Opinion From Shop.org: Retailers Not Prepared for the Short Holiday Season

Few retailers have a robust plan ready for the "shortest runway to Christmas since 2002.″ I've had hour-long meetings with nine retailers in the last 20 hours at the Shop.org Annual Summit. One thing that strikes me as surprising as well as concerning is the lack of preparedness for a very short holiday season — only three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Most retailers that I met with are still unable to fully fathom the impact of one less week (25 percent less time) on online demand.