As consumers hunt for the best deals, generative AI will drive $194 billion in consumer spending by enabling brands to provide personalized customer service, marketing promotions, and commerce experiences, per Salesforce. Social media advertising will also have an outsized impact on purchase decisions versus traditional marketing efforts.

“[This year] has been a once-in-a-career opportunity to hit the reset button on promotions and not just lift and shift what you did in the past,” said Erica Harrison, vice president of analytics at NielsenIQ during a recent LinkedIn live Q&A. As brands rethink their pricing and promotion strategies, they must keep track of their competition, secure retailer support, and get the timing right. However, it’s also important not to train consumers to be over-reliant on promotions. Here are five tips for brands as we head into the holiday season.

Deal-seeking by consumers, heavy discounting from retailers, and a longer holiday shopping season drove an uptick in returns during the 2022 holiday season. Retailers will need to plan their promotional calendars carefully to manage returns in 2023.

The 2022 holiday season’s solid retail sales gains were mostly attributable to inflation, but they nevertheless paint a cautiously optimistic picture for the 2023 holiday season.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss what kind of a holiday season we are expecting, how shopping behaviors are changing, and how retailers and brands can win over consumers. Then for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the top four holiday ads you need to watch. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Andrew Lipsman and Carina Perkins.

Retail sales rose 1.3% in October: That suggests retailers were successful in pulling the holidays forward. However, Target’s Q3 earnings show what consumers are buying is changing.

On today's episode, we discuss what to make of the apparent turnaround in Amazon's online store sales growth, why Amazon's ad business stands out, and what to expect from the ecommerce giant in Q4. "In Other News," we talk about the secret to returns convenience and how much people will be shopping in stores this holiday season. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Andrew Lipsman.

On today's episode, we discuss what podcast platforms besides Spotify are doing, how many dollars are being spent on ads, and the main issues facing the podcast world. "In Other News," we talk about the significance of Netflix's new ad measurement partners and what to make of marketers prioritizing promotions over ads this holiday season. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Daniel Konstantinovic.

The 2021 holiday season saw the highest retail growth in 20 years, setting the stage for a solid 2022 holiday season.

In this Meet the Analyst Webinar, Andrew Lipsman, our principal analyst, will recap the 2021 holiday season and share what he expects will happen in 2022 to help you prepare for what’s to come.

On this episode of Brand Anatomy, where we get exclusive looks inside leading brands, eMarketer Briefing director Jeremy Goldman sits down with Abby Whitmer, vice president of ecommerce at BeautyBio, to discuss how the beauty brand is adjusting to iOS privacy changes, tackling supply chain issues as a medium-sized business, and lessons from this year’s holiday season.

Amazon announces “Black Friday-worthy” deals are starting earlier than ever: Following Prime Day 2020's success as a preamble to the holiday season, Amazon is rolling out discounts early—and competitors are following suit.

Sticky consumer shopping habits and Thanksgiving store closures will likely set the stage for ecommerce this holiday season.

The 2020 holiday season’s unprecedented ecommerce surge helped total US retail spending remain positive, setting the tone for healthy outlook for 2021 holiday season growth.

The 2020 US holiday season, set amid the backdrop of a pandemic-driven consumer economy, will see an unprecedented shift to ecommerce.

The 2019 holiday season posted modest retail sales growth amid a strong consumer economy but challenging calendar. With more economic risks ahead, the 2020 season may be even more challenged for growth.

Strong growth in online sales over the 2019 holiday season propelled the UK retail sector past a milestone. Ecommerce represented 28.2% of all holiday retail sales, surpassing the 25% mark for the first time. Total retail sales for the season amounted to £99.26 billion ($132.33 billion).

For this holiday edition of the Weekly Listen podcast, we dig into some surprising data about Christmas, and welcome a unexpected visitor in the studio.

For the first time, holiday retail sales will cross the $1 trillion mark. Up 5.8% from the year prior, the 2018 season will benefit from near record-high consumer confidence, strong ecommerce sales and over 30 shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

According to data from liquidation platform B-Stock Solutions, roughly $90 billion to $95 billion in holiday gifts will be returned this year.