Seasonal

Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel recently interviewed people who had already finished their 2015 Christmas shopping. And while they might seem like “very, very sick people,” as Kimmel put it, in the e-commerce world they would be behind schedule. If you haven’t started prepping your online store for the holidays, it’s beyond time to get rolling. Here are four essentials of ecommerce holiday prep:

1. Have Yourself a Mobile Little Christmas

Instead of sending holiday cards, retailers with physical stores may want to send texts, instead.

According to the new seventh Annual Holiday Research Study from e-commerce technology platform MarketLive, 78% of shoppers are likely to visit a store as a result of a text promotion or alert via mobile device.

In addition, 56% of shoppers look for gift ideas on social sites like Pinterest, and 55% are now comfortable with sharing their preferences with retailers in exchange for convenience and personalized product recommendations

More Americans are planning holiday-related purchases this year than in 2014, and those who plan to shop will spend more over a longer period of time, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

It’s officially fall and, for retailers, this means holiday shopping season is right around the corner. For most, the season is marked by increased sales, both on and offline, and an opportunity to tap the highly profitable demographic of holiday shoppers. Likewise, it’s a chance for merchants to explore new markets and test new locations for possible retail site development.

More Americans are planning holiday-related purchases this year than in 2014, and those who plan to shop will spend more over a longer period of time.

That’s according to the International Council of Shopping Centers 2015 Consumer Forecast, which shows that 90% of Americans are planning holiday purchases this season, up from 82% last year. And overall, 80% of shoppers plan to spend the same or more this holiday season than they did in 2014.

PayPal is helping U.S. customers and retailers with a new shipping perk.

The payment services platform is expanding Return Shipping on Us, a service that refunds return shipping costs to consumers on eligible online purchases, to the U.S.

Bon-Ton is planning to hire thousands of seasonal workers this holiday season for its 270 Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers department stores.

The company says it will hire 13,000 seasonal workers, about as many as last year, and will also hire 500 seasonal employees at its e-commerce fulfillment center and at its distribution centers.

GameStop is joining Staples in what could be new trend this year of retailers just saying no to opening on Thanksgiving Day.

GameStop announced Monday that its stores will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. GameStop’s other brands such as Spring Mobile, Simply Mac, Cricket Wireless stores, and the new ThinkGeek retail store will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day.