Seasonal

It’s only October, but the holiday forecasts are starting to pour in. At this point out, it looks like it will be a “modest” season, with Deloitte (whose forecast, unlike some others, includes the month of January) predicting a 3.5% to 4% increase in sales over last year.

The competition for retailers selling online just got a lot more intense with a new price-match policy from Target just ahead of the prime holiday shopping season.

Beginning Oct. 1, Target will price-match the websites of 29 major retailers in stores and for purchases from their website.

GameStop must know something other retailers don’t judging from the retailer’s plans to increase holiday hiring.

Other retailers who have announced season hiring plans kept this year’s projections at or near last year’s levels, but GameStop said it will increase holiday hiring by 12% and bring on 28,000 workers at its 6,800 stores and other facilities.

As the holidays approach, retailers are hoping the convenience and immediacy of e-commerce will prompt high volumes of online gift purchases.

But according to a new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers from e-gift software provider Loop Commerce, there are some common problems that make consumers hesitate to buy gifts online.

For the eighth year in a row, Dillard’s is making a big commitment to the communities its serves by offering a custom edition of the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

October will be over in a flash, and with it, all eyes will be on the holiday season, which is measured from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.

The 2015 retail calendar has several distinctions, as we saw Memorial Day fall on the earliest possible date and Labor Day on the latest possible date. This holiday season, there are 28 days between Thanksgiving (not counting the actual day) and Christmas, which is an average amount for the period separating the two holidays.

Consumers may make merry during the upcoming holiday season, but mobile devices may be less a part of the action than retailers like.

According to a new survey from marketing automation platform provider Bronto Software, only 19% of holiday shoppers plan to purchase from a tablet, and 22% from a smartphone.

Consumers will use mobile devices to search for the best deal: 65% will look for promotions and coupons, 63% will check prices on that store's website and 61% will search for lower prices at another store or site.

A new consumer survey from e-gift software provider Loop Commerce reveals some common reasons why consumers are hesitant to buy gifts online.

The survey shows that one in four (25%) respondents cited worrying about buying the wrong size, while another roughly one in four (24%) respondents cited worrying about the hassle of returns as the most common reasons they hesitate to buy gifts online. Nearly one in five (18%) respondents cited concern about getting their gift to the recipient on time.