Holiday at Retail: Peaks, Valleys and Prolonged Promoting

It’s been a bumpy holiday stretch with highs and lows, different dynamics than past seasons and big-time performances by some of the nation’s most powerful businesses — Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Costco and Amazon. Several home stores like West Elm, Restoration Hardware and Williams Sonoma did well, as did Bath & Body Works and Lego. On the apparel side, Lululemon, American Eagle, Aerie, Bath & Body Works, TJX Cos. and other offpricers saw robust traffic; specialty apparel and department stores fared less well. Double-digit e-commerce gains were common, offsetting shrinking shopper traffic at malls. Promotions started earlier and lasted longer though the discounts weren’t any deeper than a year ago. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Super Saturday saw robust sales though traffic trends quickly simmered down in the immediate days following. And retailers doubled down on providing conveniences like buy online, pickup or return in store, faster deliveries and self-checkout. With six fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, the retail planning was challenging. Less time for shopping meant consumers hurried to complete their gift lists but couldn’t take full advantage of all the doorbusters and holiday bargains to buy much for themselves. This week, retailers and suppliers seemed satisfied with the holiday

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