Catch up quick on last week's ecommerce news

Author

Stephen Babcock
January 03, 2023

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Early reports are pointing to record-breaking returns during this year’s holiday shopping season. In the two days after Christmas, DTC brands that manage returns with Loop collectively saw a 57% increase over 2021. These aren't only refunds, as more consumers are also making exchanges and buying additional new items.

Topping last year's Dealboard: The Kroger-Albertsons merger, Hero's acquisition and Liquid Death's massive valuation. Plus, Amazon, Shopify, Instacart and eBay all added to their platforms with new acquisitions. Looking for more new year reflections? Check out what ecommerce leaders have to say about surprising trends of 2022 and predictions for 2023.

Consumer savings will be watched closely this year as an indicator of available discretionary dollars. After reaching all-time highs during the pandemic, the savings rate is now at its lowest level since 2005. –CNN

Catch up quick on last week’s news

Getting caught up after the holidays? Here’s a quick rundown of what we covered at The Current last week: Mastercard shared that holiday retail sales rose 7.6%, then the credit card company received an order from the FTC over debit data sharing. Freshly and Eastbay closed their doors before the end of the year. Ecommerce made it into Congress’ massive spending package via the INFORM Act. Plus, General Mills shared how its massive investment in first-party data is bringing big returns, and Bainbridge Growth explored what's next for Solo as a house of many brands.

This week, 2023 tradeshow season kicks off in Las Vegas, as CES provides a look at where tech is heading next. Meanwhile, earnings reports from consumer brand leaders and the monthly jobs report from the federal government offer a snapshot of demand.

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