Back-to-school shoppers waiting, but spending more too

Parents appear to be waiting for classroom lists to do their shopping, and many schools don't start their year until after Labor Day.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 23, 2017

Holiday email trends and tactics: Unwrap your potential for success

'The most wonderful time of the year' is quickly approaching once again as retailers gear up for another season of the biggest sales period around the world. 

By Shane M. Swisher • Aug. 21, 2017

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

Amazon ranks first for back-to-school shoppers

Brand Keys' survey of households with school-age children ranked Amazon first for both early and late back-to-school shopping.

By Cara Salpini • Aug. 14, 2017

8 retailers to watch during back-to-school

If the end of the retail shakeout is in sight, we might see the first signs during back-to-school. But the season is also a time to watch retailers try new things, test new strategies and make themselves into students of a chaotic marketplace. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 11, 2017

Toys 'R' Us plans Times Square return

The company may be looking overseas for growth, but the New York City location could boost sales for the holidays.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 11, 2017

Gen Z goes to college: How to win this back-to-school shopper

The largest generation in U.S. history is now in college, and retailers hoping to appeal to these digital natives need a different strategy than for millennials.

By Corinne Ruff • Aug. 8, 2017

Why back-to-school shopping matters more than ever in 2017

Some retailers will clean up — cough, cough, Amazon — but for others, it's do-or-die during back-to-school shopping season.

By Laura Heller • Aug. 3, 2017

Study: Prime week spiked mobile purchases for other retailers

While non-Amazon shopping apps took a hit on Prime Day itself, the day after saw a 70% surge in mobile app purchases.

By Cara Salpini • Aug. 2, 2017

How mobile is changing back-to-school

Gen Z students and millennial parents comprise much of the back-to-school market, and having, or not having, a mobile strategy could make or break the season.

By Cara Salpini • July 31, 2017

Amazon Prime Day’s top tech successes: Echo and mobile

Technology devices registered big wins on Amazon Prime Day as mobile use skyrocketed.

By Cara Salpini • July 18, 2017

UPDATE: Prime Day could fetch Amazon $2B in sales

The e-commerce giant's holiday in July is expected to set new records as rival retailers take the day to promote their own deals.  

By Ben Unglesbee • July 11, 2017

Fourth of July sales to top $7.1B

More Americans traveling for the Fourth of July, as well as spending on food items, should lead to a lucrative holiday for retailers. 

By Cara Salpini • June 30, 2017

IBM, Visa partner to embed payment capabilities into Watson-enabled IoT devices

More than 6,000 companies with Watson-driven Internet of Things architectures can integrate payments across product lines using Visa Token Service technology.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 20, 2017

ComScore: Holiday spending topped $80B, driven by mobile commerce growth

Shopping via smartphones and tablets reached $17.1 billion over the last two months of 2016, corresponding to about 21% of total holiday digital spending, up from 17% in 2015.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 13, 2017

Why holiday marketing sparkled a little less brightly in 2016

Marketing efforts were mostly unremarkable during the recent holiday season as brands resorted to tried-and-true discounts to attract shoppers and few succeeded at making an emotional connection. 

By Chantal Tode • Jan. 18, 2017

Toys 'R' Us holiday sales fall flat

The toy retailer experienced the same increased competition and discounting that took a toll on many big-box retailers this holiday season.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 18, 2017

J.C. Penney's turnaround suffers holiday setback

After a slow start in the first three weeks of November, which included the U.S. presidential election, overall same-store sales rose between Thanksgiving week through the end of December.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 8, 2017

Coloring books, Adele leave Barnes & Noble hanging at the holidays

Without a hot gift trend or a blockbuster album, store traffic was slow, though the bookseller managed better-than-expected profits thanks to cost-cutting.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 6, 2017

Report: Holiday spending climbs 16%

Consumers surveyed by the International Council of Shopping Centers spent 4% more than they thought they would, but many of their dollars went to restaurants and entertainment.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 4, 2017

Discounts, e-commerce costs hit margins in otherwise solid holiday quarter

Holiday spending was up 3.8% to $196.1 billion in 2016, the strongest rate of growth since 2011, retail research agency and consulting firm Conlumino found.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 3, 2017

Amazon touts bountiful holiday season for Alexa-based devices

Sales of Amazon devices employing the company’s Alexa virtual assistant technology were nine times higher than during the 2015 holiday shopping rush.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 29, 2016

Study: Retailers kept late holiday shoppers happy with omnichannel services

While retailers were more cautious about making delivery promises they couldn’t keep, in-store pickup helped them make sales as late as Christmas Eve.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 28, 2016

Birchbox CEO: We're here for the 'beauty majority'

The company that launched subscription-based beauty retail believes brick and mortar holds real promise. And founder Katia Beauchamp is fine with giving rivals a few incremental sales.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 28, 2016

Report: Retailers killing margins with heavy promotions for holiday homestretch

Despite favorable economic conditions, consumers aren’t spending as much as expected this holiday season, and retailers are slashing prices to change the trend.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 23, 2016

UPS invests in reverse-logistics startup Optoro, readies for National Returns Day

Optoro applies algorithm-based analytics to determine where the retailer will best recoup its losses on unwanted items.

By Edwin Lopez, Jennifer McKevitt • Dec. 22, 2016