Holiday sales increased 5% over last year, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse report, marking the largest year-over-year increase since 2011. Christian Magoon, CEO of Amplify, and Melissa Gonzalez, CEO and Founder of Lion'esque Group, join The Long and The Short to recap retail in 2017 and make predictions for 2018.
According to the Mastercard survey, aggressive promotions early in the holiday season were the main driver for the uptick in retail sales. As for the specific categories that saw growth: sales of electronics and appliances increased by 7.5%, and home furnishings and improvement sales jumped 5%. However, women's apparel was negative over the entire year.
Magoon believes mobile commerce is growing by leaps and bounds, which is a direct result of retail sales going up. This is a white-hot growth opportunity for retailers, as smart devices, faster internet, and more trusted mobile payment technology push mobile sales above desktop or foot-traffic. Gonzalez says that retail stores need to start offering perks to their shoppers to get them in the store. Additionally, aggressive discounts were a main driver this year.
Nora Minno, a registered dietician, spoke about the rise of the mocktail and explained the benefits of this non-alcoholic mixed beverage that can be made with fruits, seltzer or with non-alcoholic spirits.
Cheddar's own Shannon LaNier speaks with Paige Siegwardt, guest experience director at The Standard Plaza, about the Manhattan restaurant's 1960s-inspired roller rink.
2023 Tony Award nominee Kevin Cahoon speaks with Cheddar's own Baker Machado about joining the musical 'Shucked' and the peaks and valleys of his long career on Broadway.
Guinness World Records says the world’s oldest dog recently celebrated his 31st birthday. Bobi's owner says a party was held Saturday for the purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed of Portuguese dog.
Swedish singer Loreen won this year's Eurovision competition on Saturday night with her song "Tattoo." The singer beat acts from 25 other countries and became the second performer to take the prize twice after winning previously in 2012, but it was the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton who stole the show before the competition got started.
