#gift-returns

#gift-returns

Regulators are paying more attention to data privacy because their constituents consider it a 'kitchen table' issue, highlighting its importance in everyday life.

The convenience of sourcing online is fraught with more pitfalls than most of us want to admit. Try finding adequate photos of a vintage piece's condition-close-ups of the fabric, video of damaged areas, any images of a piece's rear or underside!

"Everything in today's e-commerce environment is being driven by increased intensity of the research phase and true generational divides during the current macroeconomic environment," said Jaysen Gillespie, VP of product marketing and analytics at RTB House.

Salesforce, the AI-powered customer relationship management platform, reported Monday that 2025 holiday sales online rose 7 percent to $1.29 trillion globally, and 4 percent to $294 billion in the U.S. That compares to the $1.2 trillion in global online sales, and $241.4 billion in U.S. sales reached during the 2024 holiday period. Salesforce reported the average selling price was up 7 percent year-over-year. The price hikes were largely due to inflation and tariffs.

You're scrolling through an online retailer, like Amazon, Shein or eBay, and spot a shirt on sale for $40. You add it to your cart, but at checkout, a $10 shipping fee suddenly appears. Frustrated, you close the tab. But what if that same shirt was priced at $50 with free shipping? The likelihood that you would have bought it without a second thought is much higher.

When a transaction involves a cost, we instinctively weigh the downside. But when something is entirely free, we experience a positive emotion and perceive the offer as more valuable than it is mathematically. Retailers no doubt realise that offering free delivery is one of the most effective ways to stop a consumer from abandoning a digital shopping cart.

That's a problem. Without a doubt, a great website and top-level marketing will help generate new sales, but it's the delivery experience that warrants future ones. This is because today's consumer not only has options for where they'll buy but also a high set of expectations. What's more, they remember the way a product arrives at their doorstep more than how it was sold.

Amazon has never failed to make the most of a holiday weekend with a sale event, and this upcoming weekend is no exception. But while the retailer undoubtedly has an impressive trove of deals worth your hard earned cash, there's also a selection of items- travel gear, in particular-that you may want to skip in favor of some more thoughtful (and useful) picks.