Retailer Reports

Wal-Mart extended holidays with Three Kings
The Three Kings holiday, which is celebrated in early January in Spain and Latin America, helped extend the holiday shopping season in the U.S. this year. Wal-Mart planned to host celebrations in 480 stores nationwide. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock) (free registration) (1/4)

• Where to buy an iPhone? Wal-Mart: Wal-Mart and Best Buy began selling the Apple iPhone for less than $200 in late December. Wal-Mart's heavy traffic and broad spectrum of shoppers, however, better ensures that it is best poised to rake in iPhone sales in 2009. MediaPost Communications/Online Video Insider blog (1/5)

Amazon claims "best ever" shopping season
Amazon said it had a 17% increase in orders Dec. 15, its busiest day, and called the 2008 holiday shopping season its "best ever." The company did not say whether the average order amount was more or less than last year. The Seattle Times/The Associated Press (12/26)

Video game consoles shone this holiday
Microsoft's console business had its best holiday season in history thanks to sales of its Xbox 360. Other producers, including Nintendo and Sony, also saw strong game-console sales this holiday. CNET (1/5)

Holiday Trends

After-Christmas sales might boost overall holiday season
Though the holiday season might already be called the worst in recent history, after-Christmas sales might buoy the bleak numbers, the NRF reported. Some 15% of all holiday sales take place the week after Christmas. The Washington Independent (Washington, D.C.) (1/5)

Study: Majority of online holiday shoppers used reviews
More than 81% of shoppers relied on retailer reviews when shopping this holiday season, Nielsen Online found. "Perhaps more than any other time of year, consumers are looking for outside feedback for guidance," said Ken Cassar, a Nielsen executive. MarketingVOX  (1/5)

Boxing Day is year's busiest for e-commerce in U.K.
Boxing Day was this year's busiest for U.K. e-retailers, but traffic was still lower by almost 5% compared with Dec. 26, 2007. EBay UK, Amazon UK and Argos were among the top sellers this year. The Wall Street Journal (free content)/Dow Jones Newswires (12/29)

Heavy discounts don't prevent poor holiday performance
Even the deep discounts retailers offered after Christmas aren't helping to improve the holiday-season performance. One analyst says January will be tough because "the first half of the month is dominated by gift-card redemptions, and to the extent that less [gift cards] were purchased, we expect it will dampen sales." The Wall Street Journal (free content) (12/31)

Research and Releases

Get a recap of the holiday season and learn what's in store for 2009
Join us at 2 p.m. Eastern Jan. 21 as we look back at the holiday season and peer into 2009. This webinar will cover consumers' plans for spending in early 2009, holiday trends that will be sticking around, and specific steps retailers can take to weather the downturn. Learn more. Blank (1/7)

Emotional ads resonate with shoppers this holiday season, according to RAMA survey
Well-known celebrities, "true story" campaigns, children's holiday pageants and discounted toys were some of the components of retailers' holiday commercials this year, touching on the emotional side of holiday shopping and highlighting shoppers' focus on price. When asked which retailer has the best holiday TV commercial, consumers ranked Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Macy's and Kohl's as favorites. Read the news release. Blank (1/7)

Shop.org's CyberMonday.com has record-setting holiday season
Shop.org announced that its CyberMonday.com Web site raised more than $400,000 for the Ray M. Greenly Scholarship Fund during the 2008 holiday season. CyberMonday.com, a one-stop shop for holiday deals, is the official shopping Web site of Shop.org, NRF's digital division, and is powered by Mall Networks. Read more here. Blank (1/7)

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