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Holiday season Stories

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Holiday season stories

Fewer ransomware gangs, but more victims in late 2025
Ransomware

Fewer ransomware gangs, but more victims in late 2025

Ransomware gangs shrank in number but hit more victims in late 2025, with leak-site postings soaring despite fewer active groups.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Thu, 29th Jan 2026
Adobe sees surge in AI-driven traffic & conversions
Data Analytics

Adobe sees surge in AI-driven traffic & conversions

Adobe says generative AI referrals to retailers jumped nearly 700% over the 2025 holidays, driving longer visits and stronger conversions.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Tue, 13th Jan 2026
Black Friday peak as AI fuels longer online shopping wave
Customer Experience

Black Friday peak as AI fuels longer online shopping wave

Black Friday still delivered the peak online surge, but AI-driven search stretched shopping demand across a longer November window.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Sat, 10th Jan 2026
Retailers warned of post-holiday surge in chargebacks
Data Analytics

Retailers warned of post-holiday surge in chargebacks

Retailers urged to brace for early-year spike in chargebacks as mobile shopping and buy now, pay later fuel record US holiday spend.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Sat, 10th Jan 2026
AI notebook prices drop as retailers face tough trade-offs
Semiconductors

AI notebook prices drop as retailers face tough trade-offs

AI notebook prices across Europe have slumped by a third, pushing the tech into the mainstream as retailers juggle volume against margins.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Fri, 9th Jan 2026
US holiday shoppers rein in spending amid pressure
Data Analytics

US holiday shoppers rein in spending amid pressure

US holiday shoppers to rein in festive spending as 60% say financial strain will curb gift budgets, new national survey data shows.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Thu, 8th Jan 2026
US holiday online sales hit record on mobiles & AI
Gaming

US holiday online sales hit record on mobiles & AI

US holiday online sales hit a record USD $257.8 billion as shoppers shifted to mobiles, Buy Now Pay Later and generative AI search tools.

By Mark Tarre • 5 min read • Thu, 8th Jan 2026
AI, circular retail & data to reshape global shopping
Customer Experience

AI, circular retail & data to reshape global shopping

AI agents, circular retail and tighter rules will upend shopping by 2026, Akeneo warns, as poor product data threatens brand visibility.

By Catherine Knowles • 5 min read • Wed, 7th Jan 2026
New ransomware methods emerge: ClickFix & group alliances
Malware

New ransomware methods emerge: ClickFix & group alliances

Ransomware attacks dipped in November, but ClickFix techniques and alliances between groups like Qilin and CL0P drove fresh risks.

By Catherine Knowles • 3 min read • Mon, 29th Dec 2025
Navigating the holiday shipping rush: How SMBs can turn freight into a competitive advantage
Data Analytics

Navigating the holiday shipping rush: How SMBs can turn freight into a competitive advantage

SMBs battling holiday shipping chaos can turn freight into a strategic edge with smarter tech, clearer pricing and centralised partners.

By Carmit Glik • 4 min read • Wed, 24th Dec 2025

Stories from Other Regions

Holiday season stories

Why retailers need real-time visibility to handle demand surges
Data Protection

Why retailers need real-time visibility to handle demand surges

Delayed stock updates and failing devices can quickly turn busy promotions into longer queues and frustrated shoppers.

By Mikhail Ishkhanov • 6 min read • Wed, 22nd Apr 2026
Good Drinks signs Macquarie network deal to cut outages
Storage

Good Drinks signs Macquarie network deal to cut outages

Good Drinks taps Macquarie Telecom for new SASE network to curb peak-season outages and bolster cyber security across its national operations.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Wed, 25th Mar 2026
Sortd surges with AUD $8m holiday sales & 96% user lift
Customer Experience

Sortd surges with AUD $8m holiday sales & 96% user lift

Wishlist app Sortd rides holiday boom with AUD $8m in sales, 96% user growth and revenue up more than 600% across peak Q4 trading.

By Melania Watson • 4 min read • Mon, 9th Feb 2026
Holiday refunds surge, squeezing global retail margins
Data Analytics

Holiday refunds surge, squeezing global retail margins

Holiday refunds jumped 18.1% in 2025, with each USD $1 million in refunds costing retailers about USD $1.3 million once overheads are included.

By Shannon Williams • 4 min read • Wed, 4th Feb 2026
Christmas food splurge drives surprise rise in spending
Christmas

Christmas food splurge drives surprise rise in spending

Festive food, drink and dining out delivered a surprise December spending lift, as households splurged ahead of Christmas gatherings.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 3 min read • Sat, 17th Jan 2026
Mid-January urged as true start for UK Q1 forecasts
Data Analytics

Mid-January urged as true start for UK Q1 forecasts

Kaleidoscope.com urges UK firms to treat mid-January as the real start of Q1 planning, warning December forecasts are built on distorted data.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Wed, 14th Jan 2026
Tesco leads UK supermarkets in Christmas social media win
Marketing Technologies

Tesco leads UK supermarkets in Christmas social media win

Tesco tops the UK's Christmas social media league, outpacing rivals on engagement and EMV with a wide-reaching creator-led strategy.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Tue, 6th Jan 2026
UK retailers face GBP £1.05bn hit from gift returns
Digital Transformation

UK retailers face GBP £1.05bn hit from gift returns

UK retailers brace for a GBP £1.05bn blow from 52 million post-Christmas gift returns, as hybrid shopping and fashion fit issues drive costs.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Mon, 29th Dec 2025