Sales & Marketing

1. Holiday spending: Is the glass half full or half empty?
Consumers are cautiously optimistic this holiday season with 53% indicating they will likely spend about the same as last year and 32% indicating they will likely spend more than last year.

Of all age groups, young millennials – aged 18 to 24 – indicated they are the most optimistic.

2. Income levels drive survivalists and selectionists

The CEO of The Container Store says the company is still on track to maximize profitability despite a disappointing second quarter that produced little sales and revenue growth.

The Texas-based chain reported that for the second quarter ended Aug. 29, revenue edged up 1.2% to $195.5 million. Net income fell by more than 60% to $2.67 million, with earnings of $0.06 per share, a penny less than the consensus forecast and down by more than half from last year's $0.14 per share showing.

Amazon.com is the No. 1 website for online shoppers in the United States, according to a new survey.

A Survata study commissioned by BloomReach reports that in a survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers, 44% bypass the entire Internet and go directly to Amazon.com first to search for products, compared to 34% who use top search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo!.

Charlotte, N.C. -- EDENS announced that J.Crew Mercantile will be joining Park Road Shopping Center located in Charlotte, North Carolina. This location will be the first in the Charlotte market and is expected to open in early 2016.

J.Crew launched J.Crew Mercantile earlier this year, featuring a collection of value-driven merchandise with the brand's classic signature style.

For the third consecutive year, Apple and Google came out on top in a ranking of the 100 most valuable brands in the world.

Valued at a whopping $170.3 billion in Interbrand’s 16th annual Best Global Brands report, Apple increased its brand value by 43% over last year. Google, valued at $120.3 billion, increased its value by 12%. (The top 10 brands are listed at the end of this article.)

Target is showing off an updated look at its redone store in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

The remodeled SuperTarget is serving as a testing ground such overall store updates as bolder, more playful signage, and new displays and for new concepts in the grocery area.

The chain is also putting the spotlight on its “Made to Matter — Handpicked by Target” collection of healthy-living brands, with more prominent signs on the ends of aisles.

There will be a change at the top of lifestyle apparel retailer Tommy Bahama.

The company announced that Terry R. Pillow will retire as CEO of Tommy Bahama Group on January 30, 2016, the end of the company's fiscal year. He will be succeeded by Douglas B. Wood, Tommy Bahama's current president and COO.

Amazon’s dominance in the $300 billion American e-commerce market is stronger than ever, according to a new survey.

A Survata study commissioned by BloomReach reports that in a survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers, 44% bypass the entire Web and go directly to Amazon first to search for products, compared to 34% who use top search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo!.

As recently as 2012, Forrester found that only 30% of consumers research products on Amazon first.