Seasonal

Target merges physical and digital retailing in its holiday pop-up, Target Wonderland, in Manhattan.

The demise of physical stores has become a familiar narrative during the holiday season, but nothing could be further from the truth according to one man better positioned than most to know.

So far this holiday season, consumers are turning to their desktop PCs for shopping more than ever before.

According to new data from comScore, through the first 36 days of the November-December 2015 holiday season (Nov. 1 – Dec. 6), desktop spend totaled $35.36 billion. This marks a 6% increase from $33.38 billion for the equivalent period in 2014. Although rate of year-over-year growth is below the 9% previously predicted by comScore, the total figure still sets a new record.

So far this holiday season, consumers are turning to their desktop PCs for shopping more than ever before.

Retailers looking to provide a positive customer experience this holiday season should realize time is of the essence.

According to a new survey of 1,267 U.S. consumers from LoyaltyOne Consulting, 94% of respondents said they expect retailers to take extra measures to keep checkout lines moving during the holiday rush. When asked why they avoided stores completely during the holiday season, 36% of shoppers said their primary reason is waiting too long at the checkout.

Watch this video for a time-lapsed video on how Target transformed a 16,000-sq.-ft. space in Manhattan into its holiday-themed pop-up, Target Wonderland.

Kay Jewelers is looking to leverage social media and gamification to better engage with shoppers this holiday season.

From now through Dec. 20, visitors to Kay Jewelers' social media channels will be encouraged to participate in an interactive holiday-themed memory match game for a chance to win jewelry prizes. Fans can enter the Merry Match sweepstakes for a chance to win a prize from the featured daily collection by visiting KayMerryMatch.com, registering and playing the game. One winner will be selected each day and will receive a piece of jewelry.