Seasonal

Digital commerce stole the show during the 2016 holiday shopping season, and mobile and social had the biggest impact on shoppers.   That’s according to data from Salesforce Commerce Cloud, which reports digital commerce was up 34%  globally over last holiday — well surpassing last year’s 24% growth rate.  

Holiday procrastinators may have saved retailers this year.       A jump in consumer spending in the final home stretch helped to offset a slow start to the U.S. holiday shopping season, and is likely to help many retailers beat sales forecasts, Reuters reported.    

Nothing like doing a little shopping as presents are being unwrapped.   E-commerce traffic volume on Christmas Day shattered all previous records according to Verizon Enterprise Solutions’ Holiday Retail Index report.   The report finds that traffic continued to build into the Christmas weekend, and reached feverish pitch on Christmas Day which also coincided this year with the first full day of Hanukkah.   

The majority of retailers managed to keep their shipping promises this holiday.   That’s according to Kurt Salmon’s annual Holiday Shipping study, which found that 97% of retailers successfully processed and delivered orders to customers on their last guaranteed shipping date before Christmas. according to Kurt Salmon’s (part of Accenture Strategy) annual Holiday Shipping study. This compares to 87% in 2014 and 95% in 2015. 

Chain Store Age will be closed Dec. 23 and Dec. 26, and will publish again on Monday, Dec. 27. We wish you and your families best wishes for a happy, healthy and joyous holiday.  

Holiday shopping is no longer what it used to be.    The rise of online shopping and mobile has transformed the way in which consumers purchase gifts. It is no longer black and white for retailers either, as cutting-edge platform and technology adoption is a pre-requisite in order to remain competitive. And all factors are causing new challenges related to managing and supporting back-office and customer-facing systems, as well as meeting evolving customer expectations.   

Just in time for holiday entertaining, BJ’s Wholesale Club members can now place deli and bakery orders online.   The service, which augments BJ’s e-commerce program, enables members to place orders for deli platters, sandwiches and 3-ft. subs, freshly baked cookies, pastries and customizable cakes and cupcakes. All merchandise is provided by Wellsley Farms, according to the retailer’s website.  

Christmas Eve may only be a mere three days away, however 20% of adults plan to shop for holiday gifts or holiday-related items that day.   That’s according to “The 2016 ICSC Super Saturday study,” which was conducted by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) from December 8-11, 2016. The survey comprises responses from 1,025 adults of 18 years of age and older.