Industry News

As a record number of people (183.4 million) are expected to shop during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a new survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics reveals the most popular toys and gifts consumers plan to purchase this holiday season.

An analysis from FDA compliance company Registrar Corp reveals that 48% of companies selling imported cosmetics at America’s top 25 retailers are non-compliant with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new cosmetics regulations.

Retail sales bounced back strongly in October as the economy remained in good shape and consumers moved past concerns about a port strike and other issues that slowed September’s sales, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor.

Circana last week announced the U.S. toy retail sales performance results for January through September 2024, revealing insights into the retail trends, performance drivers and consumers’ holiday shopping intentions.

Celebrity partnerships have been used by companies since the early days of marketing. When done correctly, they can greatly help boost brand awareness. Big Sipz, a higher ABV canned cocktail brand, partnered with Waka Flocka on its Purple Punch flavor and has found huge success with the collaboration.

AI-powered audience insights platform RAD Intel just introduced state-by-state functionality to provide brands and agencies with better data and insights on both macro and micro influencers, ensuring more precisely targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

Consumer spending on the winter holidays is expected to reach a record $902 per person on average across gifts, food, decorations and other seasonal items, according to the National Retail Federation’s latest consumer survey. The amount is about $25 per person more than last year’s figure and $16 higher than the previous record set in 2019.

During a media call, the National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasted that winter holiday spending is expected to grow between 2.5% and 3.5% over 2023. That equates to between $979.5 billion and $989 billion in total holiday spending in November and December, compared with $955.6 billion during the same timeframe last year. 

With the holiday season around the corner, e-commerce marketing automation platform Omnisend conducted a survey of 1,000 Americans about their shipping time preferences and found that 44.3% of respondents are willing to wait for more than a week for their parcel to arrive if it means they’ll get the item for a lower price.

Amazon recently notified thousands of brands using their vendor central platform that their 1P (first-party) accounts will be closed on November 9, 2024. This decision has left sellers on the platform scrambling to find alternative sales channels.