Seasonal

By Molly Glover Gallatin, Gigwalk   According to Forrester Research, U.S. e-retail sales are expected to grow from $263 billion in 2013 to $414 billion in 2018, a compound annual growth rate of 9.5%. While a fuss has been made about the increase in online spending, statistics show that more than three quarters of retail transactions are still made in-store.    

The urge to impulse-shop during the holidays runs strong among Americans, but even stronger among a particular age group, according to a new survey.

About 83% of Millennials admit to having made an impulse purchase in the past, according to the Chase Blueprint Holiday Impulse Purchases Survey. And when they shop online or on pay day, this urge exceeds that of all other age groups.

By Fabrizio Brasca, JDA Software  

Orem, Utah – Checking the Yellow Pages for various types of information is a time-honored tradition, but now consumers can use the mobile version to find products. App developer Avantar is releasing a feature in the Yellow Pages app that lets shoppers pinpoint locations of products.  

CVS has developed an omnichannel strategy for this holiday season that focuses on targeting customers online, on mobile and in stores.

Consumers can follow @CVS_Extra on Twitter to learn about upcoming promotions and ways to win a variety of gift items through special contests. Additional holiday savings and tips can be found on the CVS Facebook page.

Fort Worth, Texas – The management shakeup continues at RadioShack Corp. Jennifer Warren, chief marketing officer of the troubled consumer electronics chain, has reportedly left the company.   According to the Wall Street Journal, Warren, who had served as chief marketing officer since early 2013 and was responsible for a highly publicized Super Bowl ad featuring 1980s celebrities, no longer works for RadioShack. There are no other details on her departure and Warren and RadioShack declined further comment. 

Wilmington, Del. - The urge to impulse shop during the holidays runs strong among Americans, but even stronger among Millennials. According to the Chase Blueprint Holiday Impulse Purchases Survey, 83% of Millennials admit to having made an impulse purchase in the past.   

With 2014 almost over, another holiday shopping season is drawing to a close. The looming question on everyone’s mind, of course, is whether holiday sales managed to live up to the (mostly) positive holiday forecasts from analysts and retail organizations.