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 ]
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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