Shoppers appear unfazed by a potential recession, tariff uncertainty and an impeachment inquiry in Washington. The National Retail Federation, which released its annual holiday sales forecast Thursday, says retail sales will increase between 3.8 percent and 4.2 percent during the last two months of the year, compared with the year-earlier period. That’s a total of as much as $730.7 billion for the crucial holiday period. “It’s a strong forecast despite all that uncertainty,” Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the NRF, said on a call with reporters. He noted that last year’s holiday spending was “unusually low” and increased in the low-2-percent range only. At the time, consumers were navigating factors such as the government shutdown and early tariff talks. Whether shoppers spend or not, retailers will be ready with ads. During the first half of 2019, such marketers spent $7 billion, or 4 percent more on advertising than the year-earlier period, according to Kantar data. Kantar executives expect advertising over the holiday to increase. “The holiday season is still a critical period of the year for retailers,” says Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar, noting that advertisers need to keep pace with or out-spend competitors. In a report, Kantar outlined digital media as a key spending area for advertisers, in keeping with the growth of Cyber Monday and online shopping during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The NRF predicts online buying, and other non-store... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'
[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-03 19:49:51 UTC ]
Brick-and-mortar book stores have clearly been on the decline for a while -- just look at Barnes & Noble's rocky finances. However, there's now some tangible evidence that the pendulum has swung in favor of internet-based sales. BookStats estimates... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has said it took orders for more than 36.8 million items worldwide on Cyber Monday (2nd... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After the staff at New Hampshire bookstores proposed 'Cider Monday' as a holiday to celebrate on America's Cyber Monday, the idea caught on with other indie sellers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a conference call B&N executives cited the importance of device production to content providers, pointed to the advantages of its physical stores in conjunction with digital distribution and outlined new strategies to address mounting Nook Media losses. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pressing the "no" button on the Harvard University admissions page for accepted students was one of the most difficult things Farmington High School valedictorian Tyler Hoffman has ever done. "The name was definitely a major factor in my decision to apply early to Harvard. I sort of convinced... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble's Nook unit didn't have its greatest quarter. The $160 million in revenue the new Microsoft-backed spin off raked in was slightly better than last year's $152 million, but still a significant drop from $220 million. In a sign of the growing ubiquity of e-readers however,... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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