Online spending during the holidays may increase 6.7% year-over-year (YOY), according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment and is not adjusted for inflation. It expects in-store sales to increase +2.9% YOY, Read more
Google launched a new generative AI tool that is designed to make shopping easier. It comes at a time when shoppers may be more frequently starting their shopping directly on an ecommerce website like Amazon rather than starting on a Read more
The FTC issued a warning to companies about their use of AI (artificial intelligence) in commercial practices. It’s easy for online sellers to forget they’re obligated to comply with consumer-protection laws, but some fairly small sellers have gotten into big Read more
Easter is a week away, and a third of consumers planned to buy Easter gifts online, according to the National Retail Federation. Easter spending is expected to reach a record $24 billion this year. As in previous years, most consumers Read more
The Kovels, renowned publishers in the antiques and collectibles space, have sold their business to the parent company of Antique Trader. Active Interest Media (AIM) pointed to the growth of the collectibles industry and said the addition of Kovels, Inc.’s Read more
In today’s column, Don Heiden, aka the Auction Professor, talks about his experiences with consignment selling – including the most expensive item he sold on behalf of a client – and some things resellers should consider before taking on the Read more
The best way for online sellers to deal with returns is to reduce their numbers and to have a system in place for those that are unavoidable. That advice comes from logistics expert Brendan Heegan, who said merchants and retailers Read more
Holiday retail sales in the United States in 2022 grew 7.6% over last year, and online sales grew 10.6% – a fairly narrow spread. The data comes from Mastercard SpendingPulse which tracks in-store and online retail sales across all forms Read more
People will be shopping in force online and in-person on “Super Saturday,” according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), which falls on December 17. And while the window is closing for online sellers to fulfill items in time to Christmas Read more
This year saw a greater number of people shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (a record 196.7 million), which also saw the resurgence of in-store shopping, according to National Retail Federation CEO Matthew Shay. The head of the trade organization Read more
