Microsoft's planned acquisition of PromoteIQ is the tech company's latest move to expand its retail partnerships and compete with Amazon. PromoteIQ, a marketing tech platform, counts Kohl's, Office Depot and Overstock.com among its retail clients.

Retailers including Home Depot, Macy's and Target are offering holiday shoppers same-day delivery on Christmas Eve, and Walmart is extending its cutoff for delivery by Christmas to Dec. 20. As Amazon raises the competitive bar among retailers, many merchants are also offering click-and-collect options and staying open later on Christmas Eve.

Home Depot and Lowe's have launched their annual spring hiring sprees, planning to add more than 80,000 and 53,000 seasonal staffers, respectively. The tighter labor market could make filling posts tougher, so Home Depot has eased recruitment by letting people apply for jobs and schedule interviews via smartphone.

Traditional physical retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond have purchased a number of e-commerce websites to compete with Amazon, but the move is costly, often leading to failed efforts. However, when done well, such as with Home Depot's ability to integrate its online shopping with its stores, building an online business model can provide significant success.

Many retailers are gearing up to hire ahead of the new year, with Amazon planning to continue its 120,000-employee holiday hiring spree and Whole Foods Market looking for new workers in the wake of its merger with Amazon, according to a list from job search platform Glassdoor. Home Depot, Kohl's and Target are also hiring.