Consumer Trends

Winners and losers of Black Friday 2020

Online sales, curbside and store pickup have all surged as a sales event defined by the pandemic took shape. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 28, 2020

Black Friday 2020 online sales on pace to grow as much as 42%

While COVID-19 rages across the U.S., consumers are staying home — but still shopping. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 27, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Trendline

Small business

This trendline explores several topics facing small retailers as disruptions from the pandemic, e-commerce and broader economic trends continue to bedevil operations.

By Retail Dive staff

Dick's plans new outdoor concept, Public Lands, for 2021 launch

The retailer plans to open two new stores under the banner next year as it chases campers and kayakers in the COVID-19 era.

By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 25, 2020

Why off-price won't change much, even after a pandemic

With apparel sales sliding and e-commerce more important than ever, these retailers were expected to scramble. Their third quarter showed otherwise.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 23, 2020

Deep Dive

What the pandemic has cemented about Gen Z

Marketing to young shoppers this holiday season will look different — and create different winners — but much of their core values have stayed the same.

By Cara Salpini • Nov. 23, 2020

Sponsored by Facebook

Shopper behavior has changed. Should your shopper marketing strategy change, too?

Shoppers' behaviors are changing and will continue to do so. To stay connected with shoppers, brands must find new ways to connect with them, wherever they are.

Column

Retail Therapy: Pizza Hut brings the ultimate comfort this year

The restaurant created a weighted blanket inspired by its famous Original Pan Pizza for those consumers looking for a double dose of cozy this season.

By Caroline Jansen • Nov. 20, 2020

Deep Dive

Is the DTC brand aesthetic bad for business?

Sans serif font and bright colored backgrounds are hallmarks of digitally native brands, but it may not matter if they all look the same.

By Cara Salpini • Nov. 16, 2020

5 ways retailers have adapted to a Black Friday unlike any other

Curbside sales, staggered discounts, websites that hold your place in line — retailers are reinventing Black Friday for a pandemic. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 16, 2020

Sponsored by Intouch Insight

The 3 I's of retail customer experience: Intelligence, improvement and impact

Using the 3 I's, retailers can design CX programs that align with business goals, promote organizational change and drive revenue-generating improvements.

October's deal blitz set the stage for the holidays with online spending surge

Led by Amazon's Prime Day, online sales spiked 50% in the third week of the month while spending across retail rose 6%, Deloitte said. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 13, 2020

Column

Retail Therapy: Whole Foods, Progressive partner to 'insure' a bad Thanksgiving

With the holiday looking different this year — and many embarking on cooking the meal for the first time — the two teamed up to help with kitchen mishaps.

By Caroline Jansen • Nov. 13, 2020

J.C. Penney launches private apparel brand as it welcomes new owners

The new line features in-demand comfortable styles in inclusive sizing, though the department store warned against calling it athleisure.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 12, 2020

Anchors, away: How department stores are ditching malls

A once mutually beneficial relationship is falling apart.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 12, 2020

What a vaccine could mean for retail

There's finally hope of an end to a pandemic that has destroyed lives and livelihoods and upended consumer behavior. For now, uncertainty still rules.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 10, 2020

Deep Dive

9 make-or-break retail turnarounds to watch in 2021

Companies in transformation and survival mode may be looking for normalcy. But the year ahead holds plenty of unknowns. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 09, 2020

What the past decade did to retail

As 2020 comes to a close, Retail Dive analyzed trends in apparel, venture capital and financialization that shaped the industry. Check out the full series.

By Cara Salpini • Nov. 06, 2020

Election delays hinder store traffic and online sales as holidays launch

With results up in the air and the pandemic ongoing, retailers and their customers face further uncertainty at an already volatile time.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 05, 2020

5 forces that stripped apparel sales in the last decade

Consumers in the past 10 years changed their clothes, from fast fashion to resale, and shunned formality. That bankrupted a lot of retailers.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 04, 2020

Deep Dive

The decade of VC funding that shaped e-commerce and DTC brands

Direct to consumer might be the buzziest trend in retail over the past 10 years, but it's not where all the money's going.

By Cara Salpini • Nov. 03, 2020

The holidays are here. Where's the consumer?

Uncertainty about the pandemic and the economy is defining the season as retailers try to coax customers to spend early on all channels.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 02, 2020

Column

Retail Therapy: Babe Wine creates Election Night Survival Kit

To help cope with uncertainty on Nov. 3, the brand released a pack that includes a "Scream Here" pillow and a stress ball.

By Caroline Jansen • Oct. 30, 2020

The Senate's stimulus breakdown is the last thing retailers needed

The lawmakers adjourned this week without agreeing to a new stimulus package, essentially taking billions of holiday spending with them.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 28, 2020

Sponsored by Intouch Insight

Changes in consumer habits during the COVID-19 pandemic

Understanding just how consumer habits are shifting is imperative as retailers continue to win back pre-COVID clientele and seek to attract new customers.

Sponsored by Fibre Box Association

Catering to the plant-based diet trend: What about the package?

Isn’t it only natural to put plant-based food in a plant-based package?