Tag Archives: Holiday

Dec. 8, 2021 — With millions of Americans vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, many are anxious to take part in more normal holiday gatherings for the first time in nearly 2 years. But with COVID-19 still a concern, especially amid the new Omicron variant, staying safe is key. And a new trends tool from Google Maps aims to do just that, offering information to make the holiday safer and more efficient by pinpointing the busiest times to travel, grocery shop, head to the salon, and buy… Source link

Dive Brief: Walmart and Yahoo on Black Friday launched a “Holiday with Heart” effort to kick off the holiday season through shoppable content and add-to-cart functionalities powered by augmented reality, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive’s sister publication Marketing Dive. The “Play for Joy” game on Instagram lets mobile users interact with a claw machine and grab as many virtual Walmart gifts as possible before the clock runs out. They can also… Source link

Google announced this Wednesday on its Nest community blog the return of holiday-themed ringtones for Nest Doorbells (via 9to5Google). Visitors arriving for family holiday gatherings can now press the Nest Doorbell and be greeted with sounds of the holidays, including “Winter,” Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and New Year’s jingles. Google did have holiday bell options last year as well — but only as a perk for subscribers to its Nest Aware smart alert service. This year, owners of… Source link

As backlogs in the U.S. supply chain continue to threaten shipping and deliveries this holiday season, consumers’ purchasing habits and plans appear to be relatively unwavered. According to ChargeItSpot founder and CEO Doug Baldasare, the majority of shoppers the company surveyed are not changing their gift buying approach this year. “We’ve seen a gradual and steady return to brick-and-mortar shopping. As we’ve looked at the last 12 months, it’s really been a pretty steady upward trend,”… Source link

Walmart and Yahoo are getting festive with a new AR game, shoppable influencer-studded video content and additional cross-site e-commerce integrations. Here are all of the details. Walmart and Yahoo are gearing up for Christmas commerce. The web services company has teamed with the retail giant to bring consumers a handful of new shoppable experiences, digital activations and gift guides ahead of the holidays. The joint ‘Holiday with Heart’ campaign involves a number of key initiatives… Source link

As the supply chain crisis threatens to disrupt the holiday shopping season, more people are turning to an unlikely source — used clothing — to fill the gap. November is known traditionally as one of the best months to find deals. This year, however, many hot products are in short supply, or are more expensive than usual because of supply chain bottlenecks. And while discount sales started sooner this year, the secondhand clothing market is increasingly popular. “We’ve seen an explosion… Source link

Google is adding a handful of new features to Google Maps in time for the holiday season, which collectively should make getting around a slightly less fraught experience. The new features were announced in a blog post today. A new “Area Busyness” feature provides information on how popular neighborhoods are rather than just specific destinations, while the app’s “Directory” tab is rolling out globally to give more info on the stores and amenities inside locations like malls and… Source link

Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano is ready for a strong year-end as pandemic-era global travel restrictions are eased. “I think it was Sept. 20 when the administration announced their intention to open up the borders. We saw an immediate spike in bookings and have seen it right through to today,” Capuano said on Yahoo Finance Live.  Today, the U.S. ended a pandemic travel ban on international visitors from 33 countries. The ban has lasted 19 months, and was first implemented by the Trump… Source link

Southwest Airlines (LUV) trimmed its schedule for November and December and has beefed up staffing ahead of the expected Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday travel rush. “So our reserves are over 20% for our crews, which helps you operate every single day,” Incoming CEO Bob Jordan told Yahoo Finance Live. That 20% is almost double the number Southwest had in place in early October when bad weather and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic delays cascaded into a logistics nightmare… Source link

Amid a strained period for supply chains across the country, UPS looks like a bright spot for investors, according to a new note from Stifel. Stifel upgraded the stock from Hold to Buy, noting that “there’s a lot to like about the fundamental UPS story right now,” raising its target price to $224. “I’d say that UPS is in the best position or at least one of the best positions” amid the holiday shopping season, Stifel’s Bruce Chan said on Yahoo Finance Live. “When you’re looking at the kind of… Source link