A truncated holiday spending period with fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the election will throw a curveball to retail sales this season, our analyst Sky Canaves said on an episode of the “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast. In-store retail will see healthy growth, consumers will continue holding back on splurges, and mobile will uplift overall ecommerce. Here are three trends we’re predicting for the upcoming holiday season.

Many are willing to go into debt to get through the season. This could become a problem for payment providers

Walmart enhanced its online marketplace with new capabilities and seller solutions, the retailer announced at its annual Walmart Marketplace Seller Summit this week. Updates include the addition of premium beauty products, expanded fulfillment services, and revamped seller solutions.

This year, US holiday sales will reach a record $1.353 trillion, per our July 2024 forecast. That holiday season is starting earlier and earlier, which means marketers need to be prepared now for shopping to pick up in September and October. The election and consumer concerns about the economy will complicate where advertisers reach consumers and what messaging they use. Here are five stats marketers should see as they prep their holiday campaigns.

The 2024 holiday season is forecasted to top $1.353 trillion, according to EMARKETER. To thrive in this high-stakes period, businesses must embrace opportunities like AI-driven personalization, seamless payment options, and the longer gift-buying season.

As consumers become increasingly cost-cautious, competition for dollars is fierce. Halloween costumes, decor, and party supplies may not be a top shopping priority, but specialty retailers such as Spirit Halloween still find a way to engage consumers and attract their dollars.

Consumers are turning to their TVs for holiday inspiration: 43% of connected TV (CTV) users say TV ads offer useful information on holiday shopping, and 72% would scan a QR code in a TV ad to make a purchase, according to a report from LG Ad Solutions.

Retailers must continually test and adapt their strategies to find what resonates with consumers ahead of the holidays. An extended holiday season requires a dynamic approach to promotions, while brands aiming to reach Gen Z should use creators and video ads. Here are three pieces of advice on a successful holiday ad campaign from Meta and two of its advertising partners, ​​Ogee Beauty and AS Beauty.

Retail foot traffic is bouncing back, especially in malls, thanks to diverse tenant mixes and engaging experiences that attract shoppers, Ethan Chernofsky, senior vice president of marketing at Placer.ai, said during a recent EMARKETER webinar. The pandemic’s lasting influence has also changed how we shop, with more people visiting multiple grocery stores for the best deals and quality, while small-format stores are helping retailers meet local needs.

Ecommerce growth accelerated during the 2023 holiday season as US consumers shifted more of their shopping to mobile devices.

“Despite lingering inflation, relatively sluggish consumer confidence, and shrinking excess savings, people still pulled out their wallets for the holidays,” our analyst Zak Stambor said on an episode of the “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast. Because it’s never too early to start planning for the biggest retail period, here are four predictions for the 2024 holiday season.

Large retailers are in a prime position for the final holiday push: Amazon, Target, and Walmart are poised to leverage their infrastructures to capture an outsize share of spend and retail media dollars.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss how the Thanksgiving numbers look, why folks are online shopping more this season, and where the ecommerce ceiling is. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us four spicy predictions about the remaining few weeks of holiday shopping. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman and analyst Zak Stambor.

From Goop and the New York Times to TikTok creators, everyone is putting out a gift guide this year, trying to get a piece of this year’s holiday sales pie, which we forecast to reach $1.31 trillion in the US.

Consumers are turning to the payment method to mitigate financial pressures this holiday season, but overextension concerns persist

After its US launch in September, TikTok Shop faces its first holiday season, heating up competition in the social commerce space.

We capture how payment providers are innovating to meet new preferences and capture this vital volume in four trends

’Tis the season for a deluge of holiday ads, as everyone tries to score a piece of the $1.317 trillion holiday sales pie (per our June 2023 forecast). To break through the noise, brands need to zero in on what resonates with consumers—and maybe even have a little fun.

Gen Z is ready to spend this season. Millennials may be a bit cautious. YouTube is the place to go if brands want to get on Gen Alpha’s radar. And for older consumers, trust is the key to getting them to spend. Here’s how retailers can appeal to each generation as the holiday season readies for Cyber Five.