Reasonably Interesting Week

Happy Monday! The holiday blitz kicks off this week with Amazon Prime Day 2 on Tuesday, Target Circle Week and Walmart Plus Week all happening as you read this. With so much promotion, let's cross our fingers that the tides raise all boats. Here's what we have this week: 1. Adobe and Bain & Company predict a record online holiday sales of $240B, up 5% from last year, likely cap off ecommerce as the primary growth driver in retail this year. 2. Poshmark, a smaller marketplace player in apparel, has lowered their seller fees. Another domino in the line of Amazon, Temu and SHEIN doing the same in efforts to grow share and beat competition. 3. Amazon is hiring 250K seasonal workers, the same as last year for holiday demand. Either they expect flattish sales or that their technology investments will be the efficiency star of the season. 4. East and Gulf coast port strikes will be delayed until January 2025, nearly avoiding any holiday shipping concerns. The tigers are pouncing and getting ready to strike this week in October. We'll find out over the coming weeks how they made it out. Whether a large bison or a couple antelopes. And now, the newsletter. . .

Interesting Retail

• Adobe Analytics predicts U.S. online holiday sales to reach a record $240 billion this year, reflecting continued growth in e-commerce. Key drivers include increased promotions and consumer comfort with digital shopping. (Link Here)
• Bain & Company predict consumer spending will break records this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, up 5%, driven by pent-up demand and strong consumer confidence heading into the holiday season. (Link Here)
• Walmart’s focus on blending e-commerce with physical store experiences is paying off as affluent customers increasingly use its grocery services. (Link Here)
• Costco’s CFO revealed the company aims to lower prices due to effectively flat inflation rates, focusing on maintaining competitive pricing while boosting member retention. (Link Here)
• Poshmark announced a reduction in seller fees, aiming to attract more users by improving the platform’s profitability for sellers. (Link Here)

Interesting Logistics

• A tentative agreement between the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has been reached, avoiding a major port strike. (Link Here)
• Costco is expanding its digital services, focusing on deliveries and in-store pick-up options to boost sales and meet the growing demand for convenient shopping experiences. (Link Here)
• Amazon announced it will hire 250,000 workers for the holiday season, the same amount as last year, to meet growing e-commerce demands. (Link Here)

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