As much as 40% of retailers' annual sales are generated during the holidays, leaving little room to get it wrong. 

2018 gave retailers a lot to take in at the top of the year – a strong U.S. economy, record-high holiday sales, varied retail earnings and a few unforeseen bankruptcies. As consumers continue to hold all the power, retailers are challenged with meeting customer expectations of “having it all” while protecting their bottom line. Retailers need to understand the higher costs of servicing consumers and carefully examine their customer acquisition strategies before chasing shoppers down the customer-expectation rabbit hole this holiday.

The 2019 YTD Retail Index and Holiday Recommendations Guide identifies prevailing trends impacting retail performance and profitability in the first half of 2019 from an in-depth analysis of $13.3 billion in online consumer transactions across North America and Europe.  

Highlights include:

• YTD benchmarking data across marketing, promotions, inventory, orders and customers
• Key strategy considerations for Holiday 2019  
• Customer-centric tactics to improve profitability and growth
• Pitfalls of the post-holiday Retail Vortex and how to avoid it in January 2020