Holidays

  • Walmart storefront.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kaarin Vembar/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Walmart leans into value, touting ‘thousands’ of back-to-school items under $10

    New this year is a “one-click food basket,” offering two weeks of lunch supplies for about $2 per day.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • July 25, 2024
  • A Dollar General sign and brick storefront on a cloudy day with the company's signature black on yellow logo
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Dollar General
    Image attribution tooltip

    Dollar General to offer over 100 back-to-school products for $1 or less

    Notebooks, pencils, glue sticks and folders are among the low-priced offerings. The dollar store will also offer backpacks for $5.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • July 19, 2024
  • Two golden Christmas tree balls on wood. Explore the Trendline➔
    Image attribution tooltip
    The image by Marco Verch is licensed under CC BY 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip
    Trendline

    Inside the 2023 holiday season

    Retailers are navigating supply chain bottlenecks while consumers face renewed concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

    By Retail Dive staff
  • Adult and child shopping for school supplies
    Image attribution tooltip
    Tim Boyle via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Back-to-school spending expected to drop from last year: report

    Spending per child is projected to be $586, with overall market spend reaching $31.3 billion, according to a recent survey from Deloitte.

    By Howard Ruben • July 16, 2024
  • An adult and two children shopping for school supplies.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Phynart via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Consumers were still cautious in May. That might be a good thing.

    Weaker spending may be helping the Federal Reserve with this year’s balancing act of cooling inflation and staving off a recession.

    By • June 20, 2024
  • Exterior of a Nordstrom Rack store.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Citing momentum over the holidays, Nordstrom moves deeper into off-price

    The retailer will open even more of its Rack stores this year than in 2023, but analysts warned that its full-line business also requires attention.

    By • March 6, 2024
  • Two round beige planters on each side of a mall entrance to a Dillard's store.
    Image attribution tooltip
    "Dillard's - Columbia, MO" by Robert Stinnett is licensed under CC BY 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    Dillard’s manages ‘respectable’ holiday quarter

    A challenging consumer environment kept a lid on the department store’s success in the period, but there were some bright spots.

    By • Feb. 27, 2024
  • 3D Art
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Celonis
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Celonis

    For a seamless retail customer experience during peak season, start with employees

    Improving the employee experience goes a long way to improving customer experience, writes Lindsey Peters, Retail and Consumer Goods Industry Lead at Celonis.

    By Lindsey Peters, Retail and Consumer Goods Industry Lead, Celonis • Jan. 8, 2024
  • Person shops online with a Christmas tree in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    NoSystem images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Holiday shoppers spent ‘record’ $222.1B online: report

    BNPL usage hit an all-time high during the season, with Cyber Monday as the largest day on record for the payment method, per Adobe.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Jan. 4, 2024
  • Smiling young family looking at candy and Christmas presents in a store window.
    Image attribution tooltip
    RgStudio via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Retail trends that shaped the holidays in 2023

    From new marketing techniques to consumers spending despite inflation, here are the big takeaways from the latest holiday season. 

    By Retail Dive Staff • Jan. 2, 2024
  • A person in a blue shirt holding a package.
    Image attribution tooltip
    BongkarnThanyakij via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Consumers could return $82.1B worth of holiday merchandise, survey finds

    To address the rising cost of returns, 44% of retailers have increased return or restocking fees, according to CBRE and Optoro.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 29, 2023
  • An Amazon driver loads packages into a delivery van at an Amazon delivery station on November 28, 2022 in Alpharetta, Georgia.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Free shipping is more important to shoppers than same-day delivery: Forrester

    The costs of implementing same-day and next-day delivery might not be worth it given the level of consumer interest in the service.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 28, 2023
  • A customer is greeted by a cashier
    Image attribution tooltip
    bluecinema via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Returns are the last, but not least, component of a holiday CX strategy

    The last thing retailers should do is make gift recipients feel guilty for making a return, according to experts. 

