When it comes to gifts, regardless of the season, there’s no question that the age old saying “it’s the thought that counts” rings true. But this holiday season, it looks like gift-giving might actually be back in fashion after taking a hiatus the last few years. And from what we can see, shoppers aren’t skimping on presents [...]
Gift cards have been one of retailers’ most popular items for many years now, and sales continue to grow every year. But a controversial new law in one state is threatening to make it so difficult to sell a gift card that some major players are pulling out and local retailers are afraid a “domino [...]
Starry-eyed graduates across the country are dreaming of new opportunities, traveling the world, freedom from their parents and – most importantly – cards full of cash to help fulfill those dreams. But their parents and other relatives aren’t quite as eager as they may have been a few years ago to stuff a greeting card [...]
The first month of 2011 was all about celebrating a comeback year for retail and looking ahead to a hopeful year of growth for the industry. The first such focus on this comeback and look forward came at NRF’s 100th Annual Convention and EXPO in New York City, with 22,000 industry professionals gathering for Retail’s [...]
Well, there are definitely more than seven new and exciting things about this year’s Annual Convention, but here are a few of the top items you won’t want to miss if you’re attending next week’s show. 1. Retail’s BIG Show goes mobile. As much as shoppers are relying on mobile retail sites, we thought we’d [...]
According to NRF research, gift card spending is expected to reach $24.8 billion this year and gift cards remain the most requested holiday gift. But browse the internet and you may find a website selling your company’s gift card with unbelievable discounts that even Santa would balk at. How is this possible? Well, some websites do [...]
Hours before the clock struck midnight this Black Friday, millions of holiday shoppers lined up outside of stores across the country, eager to get their hands on hot holiday merchandise. Retail executives and NRF spokespeople were also up bright and early, sharing their insights into what Black Friday 2010 will bring and what it all means. NRF Chairman, [...]
After releasing our holiday forecast two weeks ago, we waited patiently to see if the findings from our first consumer survey would corroborate – or completely contradict – our economist’s analysis. Fortunately for us, the same conclusions can be drawn either way: the economy is still impacting shoppers, but there is reason for optimism. We’re [...]
With the ink still wet on the signs being hung in the Crystal Palace at the Jacob Javits Center, I’m sitting in the middle of the Annual Convention and thinking about the rest of the year, not the next few days. Why? Because I’m sitting smack in the middle of Everything NRF – the place [...]
In a media and analyst briefing earlier today, BIGresearch’s Phil Rist and I shared ten insights of what to expect this holiday season based largely on findings from NRF’s first holiday survey. Listen in on the complete briefing, or view the top 10 below: #1: Americans aren’t ready to declare an end to the recession. [...]