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Key stat: Consumers are redefining Valentine's Day as more than just a holiday for romantic partners, and brands can embrace this shift to create more diverse marketing campaigns. 60% of young adults 18-24 are at least somewhat likely to buy themselves a Valentine鈥檚 Day present this year, up from 58% last year, according to a CivicScience study.

And as in 2023, beauty was high on Gen Alpha鈥檚 holiday list: 41% of households with children intended to buy beauty products during the holiday season, 11 percentage points higher than the general population. What retailers and brands need to know: Like their Gen Z forebears, Gen Alpha has discerning tastes, honed by an incessant flow of beauty content on TikTok and YouTube.

Richemont鈥檚 Americas revenues jumped by 22% YoY in the holiday quarter, fueled by strong US demand, the Cartier owner said. Likewise, ultra-luxe brand Brunello Cucinelli reported a 17.8% YoY increase in Americas sales, as higher-income consumers continue to spend.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.鈥�

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands calibrate their sales mix against the market.

鈥凌辞产耻蝉迟 holiday spend鈥� boosted overall growth, Amex CEO Steve Squeri said鈥攁cross both goods and services (G&S) and T&E. We forecast that total US holiday retail sales grew 4.3% YoY. International business is Amex鈥檚 fastest-growing segment, per Squeri, growing 15% YoY during the quarter. In Q4, Amex reached an average of 80% coverage across its top 12 international countries.

Despite the current duopoly between Mercado Libre and Amazon in Mexico鈥檚 ecommerce market, roughly 60% of online sales remain up for grabs for local, regional, and global retailers.

Although no single player rivals Mercado Libre鈥檚 hold on Latin America鈥檚 ecommerce market, nearly 70% of online sales are still fair game for the long tail of retailers.

For example, cinema vouchers handed out by local governments in Beijing, Guangdong, and elsewhere contributed to record box office revenues of more than RMB 5.74 billion ($801 million) during the first few days of the Lunar New Year holiday, per Reuters. More efforts along those lines鈥攆rom Beijing as well as local authorities鈥攚ill be needed to restore consumers鈥� willingness to spend.

That holiday hangover could last throughout the year, as returns continue to grow in 2025. Total retail return value in the US will cross the $1 trillion mark for the first time this year, per our December 2024 forecast. Looking ahead: To avoid return headaches, retailers will likely limit policies by shortening windows or offering store credit.

The news: Levi Strauss is taking a cautious approach to 2025 despite recording a strong holiday quarter on the back of healthy demand for its denim offerings. The retailer expects full-year revenues to fall 1% to 2% this year鈥攚ell below market forecasts for 3.6% sales growth. It鈥檚 guiding for adjusted earnings of $1.20 to $1.25 per share, falling short of estimates for $1.37.

Retailers aren鈥檛 likely to get certainty any time soon: The Trump administration is considering slashing China tariffs down to a still-astronomical 50% or 65%, leaving merchants to stay cautious on merchandising.

Despite a crowded streaming field rife with advertising competition, Netflix鈥檚 record Q4 for subscriber growth and strong holiday performance solidified its place as a leader for premium streaming inventory. Its two Christmas Day NFL games were the most-streamed in the league鈥檚 history, and 鈥淪quid Game鈥� season 2 quickly became one of its biggest hits.