    By Bryan Wassel • Dec. 27, 2023
  • Warehouse supervisor walking and talking with senior manager.
    Image attribution tooltip
    zeljkosantrac via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    ’Tis the season for a retail tech-stack rethink

    An influx of in-store technologies has CIOs leaning toward cloud for integration solutions, according to research by Bain and Aptos.

    By Matt Ashare • Dec. 26, 2023
  • Perfume bottles sit on a desk with an open book.
    Image attribution tooltip
    NastyaSensei. Retrieved from Pexels.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Fragrance sees online boost during early part of holiday season: report

    Online sales of prestige fragrance brands were nearly double the rate of in-store sales in the early part of Q4, according to Circana.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 26, 2023
  • Brown paper wrapped gifts with string ties.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Vadym Petrochenko via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    Can retail sell hygge?

    The Scandinavian concept of cozy gatherings and togetherness fits in well with the holidays. Until the excessive purchasing begins.

    By • Dec. 24, 2023
  • A red storefront entrance with a white dot-in-circle logo and an "order pickup" sign on the door. Trees and blue sky with white clouds on the right.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Shoppers use BOPIS to avoid holiday shipping delays: report

    Buy online, pick up in store accounted for one-fourth of online orders in the three weeks after Cyber Monday, according to Salesforce. 

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 21, 2023
  • A family walks down a Walmart aisle.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Walmart
    Image attribution tooltip

    Walmart outpaces Target, Macy’s for most recent holiday purchases: report

    A fourth of respondents to a new survey said their last holiday shopping stop was at the big box retailer, followed by Target and Kohl’s. 

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 21, 2023
  • A cargo ship on the Suez Canal
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Suez Canal Authority
    Image attribution tooltip

    Holiday shelves unaffected by Suez Canal attacks, but retailers anticipate disruptions in the new year

    Retail industry groups are monitoring the situation, which is adding time and costs to the supply chain as shippers seek alternative routes.

    By • Dec. 20, 2023
  • Target content on the Las Vegas Sphere
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Target
    Image attribution tooltip

    Target brings dog mascot Bullseye to Las Vegas Sphere for holiday blitz

    The largest version of the bull terrier character yet is joined by an 11-story gingerbread Target for the snowglobe-inspired takeover.

    By Peter Adams • Dec. 20, 2023
  • A person wearing glasses and a striped sweater looks into a box with a concerned look.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Andrii Zastrozhnov via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Are retailers ready for peak returns season?

    E-commerce has surged at the end of the year, which could mean that more people than ever will bring back their purchases.

    By • Dec. 19, 2023
  • Stack of credit cards spread out
    Image attribution tooltip
    bernie_photo via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Half of US consumers expect to take on holiday debt: survey

    Over a third of consumers expect to pay their holiday bills in two or more months, according to a new report. 

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 18, 2023
  • The inside of a mall.
    Image attribution tooltip
    "Nordstrom wing of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City" by Ben Schumin is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    Super Saturday timing means fewer expected shoppers this year, survey finds

    The National Retail Federation predicts 142 million people will shop that day, which falls on Dec. 23, down from 159 million last year.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 15, 2023
  • A young person sits at a desk in front of a computer while a Christmas tree is in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Krisada tepkulmanont via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Black Friday, Cyber Monday saw ‘lackluster’ consumer tech sales, report finds

    Both unit and dollar sales declined year over year during Black Friday Week, and the average price of products was down during Cyber Monday Week.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 14, 2023
  • The outside of the Macy's store in Herald Square in NYC during the holidays.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kaarin Vembar/Retail Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Macy’s, Anne Klein partner on NYC pop-up shop

    The apparel brand, which has partnered with Macy’s in the past, will showcase items from its latest collection at the temporary store. 

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 14, 2023
  • Person shops for holiday items at Target.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Target
    Image attribution tooltip

    Target woos last-minute holiday shoppers with extended hours

    The retailer is also offering same-day fulfillment options through Shipt and its own Order Pickup and Drive Up services through Christmas Eve.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 13, 2023