What’s hot in retail – Nov. ’10

According to our stats, it was “all holidays, all the time” throughout the month of November for retailers as NRF holiday resources hit yearly highs throughout the end of the month. However, another important event occurred on November 2 that piqued the attention of many retail industry executives: the 2010 midterm elections. Between focusing on the holidays and digesting the impact of the election, who had time for anything else? Read on below for a comprehensive list of the resources, blog posts and retail news articles your peers found most valuable for the month of November.

NRF information:

• Chock-full of consumer survey data, sales forecasts and insights from the industry’s top executives, it’s no surprise that NRF’s Holiday Headquarters was the #1 visited resource on NRF.com throughout the last month.
• NRF was one of the first to release Black Friday shopping numbers after the holiday weekend. The findings? 212 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 195 million in 2009. And those who shopped also spent more, with the average shopper spending $365.34, up from last year’s $343.31. Total spending reached an estimated $45.0 billion.
• A complete turnover of the U.S. House of Representatives left some wondering: “What does this mean for retail?” On November 3, NRF’s policy team issued an election update detailing the implications of the election results on a multitude of issues impacting the retail community, such as health care, taxes, labor and trade.
• This year’s Cyber Monday survey findings showed that 9 out of 10 retailers were planning special promotions for the Monday after Thanksgiving. Our list of participating retailers signaled an increase in significance as well.
• NRF’s Black Friday weekend forecast also garnered quite a bit of attention, with survey results pointing to a substantial increase in people planning to shop (138 million forecast in 2010, up from 134 million last year).

Blog posts:

• Top ten holiday trends for 2010
• Macy’s Terry Lundgren talks holiday trends, Black Friday, and the importance of “believing”
• Lands’ End President discusses going the extra mile for the customer
• What’s hot in retail – Oct. ’10
• U.S. Senators: Impact of health care law looking grim

Top retail news stories in NRF SmartBrief:

• T.J. Maxx builds buzz with $399 iPad “scavenger hunt”
• How will the congressional shift affect the retail industry?
• Retailers see strong Thanksgiving weekend sales
• J.Crew agrees to buyout offer by 2 equity firms
• Chico’s quiet transformation pays off