L Brands warns that the holidays could be tough this year

The company also said it has hired bankers for advice on its work in separating Victoria's Secret from its better-performing Bath & Body Works business.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 20, 2020

FedEx to raise peak surcharges on Ground, Express, SmartPost

The move makes it the final of the three major parcel carriers to levy hefty fees on shippers for the first holiday shopping season in the midst of a pandemic.

By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 19, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

A look at the 2024 holiday season

Technology will play a key role in holiday sales this year, Adobe revealed in its latest holiday report. 

By Retail Dive staff

USPS will raise commercial parcel rates for peak season

The temporary rate hikes will take effect Oct. 18 and be removed Dec. 27. 

By Shefali Kapadia • Aug. 14, 2020

Can summer BOPIS practices forecast holiday trends?

With COVID-19 uncertainty and the holidays ahead, retailers must refine their buy online, pick up in-store operations. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Aug. 6, 2020

Target to close for Thanksgiving, double down on same-day services

The retail giant will also start its holiday deals in October to reduce crowds and said the changes were made in anticipation of a "very different" holiday season.

By Ben Unglesbee • July 27, 2020

Walmart to close on Thanksgiving

The retailer framed the decision to close U.S. stores on the holiday — for the first time in more than 30 years — as a gesture of thanks to employees.

By Ben Unglesbee • July 22, 2020

Amazon preps for peak with restrictions on third-party seller warehouse space

"Even though it's July, we're preparing early for the holiday season to meet sustained increased demand," the company wrote in an announcement. 

By Emma Cosgrove • July 14, 2020

Department stores miss out on Fourth of July consumer attention

Specialty retailers, while giving off-price retailers a run for their money, leaned on promotions to sway shoppers, according to Wedbush analysts.

By Daphne Howland • July 7, 2020

App downloads increased by 42% during Cyber Week 2019, study says

App commerce firm Poq predicts that more than 25% of online traffic will come from mobile apps by the 2020 holiday season.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • March 16, 2020

Holiday online sales reached over $137B

An eMarketer report found that total retail sales during the season exceeded $1 trillion for the first time.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Feb. 19, 2020

Moody's warns department stores to brace for another tough year

More stores will have to close for the sector to regain its footing, the ratings firm said Wednesday.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 16, 2020

Holiday shoppers spent more than $50B via smartphone

Mobile accounted for 84% of the season's e-commerce growth, according to a new report by Adobe. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Jan. 16, 2020

Target 'stumbled' in the holidays as sales fell short

Even as comparables missed the retailer's expectations, Target boosted sales and market share in some key categories. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 15, 2020

Holiday sales by the numbers: Target same-store sales up 1.4%, miss estimates

The retailer's overall sales were dragged down by comp declines in electronics and home, while toys — an important category in the period — remained flat.

By Ben Unglesbee , Daphne Howland • Updated Jan. 16, 2020

Macy's says it will close 29 stores

While its holiday sales decline wasn't as steep as feared, the department store is once again reducing its fleet.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 8, 2020

Sneakers, cosmetics among top US holiday purchases

A new report from Afterpay found that nearly 80% of seasonal shoppers used mobile devices — an increase of 12% from 2018. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Jan. 6, 2020

Holiday retail sales increased 3.4%

Online sales grew nearly 19% compared to 2018, according to a new report from Mastercard. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Jan. 3, 2020

'Shocking' discounts may make 2019 the most promotional holiday since the Great Recession

MKM Partners analysts said department stores and other retailers responded to a shorter season, longer Cyber Week and inventory issues with constant sales.​

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 3, 2020

'Tis the season to return things. But it doesn't have to be

E-commerce product returns have a harmful impact on the environment and business margins. ThreeKit President Joachim Klein asks why retailers aren't trying harder to prevent them.

By Joachim Klein • Jan. 3, 2020

Retail Therapy: The best (and worst) retail moments this holiday season

From Tiffany's $112,000 Advent calendar to Neiman Marcus' champagne-filled gift guide, retailers held nothing back. This week, we recap our favorites.

By Caroline Jansen • Dec. 23, 2019

Google tops Facebook in driving early holiday traffic to retail sites

Despite the hype around social commerce, organic and paid Google search appear more effective at delivering site traffic this season, according to a study. 

By Dianna Christie • Dec. 20, 2019

Fastest retailers fulfill orders in fewer than 2 days

A recent test on Cyber Monday found 64% of retailers were able to deliver an entire order within one week.

By Lisa Rowan • Dec. 20, 2019

Amazon expands its free return policy

The e-commerce giant will accept label- and box-free returns on select items at more than 5,800 locations, reducing the number of pickups for drivers.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 19, 2019

NRF expects nearly 148M will shop on 'Super Saturday' this year

Traffic over the last weekend of the holiday season has grown in recent years, but with a solid lead up this year consumers may have less left to buy. 

By Lisa Rowan • Dec. 19, 2019

Consumers' common return reason? Wrong color, size or fit

One-third of consumers don't find the returns process to be easy, leaving room for improvement from retailers, a Narvar report found.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 18, 2019