons.
The Logistics Managers’ Index found that warehousing and transportation grew across the board last month.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Black Friday deals hitting your inbox already? You're not alone.

Nov 4, 2024
We're barely out of Halloween, yet retailers are keen to get the holiday shopping season started.
Earlier Black Friday deals this year are partially in response to potential port strikes and partially go back to pandemic supply chain snarls.
Leon Neal/Getty Images

Shoppers increasingly buying now, paying later

Sep 26, 2024
Adobe's latest forecast shows consumers are expected to spend a record $18.5 billion through buy now, pay later financing this year. That’s up more than 11% year over year.
Around three-quarters of buy now, pay later spending happens on a mobile device.
B4LLS/Getty Images

What wholesale inventories tell us about the upcoming holiday shopping season

Sep 17, 2024
Things seem to be reverting to a pre-pandemic normal, say analysts.
"We’ve now been able to go back to just-in-time inventory management," said Zac Rogers at Colorado State University.
klingsup/Getty Images

After the holidays, retailers hope to keep the party going

Dec 27, 2023
Even though holiday shopping numbers were solid, retailers might see a slower start to 2024 when consumers' credit card bills come due.
While retailers may encourage January shopping, the push could turn off consumers  after an earlier-than-usual start to the holiday selling season.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Candy cane producers feel the bite of rising sugar prices

Dec 20, 2023
With Christmas approaching, candy canes are hanging from trees around the United States. But producing the sugar that goes in them is becoming more expensive — pushing up prices at the register.
Reporter Erin Delmore and candy store owner Dave Giambri (middle) mold candy canes.
Courtesy BBC

The hottest holiday shopping trend? Buy now, pay later

Dec 4, 2023
Online shopping financed with buy now pay later services hit $940 million on Cyber Monday, an all-time high.
Online shopping financed with buy now, pay later services hit $940 million on Cyber Monday, an all-time high.
Mark Makela/Getty Images

How inflation is impacting holiday ads

Advertisers are taking current market conditions into consideration when competing for consumer dollars.
A screenshot from Chevy's 2023 holiday ad, which features a family grappling with the effects of Alzheimer's. Some advertisers are ploying to viewers' emotions to distinguish their brands this year.
Chevrolet/General Motors via YouTube