Thanksgiving Ecommerce Sales Hit Record $3.7B, Up 28% from 2017

| Mike O'Brien

Online sales on Thanksgiving Day were a record $3.7 billion, according to Adobe Analytics, up 28% from 2017, making it the fastest growing retail day in ecommerce history. It was also a very mobile-friendly holiday, with orders from smartphones representing 36.7% of all sales and driving 54.4% of site traffic, Adobe reported.

Holiday Season Ecommerce Sales Hit $31.9B to Date, Up 16.7%

| Mike O'Brien

Even before Thanksgiving, ecommerce sales are already off to the races this holiday season. From Nov. 1 to Nov. 20, U.S. consumers spent $31.9 billion online, according to Adobe Analytics, up 16.7% from 2017. More than $1 billion in sales were generated all of those 20 days, Adobe said, a new record, surpassing $2 billion on Nov. 20.

holiday shopping online

Retail Fraud Attempts Expected to Rise 14% Over Cyber Weekend

| Mike O'Brien

Retail fraud attempts are projected to increase 14% during Cyber Weekend compared to last year, according to benchmark data from online payment provider ACI Worldwide based on hundreds of millions of merchant transactions. The fraud activity is likely to peak on Thanksgiving Day, according to ACI.

Jeff Bezos: “Amazon is Not Too Big to Fail”

| Daniela Forte

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos made a rather bold acknowledgement this week, predicting the future demise of his 24-year old juggernaut valued at nearly $1 trillion, when asked in a company meeting about the downfall of Sears. See what else the head of the most disruptive company of our day had to say about business cycles.

More than Half of Consumers Expected to Shop in Stores This Holiday Season

| Daniela Forte

Retailers with a physical presence have an advantage over pure-play ecommerce companies this holiday season, according to a survey by JLL Retail, with 57.3% of consumers planning to make the majority of their purchases there. See what five retailers consumers prefer as well as other predictions for their shopping habits this holiday season.

Reshaping Product Data for Cross-Border Ecommerce

| Fred de Gombert

For retailers, cross-border ecommerce is an easy, low-cost way to enter new markets. But to take advantage of this massive opportunity you need efficient product data management solutions to ensure what you sell is useful and relevant to customers worldwide. These best practices will help you increase global sales and decrease returns.

Black Friday and Sales Tax: A Potentially Risky Combination

| Todd Suchevits

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are bonanzas for online sellers. But there could be a downside this year thanks to the Supreme Court’s South Dakota vs. Wayfair decision, which says states can charge online retailers’ sales tax, regardless of the company’s physical location. Here are 4 things to keep on top of heading into the holidays.

Destination Maternity Plans to Close Up to 280 Stores By 2022

| Daniela Forte

Destination Maternity joins a long line of retail downsizers in recent years, announcing plans to close up to 280 unprofitable stores by 2022, including 117 in fiscal 2018 and another 42 to 67 locations in 2019. Here is how much the company expects to save with these closings.

Cyber Monday Goes Mobile

| Daniela Forte

Holiday spending is expected to exceed $1.10 trillion through January 2019. This is an increase of 5% over last year. With online sales predicted to jump 17% to 22% over 2017, it’s time for retailers to plan for ways to gain a slice of the $7 billion Cyber Monday pie. Here is how retailers can use the mobile channel to meet customer expectations this holiday season.