Bath & Body Works makes Grand Central smell like Fresh Balsam for the holidays

The retailer is bringing an immersive campaign to train stations and movie theaters across the country. 

By Howard Ruben • Nov. 7, 2025

What do shoppers want from AI this holiday season?

Growing attention makes AI adoption feel urgent, but that doesn’t mean businesses should rush implementation.

By Bryan Wassel • Nov. 6, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

How retailers can win over shoppers during the holidays

Retailers are pulling all the levers to drive loyalty during the industry’s all-important quarter.

By Retail Dive staff

Inside Lowe’s social-first holiday push as Gen Alpha enters the market

Chief Marketing Officer Jen Wilson explains how the home improvement retailer measures the success of in-store experiences and its new creator network.

By Chris Kelly • Nov. 5, 2025

Gap extends ‘Give Your Gift’ holiday campaign to promote hope, unity

An emotional spot set to a cover of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” was handled by the same creative duo behind Gap’s record-breaking “Better in Denim” ad.

By Jessica Hammers • Nov. 5, 2025

Walmart introduces AI tools for in-store and online holiday shopping

The retailer’s latest AI investments span its app, supply chain and customer service operations.

By Bryan Wassel • Nov. 5, 2025

Collectibles drive toy sales up 7% through September

The results indicate a return to growth after two years of stagnation, though Q4 performance will rely on how shoppers react to tariffs, a Circana report found.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Nov. 4, 2025

4 retailers that need a win this holiday season

From nailing their merchandise offerings to ensuring inventory levels remain healthy, these retailers are striving to land on consumers’ nice lists.

By Caroline Jansen • Nov. 4, 2025

Best Buy bets on sports, creators to serve up holiday gifting inspiration

The tech retailer will feature creators in its CTV ads for the first time and will advertise during 30 different NFL games throughout the season. 

By Jessica Hammers • Nov. 3, 2025

The Weekly Closeout: Lululemon links up with the NFL, Parade shuts down

The activewear brand is launching an apparel collection tied to the league’s teams, while the intimates brand abruptly ceased operations after six years.

By Retail Dive Staff • Oct. 31, 2025

Target brings back ‘Hot Santa,’ adds new characters to holiday push

Americans are prioritizing small moments of joy to combat a tough economic climate, according to internal research that informed Target’s holiday strategy.

By Jessica Hammers • Oct. 31, 2025

J.C. Penney, iHeartRadio partner on holiday collection

The move is part of the department store’s broader plans for the season, which also include special 24-hour deals throughout November.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 30, 2025

The Backroom: Halloween casts a spell over retail

The creepy-crawly event has grown into a monthslong celebration and a $13 billion business. But is it a harbinger for the holidays?

By Retail Dive Staff • Oct. 30, 2025

Nordstrom relaunches holiday catalog

The department store will host more than 1,500 events this year and will also have Santa Claus at all of its locations for the first time.

By Howard Ruben • Oct. 29, 2025

Walmart balances whimsy with value in Dr. Seuss-inspired holiday ads

Spots taking place in a town called WhoKnewVille reinforce a messaging platform that challenges consumer perceptions around the retailer’s image.

By Peter Adams • Oct. 29, 2025

True Religion targets women, college sports fans in holiday campaign

The brand doubles down on the growing intersection of fashion and sports in its first holiday campaign since being acquired earlier this year.

By Jessica Hammers • Oct. 28, 2025

How skeletons transcended Halloween

Once a standard spooky time decoration, these figurines now play sports, walk their dogs and otherwise hold court in yards year-round.

By Cara Salpini • Oct. 28, 2025

Walmart debuts 2 Black Friday events

The mass retailer will hold multiple deals events in November as it markets its value to price-weary consumers.

By Dani James • Oct. 27, 2025

At Home exits bankruptcy with nearly $2B in debt eliminated, most stores open

The furniture retailer is now owned by a group of lenders, which is providing $500 million in new financing to support a turnaround.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 27, 2025

Half of shoppers plan to use BNPL this holiday season

Affordability and budget control are the top reasons U.S. consumers are using buy now, pay later services, according to a PayPal survey. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 27, 2025

More pressure for US consumers as most states warn food assistance could dry up next month

Grocery stores will be directly affected, but discretionary spending will also take a hit if consumers can’t feed their families, analysts warned this week.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 24, 2025

Amazon celebrates holiday beauty event with flash sales, livestreaming

The annual event will see sales of up to 40% off as the e-commerce giant continues to gain market share in the category.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 24, 2025

Want to make a good impression online this holiday? Be reliable

The holidays are not the time to test exciting new innovations, experts say, but a good first impression can win customers long term.

By Bryan Wassel • Oct. 23, 2025

Target needs a win. Will the holidays deliver?

The retailer is emphasizing exclusive merchandising and affordability this season as part of a long-term effort to regain growth.

By Dani James • Oct. 23, 2025

After disappointing Q3, Mattel needs a good holiday more than ever

To mitigate tariffs, retailers are pushing the importation and warehousing of goods onto the toy maker, and their orders are more frequent but smaller.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 22, 2025

Best Buy to kick off holiday deals on Halloween

The retailer, which has added 10 times the number of products this year, said it will roll out new doorbusters on tech every Friday.

By Howard Ruben • Oct. 22, 2025