News Briefs

The last full weekend before Easter looks lucrative for e-commerce retailers.

During the weekend of March 28-29, 2026, Adobe said in an email to Chain Store Age that it expects online spending for Easter-related products to increase 255% compared to average levels during 2026 so far. This is a higher uptick than Easter 2025, when spending for holiday products on the comparable weekend was up 132%.

[READ MORE: Easter spending expected to hit a new record]

The weekend of March 28-29 will be the last full weekend of shopping for Easter, which falls on Sunday, April 5.

At a category level, Adobe expects the following online spending increases over average 2026 amounts (with figures from the comparable weekend in 2025): 

• Plastic eggs up 1030% (2025: up 587%)
• Easter baskets up 870% (2025: up 553%)
• Egg dying supplies up 810% (2025: up 388%)
• Easter decorations up 645% (2025: up 395%)
• Stuffed bunnies up 390% (2025: up 257%)
• Candy up 140% (2025: up 72%)
• Chocolates up 110% (2025: up 53%)
• Dresses up 90% (2025: up 45%)
• Eggs up 25% (2025: up 19%)

Adobe also expects the following average weekend discounts off listed price for categories including:

• Flowers at 14%
• Jewelry at 11%
• Apparel at 10%
• Personal care products at 8%
• Home & garden at 7% 
• Appliances at 5% 
• Electronics at 5%  

Artificial intelligence shopping trends

Adobe is forecasting growth in the use of AI tools for shopping in the week leading up to Easter (March 30-April 4):

• AI traffic to U.S. retail sites (measured by shoppers clicking on a link) is set to increase by 210% versus the comparable period in 2025. Adobe sees Easter as a topic driving AI conversations and traffic.  
• AI tools are expected to be used for categories including Easter Sunday apparel, jewelry, flowers, and spring cleaning products. 

Urban Outfitters, Dolce Vita, Rally House and Steve Madden will all deliver online orders via DoorDash.

The four apparel retailers are expected to launch delivery on the DoorDash platform during spring 2026 and will significantly expand the DoorDash apparel selection. Customers will be able to place orders from Urban Outfitters, Steve Madden, Dolce Vita (a Steve Madden brand) and Rally House on the DoorDash app this spring.

“People don’t always plan ahead when they’re shopping for apparel,” said Shanna Prevé, chief revenue officer at DoorDash. “Sometimes it’s fan gear for game day, sometimes it’s a last-minute shoe change, or sometimes it’s just something they need that same day or hour. Expanding apparel on DoorDash allows us to better serve those occasions while also helping retailers connect with new customers.” 

Athletic apparel and footwear retailer Foot Locker also recently began offering delivery of sneakers, apparel and accessories from its Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker and Champs Sports banners via DoorDash.

[READ MORE: Foot Locker teams with DoorDash for on-demand delivery]

Other apparel retailers that have entered delivery partnerships with DoorDash include Hibbett and the direct-to-consumer athletic apparel brand Sportiqe.

Founded in 2013, San Francisco-based DoorDash operates in more than 40 countries across the globe.

eBay is launching “The NYC Edit,” a digital publication focused on what used fashion products leading New York style influencers are buying and selling on its platform.

The online retail giant is partnering with 10 fashion influencers, stylists and creators living in New York City, including stylist and fashion editor Dara Allen, actor and comedian Owen Thiele, and fashion writer Emilia Petrarca, to produce “The NYC Edit.” 

The guide is available on a dedicated section of the eBay site and features curated storefronts that customers can use to shop the pieces the influencers are buying and selling, as well as for suggestions on what to list for sale.  

[READ MORE: New omnichannel campaign answers question, ‘Why eBay?’]

"New York style is simultaneously cutting-edge and nostalgic, as the city is always in flux," said fashion writer Emilia Petrarca. "For The NYC Edit, I chose pieces that reflect eBay's incredible selection of personal deep cuts and capture a recent past that New Yorkers seem to be yearning for and rediscovering right now. I'm also selling a few things I love from my own closet that I'm ready to pass along to someone else in the style community. There are also a few things from my own closet that I'm finally ready to pass along to someone else in the style community."

