Winter Holidays

The Wet Seal is going to be very busy on Nov. 3.   That’s the day the retailer, in partnership with GGP, will open 13 holiday pop-up locations at GGP regional shopping centers throughout the nation.   "We see an opportunity for additional brick and mortar locations during the peak holiday season," said Wet Seal CEO Melanie Cox.    The temporary stores will range from 3,000 sq. ft. to 5,000 sq. ft. each.  

Black Friday may have lost some of its allure in recent years, but it still comes out on top in a ranking of the busiest shopping days.    Black Friday, which falls on November 25 this year, took the No. 1 spot in a ranking of the anticipated 10 busiest shopping days of 2016 by ShopperTrak, a Tyco Retail Solutions business unit. The second and third busiest shopping days are expected to be Monday, Dec. 26 and Friday, Dec. 23. (See end of article for the complete list.  

As the holiday shopping season “unofficially” gets underway, millennials are expected to lead the charge.   This early movement is also putting the season on pace to have the highest e-commerce sales revenue yet, according to the “2016 Holiday Initiative Summary Report,” from Criteo. The study reveals consumer holiday shopping behaviors, the role and impact of digital advertising, and e-commerce trends that retailers are urged to leverage in the upcoming months.   

Macy’s is not joining the ranks of retailers and mall operators who plan to close their doors on Turkey Day.     That’s according to BestBlackFriday.com, which tracks retailers' holiday hours and promotions. The research company said it received confirmation from five U.S. shopping centers that their Macy's locations would open at 5 p.m. Thursday.     

Everyone across retail industry is preparing for the holiday shopping season — especially the hackers.   Shoppers will continue to use more payment methods — from debit and credit to mobile wallets — during the hectic holiday shopping season, and hackers are standing at the ready. Whether infiltrating in-store peripherals, firewalls or databases, hackers are prepared to invade retail networks, disrupt systems and steal valuable information.   

Neil Saunders, CEO of Conlumino, a New York-based retail research agency and consulting firm, offers the following insights on September sales results.  

While most retailers haven’t upped their 2016 holiday hiring over last year, Amazon is not among them.   The e-commerce giant announced it plans to hire more than 120,000 workers in the United States this holiday season, with positions across its network of fulfillment centers, sortation centers and customer service sites.  

As online merchants firm up their holiday operations, they may have to rule out using Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA).   Amazon.com is restricting new merchant access to its warehouses during the busy holiday shopping season as a means of ensuring it has the capacity needed to quickly receive, store and ship merchandise to its Prime membership customers, reported Internet Retailer.  

Holiday sales may be on pace to increase this year, but sale-savvy shoppers will drive this boost.    The 10th annual “Accenture Holiday Shopping Survey” found that 42% of consumers said they rarely or never expect to pay full price for an item during the holiday season, and this year is no exception.   

With 46% of shoppers ready to start holiday shopping online and in-store in early November, retailers need to be ready.   As shoppers begin holiday shopping next month, make no mistake, mobility will be a mainstay this season, according to “Unwrapping Holiday Insights: The 2016 Retailer Guide to Consumer Trends,” a report from RetailMeNot.