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

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

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

Walmart taps Stadium Goods for marketplace expansion

The mass retailer announced that exclusive sneaker styles from the collectibles resale company are now available ahead of the holidays.

By Dani James • Oct. 22, 2025

Gen Z, millennials drive adoption of AI for holiday shopping

Those groups are harnessing artificial intelligence for gift ideas and to compare prices this season, a new survey states.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 21, 2025

Consumers embrace AI for research, but few have allowed it to make purchases

Customers are worrying over payment security, privacy and potential mistakes with autonomous AI purchases, a Riskified survey found.

By Bryan Wassel • Oct. 21, 2025

Why Halloween is a ‘master class’ for retailers

The season’s broad emotional appeal and delivery on in-store experiences means that shoppers, especially Gen Z, are ready to spend. 

By Kaarin Moore • Oct. 21, 2025

Nearly all generations, income groups plan to pull back on holiday spend

Only Gen X plans to increase spending slightly, as consumers search for deals and trade down on brands and retailers, per a Deloitte report. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 20, 2025

Will shoppers turn to secondhand for value this holiday?

A new report from ThredUp and GlobalData found that consumers could use about 40% of holiday budgets on secondhand gifts.

By Dani James • Oct. 20, 2025

Toys R Us accelerates flagship openings, seasonal shops

The expansion is a “significant milestone” in the brand’s growth, according to the company.

By Kaarin Moore • Oct. 20, 2025

Saks Global Q2 revenue slumps, loss widens amid inventory woes

Some vendors are still owed money, and a number have stopped shipping to the luxury retailer, a scenario analysts have warned about for months.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 17, 2025

Amazon to hire 250K holiday workers for third consecutive year

The e-commerce giant aims to hire a quarter of a million seasonal, full- and part-time employees across its fulfillment and transportation network.

By Howard Ruben • Oct. 17, 2025

Why holiday season store experiences should be helpful but unobtrusive

Shoppers are often busy and stressed, and a retailer that turns the holiday rush into a smooth, enjoyable experience can earn loyalty without the need for flashy gimmicks.

By Bryan Wassel • Oct. 16, 2025

What’s keeping Best Buy’s CEO up at night?

A growing consumer income divide is on Corie Barry’s mind, the executive told an audience at the Fortune Most Powerful Women summit.

By Dani James • Oct. 15, 2025

Kohl’s categorizes gift lists by budget to highlight value

Gift ideas curated by price are part of the department store’s broader holiday plans, which also include expanding its assortment.

By Howard Ruben • Oct. 14, 2025

Smaller retailers face their toughest holiday season in years

Tariffs and economic uncertainty are complicating an already fraught time. The key is to prioritize and lean into what larger chains can’t offer.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 14, 2025

Consumers to slash holiday budgets by over 10%

Gifting remains a priority, however, as shoppers look for other categories to cut back on, according to a recent JLL report.

By Howard Ruben • Oct. 10, 2025

Shoppers seek value, deals this holiday season

Consumers are turning away from retailers with significant price hikes and searching for discounts, according to ICSC. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 9, 2025

US consumers expect higher prices this holiday season

Most shoppers believe that tariffs will result in higher costs, even as they intend to splurge on purchases for themselves, according to a KPMG report.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 7, 2025

The unlikely retailers winning Halloween

Consumers are expecting higher prices this year, but that’s not deterring them from spending on the holiday.

By Caroline Jansen • Oct. 7, 2025

Online holiday discounts expected to remain flat

New data from Adobe predicts U.S. online sales this holiday season could grow 5.3% compared to last year, driven by electronics, apparel and furniture. 

By Dani James • Oct. 6, 2025

Gen Z shoppers to cut holiday gifting budgets

The generation is paring back spending and heading to stores to find promotions on products.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 6, 2025