In April 2026, eBay will host an in-person event with The NYC Edit's curators where customers can meet the influencers and buy and sell items.

Founded in 1995 in San Jose, eBay Inc. enabled nearly $80 billion of gross merchandise volume in 2025.

Target's efforts to provide a more consistent store experience extend to its employees.

The retailer is expanding an employee discount, and is reportedly rolling out an updated dress code policy for team members. Store workers will be required to wear sleeved-red shirts and either blue denim or khaki pants, shorts or skirts, reported NBC Chicago. (Previously, graphic or patterned red shirts and jeans of other colors had been allowed.) Employees also have the option of wearing a company-provided red vest.

All team member will receive a free red shirt, and a one-time 50% off a denim purchase. The changes, which come as the retailer has launched a $6 billion turnaround plan, are set to go into effect this summer, the report said.

Apparel Discount

Beginning April 12, Target team members will receive a new 20% discount on all adult-owned brand apparel, expanding the company’s existing 10% team member discount on everyday items, as well as its 20% discount on wellness items. The enhanced discount expands access to Target's portfolio of owned-brand apparel, including A New Day, Wild Fable, Goodfellow & Co. and Universal.

“This update demonstrates Target’s strategic approach to designing team member benefits that align with the company’s core priorities of delivering style and design, while also helping team members feel more connected to the brands they represent every day and supporting a strong, engaged workforce,” the company said. 

Swim and resortwear brand Lspace is venturing outside of California for its third retail location.

The brand has opened a new 1,300-sq.-ft. pop-up store in Miami Beach, Fla., following a public grand opening on March 21. The pop-up will run until Sept. 1, allowing visitors to shop the brand’s collection of swimwear, activewear, dresses, accessories and more all spring and summer.

Lspace says the pop-up boutique showcases the brand’s signature collections, capturing its “relaxed and refined aesthetic.” The brand currently operates two permanent stores in California, in Newport Beach (Fashion Island) and La Jolla (UTC La Jolla), with plans for more permanent locations in the future.

“By establishing a presence in Miami Beach, Lspace underscores its commitment to growth in key lifestyle markets, connecting with loyal fans and new audiences in a city defined by energy, style and coastal allure,” said the brand.

[READ MORE: Zimmermann to open first Midwest store at Chicago's Plaza del Lago]

Founded in 1999, Lspace describes itself as a premium lifestyle brand designed for “women who move between the beach, city and beyond.”

Grocery shoppers are tackling rising food costs by stretching meals and dining out less.

That’s according to a new survey from agriculture insights and research firm Stratovation Group and U.S. food and agriculture communications agency Inspire, which found that nearly half of respondents try to make food last longer by stretching food into multiple meals.

When it comes to how grocery shoppers are addressing rising food costs, more at-home eating (39%), purchasing store brand and generic grocery items (36%) and buying in bulk (32%) were the most popular responses. When asked about curbing non-essential purchases, half of those surveyed said they would cut alcohol purchases, followed by higher-priced gourmet foods and sweets.

[READ MORE: Study: Prices, focus on health to shape consumer spending in 2026]

Additional insights form the Stratovation Group and Inspire survey include the following:

•About three-quarters of those surveyed have used their local grocery store's food pickup and food delivery services, while about seven-in-10 say they have used a third-party grocery app.

•About half of those surveyed eat at a restaurant once a week or twice a month, while roughly eight-in-10 say they order restaurant delivery at least once each month.

•DoorDash (64%) and UberEats (47%) are the most frequently used restaurant delivery services.

"This research makes it clear that today's consumer is navigating a constant balancing act between cost, convenience and nutrition,” said Cam Camfield, CEO of Stratovation Group. “By combining our insights with Inspire's expertise in consumer communications, we're able to deliver a more complete picture of how food and consumption trends are actually playing out in real time."