Retail Stores

At Kmart stores across the country, Santa seems to be getting some help: Anonymous donors are paying off strangers’ layaway accounts, buying the Christmas gifts other families couldn't afford, especially toys and children's clothes set aside by impoverished parents.

In-store holiday music, while festive, can start to sound the same. Try being the guy programming it. "There are only about 25 Christmas songs; there are just 8,000 versions," said Shawn Cash, programmer for in-store music company Retail Radio. "Try and name 50 Christmas songs."

Retailers everywhere are looking to reach prospects and customers to ensure their products end up under the tree this year. There are many different philosophies on how to achieve this goal, but one consistent requirement is accurate contact data. A recent Experian QAS survey found that 99 percent of respondents waste budget on inaccurate contact data, hurting operational efficiency and communication effectiveness, especially during the holiday rush.
 

After a Good Samaritan helped her pay off the layaway bill she’d accumulated to buy Christmas gifts for her grandchildren, Lori Stearnes planned to collect her paycheck Friday and head to Kmart anyway. Her new plan? Pay the stranger’s kindness forward by using the money she’d budgeted to instead support somebody else.

Uniqlo opened two unique flagship stores in the heart of Manhattan’s busiest shopping districts this fall. Shoppers who walk into the Fifth Avenue Uniqlo find themselves canopied under a three-story vaulted ceiling and faced with a sleek staircase accessorized with color-changing LED lighting.

With just nine days until Christmas, the National Retail Federation has revised its holiday forecast upward, expecting holiday sales to rise 3.8 percent this year to a record $469.1 billion. The initial forecast, announced on Oct. 6, called for anticipated sales growth of 2.8 percent.

Toys"R"Us announced that its stores nationwide will remain open for 112 uninterrupted hours beginning at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20 and continuing through 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. In conjunction with continuous shopping during the last few days leading up to Christmas, Toys"R"Us will hold a two-day sale from Tuesday, Dec. 20 to Wednesday, Dec. 21.

With free shipping cutoffs looming, shoppers are turning to the streets to find last-minute gifts in stores. You can make your brand stand out after shipping cutoffs by taking advantage of consumers' companion this holiday season — smartphones.

December holiday sales remain flat year-over-year but are showing signs of growth to come. Double-digit increases in week-over-week sales show shoppers are spending this holiday season. According to ShopperTrak, the week ending Dec. 10 saw a 10.6 percent increase in retail sales from the previous week.