News Briefs

Cyber Week is a critical part of the holiday shopping season, but new data from Acoustic shows retailers may view it differently than their customers.

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers who made at least one purchase between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday in 2025 surveyed by AI marketing platform Acoustic did most of their seasonal buying outside that five-day period, yet 69% of surveyed retail marketers say they build their holiday plans around promotional Cyber Week dates and offers.

[READ MORE: Bain: Consumers will spend over $85B during Cyber Week]

The Acoustic “2026 Cyber 5 Gap Report” also reveals 68% of consumer respondents did wait for a Cyber Five deal on at least one item, but only 22% of consumer respondents who received holiday messages said most of the messages they received were relevant. In contrast, 46% of marketer respondents said most of their own Cyber Week messages were relevant.

Other findings

• Among consumer respondents who received holiday messages, 54% unsubscribed, opted out or took another action to cut off at least one brand. Of those shoppers, 53% cited too many messages as the main reason.
• Among consumer respondents who encountered a holiday sellout, 28% bought the desired item from another retailer.
• Nearly three-quarters of retailer respondents changed a promotion during Cyber Week.

The study also notes that across the Acoustic sender base from August through September 2026, behavior-triggered emails recorded a 5.5% click-through rate, compared with 1.42% for scheduled emails, a 3.9x difference in click-throughs.

The “2026 Cyber 5 Gap Report” combines Acoustic’s proprietary research among 1,048 U.S. online shoppers and 295 in-house retail marketers in September and October 2026, with observed email performance data from Acoustic’s platform. 

(Image: Alexander Limbach)

The nation’s largest chain of neighborhood centers has partnered with Hendricks Commercial to revive a 330,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use center in Kentucky.

Kimco Realty will now assume the operation of Fritz Farm in Lexington with $104 million in financing funds provided by Blackstone. Opened in 2017 on 36 acres, the center’s premium tenants include Apple, Sephora, Nike, Lululemon, Kendra Scott and William Sonoma, and is 92% occupied.

”Fritz Farm is Lexington’s premier mixed-use project, drawing customers from throughout Kentucky,” said Conor Lalor, president of Newmark, which arranged the financing. “The partnership between Hendricks Commercial and Kimco Realty is a win-win, not only for the partners, but also for the community of Lexington that will benefit from excellent long-term stewardship of its flagship retail destination.”

Located at the intersection of Nicholasville Road and Man O’ War Boulevard, Fritz Farm is anchored by Whole Foods Market. The center benefits from strong tenant sales, according to Newmark, and has six acres available for future retail and residential development. 

Lexington is the home of the University of Kentucky and is the center of the region’s renowned bourbon and equine industries. Newmark claims that Fritz Farm is the state’s most-visited lifestyle center. 

A retailer not offering a wide range of in-store payment options can be a dealbreaker for many consumers.

More than half (53%) of U.S. consumers would refuse to shop where their chosen method isn't taken, according to a new survey from in-person payment orchestration platform Aevi. The vast majority (85%) of those surveyed want paying in store to be as easy as paying online.

More than a third (36%) of U.S. shoppers abandoned an in-store purchase over a payment problem in the past year, including 10% in the past month. Almost half (44%) said they are less likely to return after a slow or failed payment.

[READ MORE: Survey: Consumers' BNPL habits include…]

Younger consumers value convenient payment methods the most. A third (33%) of 18 to 24-year-olds named payment failures as a top frustration, compared to 10% of those older than 65.

Queues top the list of frustrations for 42% of Americans. Younger shoppers are hit hardest, with 33% of 18 to 24-year-olds naming payment failures as a top frustration against 10% of over-65s.

The data shows that shopper expectations are outpacing in-store payment infrastructure. Adding a payment method online takes days. In-store, certification, software updates and rollout across locations can take months.

“Black Friday is the weekend American retailers can least afford a checkout that says no,” said Mike Camerling, CEO of Aevi. “More than a third of U.S. shoppers have already walked out of a store over a payment problem, and many won't come back. Retailers that can add a payment method or change providers without rebuilding every store will keep the customers their competitors lose.”

Aevi surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. consumers for its report on payment preferences.

Pizza Ranch Inc. is also implementing Aloha Next with the goal of creating a unified foundation for POS, payments and in-store capabilities; while pizza retailer Marco’s Pizza has been deploying the NCR Voyix Aloha Essentials platform architecture, featuring next-generation POS technology, hardware, software, professional services and full support desk coverage, for its new international location.

[READ MORE: Marco’s Pizza selects POS platform for international stores]

[READ MORE: Sephora offers loyalty members new digital payment option]

PopUp Bagels is promoting an executive to its C-suite as it continues its ongoing expansion.

The Connecticut-based bagel chain, known for its “Grip, Rip and Dip” bagels and unique weekly schmear offerings, has named Matthew Pisano as its new chief financial officer. In the new role, he will lead PopUp Bagels’ financial strategy, overseeing financial planning and analysis, accounting and reporting to support the company’s growth.

Pisano has served as PopUp Bagels’ executive VP of finance and accounting since March 2025. He joined the company after more than three years at Mexican restaurant chain Pink Taco, and eight years at tax and advisory firm CohnReznick providing M&A advisory services to restaurant and consumer growth companies.

PopUp Bagels operates more than 50 locations across 15 states. Last year, the chain said its goal was to reach 100 open locations by the end of 2027.

“One of the most important partnerships a CEO can have is with their CFO,” said Tory Bartlett, CEO of PopUp Bagels, who has led the brand since 2024. “You need someone who understands the business as deeply as you do, challenges your thinking, and helps turn ambition into a plan. Matt has been that partner since day one, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him in this role for what’s next.”

[READ MORE: PopUp Bagels makes Times Square debut]

Pisano’s promotion is PopUp Bagels’ second C-suite addition of the year. In July, the company named Mike Smith as its chief operating officer. Smith spent more than four years at Mexican fast-casual chain Moe's Southwest Grill, serving as chief brand officer after previously serving as VP of operations.