Winter Holidays

The National Retail Federation issued an above average holiday season sales forecast in which the desire of Americans to spend will be offset by their ability to do so.

The trade group projects that total holiday sales will increase 3.7% to $630.5 billion during the November time-frame and that online sales would increase between 6% and 8% to represent $108 billion of the total.

For the 2015 holiday shopping season, the dollar figure forecast on consumer spend is less relevant for retailers, according to PwC's 2015 Holiday Outlook. Rather, a deeper understanding of the complex retail landscape and the focus on building long-term shopper relationships is how retailers will define success this year.

PwC outlines 10 big trends that are expected to drive the 2015 holiday shopping season:

Brick-and-mortar sales metrics were below expectations in September, but not all was lost.

According to the September 2015 Retail Performance Pulse report from brick-and-mortar analytics firm RetailNext Inc., traffic declined at the lowest rate since January of this year.

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- CBL & Associates Properties and DreamWorks Animation are ringing in the holiday with the ultimate Santa experience at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, Kansas City.

Every year, it seems, summer and the “back to school” shopping season go by in a flash.

Every year, it seems, summer and the “back to school” shopping season go by in a flash. Suddenly, as the leaves change color, retailers find themselves looking ahead to what they hope will be a successful holiday shopping season.

Staples is bucking the Black Thursday trend by making a statement, literally, about closing its stores on Thanksgiving Day in order to allow its customers, employees and their families to enjoy the holiday.

The retailer issued a statement on Thursday saying that despite being open on Thanksgiving Day the past two years, this year it says customers and employees should have the chance to stay home with family and friends. Stores will open at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.

GameStop has joined a growing list of retailers offering a new incentive for a vast segment of consumers to start thinking about holiday shopping: a comprehensive layaway program.

The company has joined Kmart, Walmart and other retailers in launching an enhanced layaway program in the past few weeks designed to help shoppers access the hottest gifts of the season.

GameStop has joined a growing list of retailers offering a new incentive for a vast segment of consumers to start thinking about holiday shopping: a comprehensive layaway program.

The company has joined Kmart, Walmart and other retailers in launching an enhanced layaway program in the past few weeks designed to help shoppers access the hottest gifts of the season.

Newegg is looking to be the destination this holiday season for gamers with a new promotion designed to appeal to tech enthusiasts.