5 issues most likely to cause holiday e-commerce outages

Sluggish third-party components, overburdened APIs and ill-equipped servers are leading issues threatening website performance, according to Catchpoint.

By Dan O'Shea • Oct. 30, 2018

Consumers to spend $96B on tech for the holidays

Sales of tech gifts will rise 3.4% this holiday season, as 66% of U.S. adults plan to buy them. Voice and video tech top consumer wishlists.

By Dan Alaimo • Oct. 29, 2018

Monetate, Bazaarvoice aim to turn holiday shoppers into year-round customers

The personalization platform will use Bazaarvoice’s shopper profiles to help brands create product recommendations post-holiday.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 29, 2018

What Gen Z wants for Christmas

It's a long list — and one that includes not just online and mobile shopping, but also in-store experiences and the ability to engage meaningfully with retailers on social.

By Cara Salpini • Oct. 26, 2018

Black Friday's best days are behind it

A 20-year tailwind will fragment Black Friday into multiple mini-shopping frenzies year-round, writes Eddie Yoon, founder of EddieWouldGrow.

By Eddie Yoon • Oct. 26, 2018

Black Friday is the new ... black

Stores are better than ever, legacy retailers are ready for e-commerce and holiday consumers are primed to shop retail's auld lang sale.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 26, 2018

What 3 charts about Black Fridays past signal about the holiday's future

For the first time last year, Amazon grabbed more market share than Walmart overall during the two weeks after Black Friday.

By Corinne Ruff • Oct. 26, 2018

Low unemployment could hurt the holiday shopping season

The booming economy might be bad news for holiday shopping, writes Forrest Morgenson, director of research at the American Customer Satisfaction Index. 

By Forrest Morgenson • Oct. 26, 2018

Recruitment scams on the rise in time for holiday hiring

Recruiters have been using tech to communicate with applicants and are working to hire more quickly than ever, making seasonal hiring a breeding ground for scams.

By Riia O'Donnell • Oct. 25, 2018

Holiday shoppers plan to spend 4.1% more this year

Tariffs won't force price hikes just yet because most retailers stocked up well before they hit, according to an annual consumer report from the NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 25, 2018

The holidays mean higher sales — and more fraud

Digital goods, electronics, and food and beverage are all common category targets for rising fraud attacks, according to new research from Forter.

By Dan Alaimo • Oct. 25, 2018

Target announces free 2-day shipping this holiday season

The development is a competitive jab at rivals Walmart and Amazon, as is the company's expansion of its Drive Up service to nearly 1,000 stores.

By Corinne Ruff • Oct. 23, 2018

REI's 4th #OptOutside includes $1M for research

The outdoor retailer is partnering with the University of Washington to launch a center dedicated to researching how time spent in the outdoors impacts health.

By Cara Salpini • Oct. 23, 2018

A 2018 holiday marketing guide to data-driven campaigns

Digital ad experts offer ways to improve traditional retargeting with personalization based on AI and other technologies.

By Shane Schick • Oct. 19, 2018

Retailers dreaming of a green Christmas without Toys R Us

Everyone in retail, it seems, is playing in the toy game this year after the country's biggest toy store liquidated. But will there really be any surprises about who wins?

By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 19, 2018

Amazon may be the Grinch of holiday hiring this year

Competitors are upping wages in a bid to compete with the e-commerce giant and meet ambitious hiring goals, but will it pay off?

By Riia O'Donnell • Oct. 18, 2018

Target clears 250K square feet of space for toy experiences

The mass merchant has revamped toy sections in more than 100 stores, and more than 500 will have enlarged spaces for play areas and family events.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 18, 2018

More holiday consumers plan to shop both online and in stores

Plans for shopping online have increased among consumers this year, but brick-and-mortar retailers are also getting a bigger piece of the pie, both online and off.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 18, 2018

Black Friday poised to edge out Cyber Monday this year

Despite the lasting relevance of Black Friday, more holiday shoppers are moving online rather than heading into stores for the sales day.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 16, 2018

Macy's will open 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day

Plenty of retailers are shuttering for the holiday, but not all stores can afford that decision. 

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 15, 2018

5 lessons from holiday 2017 to keep in mind this season

Last holiday season was a bountiful one for retailers across the board, and this one is anticipated to be even more profitable if common pitfalls are avoided.

By Corinne Ruff • Oct. 12, 2018

How to make the most of influencer marketing this holiday season

By adding influencer content into the mix, brands may be able to grab consumers' attention at a time when many are bombarded with product promotions, seasonal ads and deals.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Oct. 12, 2018

New York Post: Buzzfeed opening toy store in time for the holidays

The plans, if true, reflect both the opportunity left by the demise of Toys R Us and the appeal of New York City for brick-and-mortar retail.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 12, 2018

Good thing J.C. Penney's new merchandiser is the CEO

Can Jill Soltau bring the struggling department store the turnaround it's been waiting for? There isn't much time to find out.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 11, 2018

FAO Schwarz to return to New York City

The next phase of the iconic retailer's comeback, which also includes an overseas expansion, begins just in time for the holidays.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 11, 2018