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Netflix's NFL debut sets records: Despite technical hiccups, Christmas Day games drew over 24 million viewers each, boosting the platform’s sports ambitions.

Overall, Adobe predicts BNPL spend during the full holiday season will total $18.5 billion, up from $16.6 billion last year. The bigger picture: While BNPL’s share of Cyber Monday sales is significant, the payment method grew slower than overall sales, which increased 7.3% YoY.

Our take: Consumers are finding ways to spend big during the holiday season. That’s why we expect US holiday sales to grow 4.3% this year and ecommerce sales to rise 9.0%. This article is part of Ä¢¹½AV’s client-only subscription Briefings—daily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends.

Ecommerce is more important than ever this holiday season. Our holiday forecast expects online sales to grow 9.0% in the final two months of the year. That will push ecommerce’s share of overall holiday sales to a record 19.7%—an 80-basis-point increase over last year and a resounding.

I don't know what share it is a Cyber Monday, but the share of overall spending this holiday season is expected to be 7.7%-. Sara Lebow (10:34):. Okay. Rachel Wolff (10:35):. ... per Adobe. Sara Lebow (10:35):. So a sizable share of that went to buy now-. Rachel Wolff (10:36):. A sizeable share-. Sara Lebow (10:38):. ... pay later. Rachel Wolff (10:39):. ... right. Sara Lebow (10:39):.

US Holiday Shopping 2024 (Ä¢¹½AV subscription required). Note: Ä¢¹½AV benchmarks its US total retail sales figures against US Department of Commerce data from 2018 onward. The last full year measured was 2023.

Temu and Shein’s strategy: The two Chinese retailers are fiercely competing while also trying to drive a lucrative holiday shopping season ahead of political changes that could significantly alter their US businesses. The incoming Trump administration has proposed increasing tariffs on Chinese imports by 10%.

Mattel is banking on in-store retail to uplift holiday sales, while Kimberly-Clark is building its profile through storytelling-driven ads. McDonald’s drawing customers to its loyalty program thanks to gamified features in its mobile app. Here are three insights from each company’s most recent earnings and what marketers can learn.

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.

Zoom out: The Black Friday sales surge suggests consumer spending will remain resilient throughout the holiday season, but it also represents a major step for TikTok’s efforts to get US users interested in social commerce features. There is a massive gap between social commerce adoption in Asia and in the US.

Ecommerce spending in particular is expected to be robust this holiday season: UK shoppers are forecast to spend a record £29.5 billion ($36.7 billion) online in November and December, up 6.1% YoY, per Adobe. That’s the strongest growth since 2020.

Netflix's failed boxing stream raises serious concerns about its tech capabilities: The platform has six weeks to fix major issues before streaming NFL Christmas games.

Chinese consumers kept a tight lid on spending in November: Retail sales fell short of expectations despite Singles Day promotions, pushing Beijing to promise stronger stimulus.

Bluesky, the microblogging alternative to X, has found impressive growth and public interest following the US elections, adding 1 million new users in a single day. However, its murky monetization plans have left its value for marketers unclear.

After a slew of technical failures during November's Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match live stream, advertisers are more aware than ever of what can go wrong during a popular event. And with Netflix's "NFL Christmas Gameday" just around the corner, which will feature Beyoncé performing during the Ravens vs. Texans halftime show, brands can strategize to make the most of a potential broadcast outage.

Alibaba and JD.com tout Singles Day successes, but the data is murky: While transactions rose 27% YoY, the sale was 10 days longer than last year, making it an uncertain gauge of consumer sentiment.

Our take: There’s no time for retailers to waste this holiday season given that there are only 27 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Merchants need to get shoppers to spend as early as possible to avoid excess inventory eating into their margins. Go further: Read our US Holiday Shopping 2024 report.

In November, retailers made strategic moves across grocery, apparel, and beauty. Amazon turned Black Friday into a weeklong event and launched its Shein competitor, Haul. Meanwhile, e.l.f. Beauty strengthened its value proposition through a new Dollar General partnership, while Kroger announced plans for specialized Asian experience stores in North Texas. Here are our eight unofficial picks for the most interesting retailers in November.

Still, the retailer will account for just 8.1% of total ecommerce sales this holiday season to Amazon’s 42.1%, giving it significant runway for growth. Go further: Read our US Holiday Shopping 2024 report and our US Holiday Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks: Q4 2024.

During Prime Day 2024, US shoppers will spend nearly $14 billion—a 5.9% increase over last year. But the dynamics of the shopping event are shifting as competitors chip away at Amazon’s market share.