Retail sales slid 1.2% in December

Sales during the final month of the year declined in nearly every major retail category, according to the Census Bureau's monthly report.

By Corinne Ruff • Feb. 14, 2019

Retail Therapy: 5 ways to try too hard this Valentine's Day

Nothing quite says romance like the rug form of Colonel Sanders sprawled flat across the floor.

By Caroline Jansen • Feb. 8, 2019

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

Retail Therapy: Lunar New Year breaks the piggy bank

What better way to celebrate the Chinese New Year than by spending $480 on a pig-shaped keychain?

By Caroline Jansen • Feb. 1, 2019

Print book sales up 1.3% in 2018

Political titles, particularly ones focusing on the Trump administration, were among the most popular last year, according to an NPD report.

By Caroline Jansen • Jan. 31, 2019

Nearly 30% of shoppers applied for a store credit card over the holidays

While the common perception is that millennials are eschewing credit cards, they led the way with the trend, according to a CompareCards.com report.

By Kaarin Moore • Jan. 28, 2019

Holiday shoppers spent twice as much in physical stores than at Amazon

Consumers like being able to see what they're buying, and BOPIS shoppers bought extra, according to International Council of Shopping Centers research.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 14, 2019

J.C. Penney to close 3 stores

Despite high-spending shoppers, the holidays this year weren't much of a boon for the struggling department store as comp sales fell during the period.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 9, 2019

Holiday spending sleighs

Consumer confidence and prepared retailers made the perfect partnership for a strong retail season.

By Kaarin Moore • Jan. 4, 2019

January apparel sales are lean, clean and green

Retailers that reserved their biggest blowouts for Black Friday may have spared themselves some headaches, according to research from Edited.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 4, 2019

Apparel, home improvement lift retail to $850B in holiday sales

Retailers had their best holiday season in six years, according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse report.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 3, 2019

What do positive comp sales say for department stores? Not much

Despite a likely positive holiday season when all the tallies are in, the retailers are still miles behind others in the industry in terms of growth, analysts say.

By Caroline Jansen • Jan. 2, 2019

More than 40% of holiday shoppers heading to dollar stores

Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar are attracting consumers of various income brackets and generations, according to an NPD Group report.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 21, 2018

NRF: 134M will shop 'Super Saturday'

There's plenty of shopping left to do, and many are waiting for the weekend and beyond to do it, according to research from the National Retail Federation and the International Council of Shopping Centers. 

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 20, 2018

Shoppers are judging retailers by their returns process

Almost all (95%) shoppers said the experience influences whether they shop there again, according to a study from Voxware.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 19, 2018

Will retailers' last-minute shopping plans pay off?

Seasonal shipping and BOPIS promotions may not save Christmas, but they could ease the road for procrastinating shoppers.

By Caroline Jansen • Dec. 19, 2018

Amazon toy sales surge 30%

Retailers have been locked in battle for the $11.5 billion in sales left behind by Toys R Us, and Amazon isn't the only one grabbing market share.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 18, 2018

FedEx launches 'extra hours' for retailers during peak

The new service is intended to allow afternoon orders to be shipped same-day to better ensure delivery within two days.

By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 17, 2018

November sales surge, fueling holiday retail

Consumer optimism took a dive, but that's not keeping Americans from spending this season.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2018

Retail Therapy: Neiman Marcus ties up customer wallets with $150 bow

If extra cash has been burning a hole in your wallet, the department store retailer has every overpriced item you could ever need.

By Caroline Jansen • Dec. 14, 2018

Can data insights cure retail's holiday returns headache?

U.S. retailers grapple with merchandise returns all year, but it gets dramatically worse during the holidays, especially online, writes Signal's Jason Ankeny.

By Jason Ankeny • Dec. 13, 2018

Kohl's, Old Navy sprint to win the final lap of the holiday race

Both stores announced bold moves to rein in last-minute shoppers. Whose will cut through all the noise?

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 12, 2018

Amazon eyes private label toys

The e-commerce giant appears to be leveraging the popularity of its AmazonBasics private label to categories beyond consumer products.

By Daphne Howland • Updated Dec. 11, 2018

Online holiday spending so far tops $80B

Mobile and click-and-collect are helping American e-commerce smash records this year, according to Adobe's latest holiday shopping update. 

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 10, 2018

Unboxing the holiday shipping race

For big brick-and-mortar retailers, shipping discounts are an easier cost to rationalize, but digitally focused companies can have a tougher time matching promotions.

By Caroline Jansen • Dec. 7, 2018

Retail Therapy: The denim nightmare we wish was put to bed

If you've been hoarding bootcut jeans and jelly shoes in your closet for years, it may be time to break them out once again.

By Caroline Jansen • Dec. 7, 2018