In the News

From beans and baking projects to vegan and global recipes, the year’s best sellers show the ways home cooking changed, and what may lie ahead.

 In November, Paula Mont did something new: The 86-year-old, who hasn’t left her New Jersey senior living community in nearly a year, went shopping — online.

There are many ways to assess how the coronavirus has affected the U.S. economy.

Older Americans are increasingly buying groceries — and just about everything else — on the Internet, and those over 65 are now the fastest-growing category of e-commerce shoppers.

In a year when many people spent a lot of time at home, the athleisure market has shown a resilience that other retail categories have not managed to maintain.

The coronavirus pandemic has altered nearly every aspect of consumers' lives — canceling in-person events, halting travel and moving everyday activities, like work and school, into the home. This, in turn, affected not only how shoppers spent their money, but what they spent it on.

Carleigh Hansen’s visit to Santa Claus at the Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree, Colo., was a little different this year from Christmases past. The 8-year-old still wore a new dress for pictures and her mother treated her to cheesecake afterward. But this time, Santa wore a face shield and sat behind a sheet of plexiglass. Carleigh passed him her list underneath the barrier and talked to him through an intercom system.

A Prohibition-era accessory once again seems practical.

For many holiday fans, window shopping at luxury jewelry boutiques has been an annual tradition — admiring glitzy decorations and opulent baubles, standing outside a crowded store on a bustling, shopper-filled street.

The coronavirus pandemic has transformed the way Americans eat, shop and entertain themselves. In one manner or another, most of these consumer activities have moved into the home and online.

SEOUL—The roughly $500 billion home-appliance industry is making a hard pivot toward hygiene as the coronavirus pandemic shows no sign of moderating. LG Electronics Inc.’s refrigerators have been retrofitted with sterilizing ultraviolet lights previously used in its water purifiers, while Whirlpool Corp. has touted washing machines with built-in heating that removes germs and allergens from clothes.

The pandemic is turning this into a holiday shopping season like no other. Toy companies are targeting stuck-at-home grown-ups with latte-smelling Play-Doh and Legos that turn into Warhols. Those who added a puppy to their family during the pandemic will see tons of gift options for their new furry friend. And with more people shopping online, stores are doing double duty as shipping centers to try to get gifts to doorsteps as fast as possible.

The country is polarized about so many things – the election, the right way to tackle the virus, who you should or shouldn't sit next to at Thanksgiving. So why shouldn't 2020 holiday gift-giving join the ever-growing list of potentially hot button topics?

Retail earnings reports show stark contrast in consumer spending habits, highlight income inequality

Miami Swim Week pivoted with digital platforms, and brands and buyers said they have seen huge increases in sales since July.

This year’s back-to-school season is unpredictable for retailers in more ways than one

The Seattle-based kitchenware company popular for its in-store cooking classes is looking for a new owner

According to data presented at the StreamTV Summer Research Summit by NPD Group analyst John Buffone, many consumers expect to continue increased viewing on ad-supported and subscription streaming services as well as cable, satellite and transactional video on-demand.

When homebound workers need to spiff up moments before a meeting, the reach for the breakout garment of quarantine season.

Summer plans may look different this year, but people are still buying bathing suits — online, anyway.

During lockdown, some women gave in to the joy of going braless. Others were buying seductive underwear.

Upscale retailers including Nordstrom Inc, privately owned Saks Fifth Avenue and jeweler Tiffany & Co reopened their large New York City flagship locations on Wednesday with reassuring signage and sanitizer stands to calm shoppers worried about the coronavirus pandemic.