eCommerce

Austin, Texas - More than half (56%) of Christmas shoppers surveyed typically have gifts left to purchase by the time "Panic Saturday,” the last Saturday to shop for holiday gifts before Christmas (also referred to as "Super Saturday"), rolls around. According to a new consumer survey from digital offers site RetailMeNot, nearly one in 5 (18%) Christmas shoppers surveyed admit that they've actually waited until the Saturday before Christmas to begin shopping for presents.  

Banana Republic is taking an innovative approach to last-minute holiday shoppers this year: top-notch perks and special discounts for procrastinators.

The company will be offering a “Procrastinators Event,” a special promotion for last-minute shoppers, from Dec. 17-22.

Toronto – Staples Canada has released its sustainability report for the third quarter of fiscal 2014, and highlights include collecting and recycling 116,000 kg of batteries, surpassing its goal of 100,000 kg. In addition, in October 2014, Staples became the first Canadian retailer to launch an exclusive green energy offering for small businesses, letting customers sign up for Bullfrog Power online.  

New York City - The International Council of Shopping Centers set new attendance records at its New York National Deal Making Conference, moved for the first time to the Javits Convention Center, held December 8 and 9, and keynoted by Donald Trump. The two-day event at the new location nearly doubled the size of the space from prior years, and drew more than 400 exhibiting companies and 9,600 attendees, representing a new attendance record and a 26% increase compared to the 2013 event.  

Wayne, N.J. – Toys ‘R Us Inc. shrunk its net loss to $213 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 from $605 million in the year ago, helped by expense controls and a less intense promotional enviroment.  The retailer, however, did not provide an outlook for its holiday performance.  

New York - Even in a digital age, young women still love shopping malls—especially during the holidays. According to a survey of female millennial shoppers from Teen Vogue, 65% of respondents will do the majority of their holiday shopping in stores, compared to 35% who will do most of it online. The top reasons why respondents said they would rather go to a mall than shop online during the holiday season was to see products (75%), hang out with their friends (44%), and bond with their mom (37%).  

Washington, D.C. – The recent spate of investments in Indian e-commerce ventures appear to be based on solid expectations. According to a new report from MarketResearch.com, the e-commerce market in India will reach $51 billion by 2017, growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 43% during 2012-2017.  

Think young shoppers want to buy everything online? New research from Teen Vogue suggests otherwise.

Teen Vogue asked its millennial readers about their holiday shopping habits and findings related to all manner behaviors throw cold water on the notion that malls are dead or dying.