Best Buy joins the Prime Day bandwagon with early sale

The electronics retailer is the latest to announce Black Friday deals on days that happen to coincide with Amazon's big event.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 8, 2020

Pandemic stimulus delay alarms retailers as holidays loom

The president sent several confusing tweets Tuesday, hobbling renewal of a relief package that observers have credited with bolstering sales.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 7, 2020

Amazon releases holiday gift guides before Prime Day

Shoppers can also use Alexa for inspiration by using prompts like "Alexa, give me holiday gift ideas," or "Alexa, find funny gifts." 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 7, 2020

Party City tapped by Nextdoor for Halloween AR ‘treat map’

The collaboration could inspire families to celebrate the holiday in a way that follows social distancing guidelines during the pandemic.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 7, 2020

Lowe's to offer curbside trick-or-treating this Halloween

The retailer is offering candy and pumpkins as shoppers look for safe alternatives to celebrate the season in the middle of a pandemic. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 6, 2020

No new stimulus could slow or halt consumer spending: NRF

Though it's unclear how consumers will shop this holiday season, the trade group remains "cautiously optimistic" about the all-important fourth quarter.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 5, 2020

Ghosts, ghouls and social distancing: A fractured Halloween haunts Party City

Consumers aren't abandoning the holiday, but they are celebrating it — and shopping — differently this year. What does that mean for specialists?

By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 5, 2020

NRF calls on consumers to shop earlier in ad campaign

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to spread, the trade group stressed not waiting "until Thanksgiving weekend to kick off your gift shopping."

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 2, 2020

Crate and Barrel’s first digital-only catalog debuts on Pinterest

The first time the retailer foregoes a print catalog comes as Pinterest sees greater interest for children's furnishings amid distance learning.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 30, 2020

Walmart plans online sale that parallels Prime Day

The retailer joins Target in competing with Amazon's big sale event as all three giants adapt to a longer and earlier holiday season. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 30, 2020

Target is throwing its own sale party on Amazon's Prime Day

The retailer is hosting its own digital event to launch the holiday shopping period while it plans to extend Black Friday discounts through November.

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 29, 2020

Will customer acquisition be the nightmare before Christmas?

While DTC brands have long struggled with acquiring customers online, their problems may be more heightened than ever this year.

By Caroline Jansen • Sept. 28, 2020

Amazon sets October Prime Day dates after months-long delay

A sales event that usually takes place in July could now be a force in a wildly different and uncertain holiday period. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 28, 2020

Target to double holiday staffing for same-day services

The retailer said that 10 million new customers shopped its website and demand for its same-day fulfillment options quadrupled in the first half of 2020.

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 25, 2020

Walmart hiring 20K in e-commerce ops for the holidays

The retailer is gearing up for an online-heavy season as it also boosts categories in demand amid the pandemic. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 24, 2020

Party City to open 91% fewer Halloween pop-ups this year

The retailer is coming off a disastrous 2019 holiday performance and headed into a season disrupted by the pandemic. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 23, 2020

Half of holiday shoppers plan to use curbside or contactless pickup: survey

The pandemic has boosted BOPIS offerings, especially as retailers highlight pickup as a safe alternative to in-store shopping.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Sept. 22, 2020

The standard holiday season is 'meaningless' this year, AlixPartners says

The consultancy added October sales in its forecast for 2020 to account for shifts retailers and consumers are making in a pandemic. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 21, 2020

Study: 20% of retailers 'dependent' on the holidays to survive

To cope with the threats of coronavirus and fewer in-store shoppers, retailers are implementing safety measures and investing in curbside pickup.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Sept. 17, 2020

A 'rocky' fall season lies ahead for retailers, Cowen says

Trip consolidation, spending changes, government action (or lack of) on the economy and the continued spread of COVID-19 make for many possibilities. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 17, 2020

Deloitte predicts tepid-to-modest holiday sales growth

How consumers spend during the upcoming season depends much on COVID-19 and the efforts to slow it. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 16, 2020

Holidays will drive mobile shopping to record highs, App Annie predicts

Online events like Amazon's Prime Day and Alibaba's Singles Day may help extend the holiday shopping season for people who want to avoid stores.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 15, 2020

Macy's parade is on, but only on television

The pandemic forced the retailer to work with New York City officials to figure out how to safely stage the event in and around Herald Square.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 15, 2020

Lululemon to expand holiday pop-ups to 70 to ease pandemic pressure

Profits and margins shrank in Q2, but the retailer is among the few in the black, and CEO Calvin McDonald said he remains "cautiously optimistic."

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 9, 2020

Back-to-school shoppers are showing up after all, study shows

Mass merchants, Best Buy and even office retailers saw foot traffic upticks in August, after steeper declines last month, according to Placer.ai.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 1, 2020