Seasonal

Best Buy pulled out its latest weapon in the battle to win last-minute holiday shoppers: free shipping.     For the third year in a row, Best Buy will offer free expedited shipping in the final stretch of the holiday season. Starting Thursday, Dec. 15 through 11:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 21, BestBuy’s online shoppers will automatically have their shipping upgraded to two-day shipping on almost everything.     

The start of the holiday shopping season did not bring with it a big jump in retail sales.        Retail sales, excluding automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, increased 0.1% in November, according to the National Retail Federation, less than many analysts had expected.       

The final shopping days of the holiday season are in full swing, and it is driving harried shoppers to open their wallets even wider.   The average spend per gift is up 37% over last year, and men are spending roughly 20% more than women on average, according to new data from Loop Commerce, which evaluated purchases made through its network of top retailers including Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Coach, among others..   

Sears is taking the saying, “it is better to give than to receive” to heart.   Coinciding with its “Season of Wishes” holiday campaign, the department store chain is rewarding shoppers at Sears Hometown and outlet stores who donate $5 to Make-A-Wish with a “Very Merry Santa Sale” pass for an extra discount between Dec. 15 and Dec. 24.   

Walmart is leveraging its mighty store network to gain a competitive advantage over Amazon for last-minute holiday shoppers.    The discount retailer announced Tuesday it will offer shoppers a Christmas Eve store pickup commitment for eligible orders placed online by 6 p.m. local time on Dec. 23.   

A mixed bag of activity for the second week of December indicates that weekends — and perfectly timed promotions — will make or break the remainder of holiday e-commerce sales.  

Nordstrom is making it even easier for its online customers to pick out the perfect holiday gift.   Through its partnership with CashStar, the department store chain now features Product eGifting, a platform that enables customers to visit Nordstrom.com, select a gift and send it, along with a personal message, via email. Shoppers select a product and enter the recipient’s email to send the e-gift. Recipients receive an email that contains a personal message and gift description.   

Retailers continue to launch digital deals this holiday season to snag new customers — but these efforts come at a price.    Retailers’ promotional offers are eclipsing 2015 efforts. Customer orders using a promotion are up 34% versus 2015, and up 52% over the holiday season (Nov. 1-Dec. 5) versus 2015 in North America.