Winter Holidays

A full-service event design company is extending its brand.   White Lilac has opened its first retail location, a home décor store, at South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, Calif. The company specializes in large-scale parties, exclusive weddings, corporate functions, and private parties.     The boutique showcases a whimsical collection of gifts, housewares, accessories, furniture, décor and more inspired by White Lilac event designs for celebrity clients, dignitaries and iconic venues.

Not many companies can follow up its own record-breaking Thanksgiving online sales -- but Kohl’s did.   The chain’s president and CEO Kevin Mansell said that the chain hit double-digit, record-breaking online sales and solid brick-and-mortar traffic to stores on Thursday, Nov. 24 and early Friday, Nov. 25, reported Milwaukee Business Journal.  

It seems that cybercriminals never sleep no matter where you are in the world. The Information Commissioners Office released data showing that cyberattacks and breaches nearly doubled from 2015 to 2016 in the U.K.   

When it comes to holiday inventory, most retailers use their intuition and industry knowledge to make their sales projections, plan their promotional calendar, and schedule product reorders. This was fine when the season’s promotions were merely percentages off and customers purchased products in stores. But as the retail world becomes more complex, so too must retailers’ holiday plans. With an estimated 40% of retailers’ yearly profits on the line, intuition this holiday season just isn’t enough.  

Online spending hit a new record this past Black Friday, surpassing the $3 billion mark for the first time.   According to Adobe, Black Friday online spending surged 21.6%  year-over-year to $3.34 billion. Total online spending for both Thanksgiving and Black Friday hit $5.27 billion, reflecting a 17.7% increase over last year.  

  The Fung Global Retail & Technology team visited 35 stores throughout the Greater New York City area and Las Vegas on Black Friday for a first-hand view on traffic and sales.  Here are their top five takeaways from their store visits:  Cyber Monday Starts Early for Walmart:  Walmart kicked off its Cyber Monday deals at 12:01am EST on Friday for the first time ever, as it aims to grab customers ahead of its competitors. Last year, the company posted its Cyber Monday deals on the Sunday evening following Thanksgiving.

More Amazon Prime shoppers skipped the Black Friday hype this weekend than ever before.   Only 59% of Prime members ended up shopping in-store on Black Friday, down from 65% last year. This drop represented a 9.2% year-over-year decline.   This message was delivered in a survey conducted by InfoScout. The study, which was conducted the day after Black Friday, tapped 2,000 shoppers.  

In a new post on Target's A Bullseye View blog, Target CIO Mike McNamara explains the reasoning behind the retailer's decision to offer an extensive Cyber Monday promotion: 15% off site-wide and store-wide from Nov. 27 to Nov. 28.   McNamara says the retailer's move to combine stores and online for a more seamless holiday shopping experience marks a new chapter in Cyber Monday history.