Now that we’re moving into the heart of this crucial selling season, retailers realize they not only must carry out their heavily planned holiday plans flawlessly, but build out their strategies for success in 2016.
Here are the top retail stories of the week from the RTP team:
Did Retailers Overcome Their Greatest Challenges In 2015? This Editor’s Perspective from RTP Editor-In-Chief Debbie Hauss looks back at some of the challenges retailers faced at the start of 2015, and revisits how they’ve been handled. Topics include: the struggle to deliver omnichannel in practice, the movement toward EMV payments, and the further integration of customer engagement technologies.
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In closing, the article gave a brief roundup of those retailers who have gotten modern retailing right, including Adore Me, Urban Decay and Generation Tux.
Apple Goes “Ultraluxe”: Apple is introducing the Phantom wireless speaker from French audio company Devialet into 14 of its U.S. stores and is discussing the possibility of rolling it out to a wider audience in 2016. The device will get a prominent display usually reserved for Apple’s Beats audio accessories.
The kicker here is that Apple stores rarely spotlight products not produced by Apple. The Phantom, which starts at a hefty price of $1,990, is an example of the tech giant’s push toward high-end luxury experiences within its stores.
FTC Regulators Contest Staples-Office Depot Merger: The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit seeking to block Staples’ proposed $6.3 billion acquisition of rival Office Depot, on the grounds that it would violate antitrust laws and eliminate competition.
A four-person panel from the FTC voted unanimously in favor of filing the complaint, leading the commission to seek a temporary restraining order and a preliminary court injunction to prevent the transaction. The move prevents the two largest American office supply retailers from joining forces, at least until a hearing scheduled for May 2016.
U.S. Holiday Spending Poised For Record Year, Says NRF: Post-Black Friday weekend projections indicate that holiday sales will increase 3.7% to $630.5 billion, compared to 2014’s growth rate of 4.1%, according to the NRF. Online sales are set to increase up to 8% to $105 billion this year, which should come as no surprise after e-Commerce sales from Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday increased 17%.
The state of the U.S. economy is set to have the least impact on holiday shopping plans since the NRF kept track in 2009, with 66.1% of consumers saying they are unaffected.
Will you be spending more this holiday season? Add a comment below!
