Consumer sentiment inches up in early January

Harry Quadracci founded the company 52 years ago this month. Harry’s son, Joel, is now CEO. He took over in 2006, as print continued its slow decline and before the great recession upended the global economy. “I did everything my father told me not to do, which was go public and buy broken down printing companies,” Quadracci told Adweek during Cannes Lions last month. It was Quadracci’s first time at the Festival of Creativity where the intersection of creative, brand, platform and production merge. It’s also the intersection Quad aims to transect with a rebrand resulting from a 15-year transformational journey. “For us, it was we better become the consolidator, or the consolidating is going to be done to us,” Quadracci said. While its roots are indelibly in print, Quad now calls itself a marketing experience company that aims to rid companies of wasteful processes.

All 195 stores will close for the day, giving 14,000 employees a paid day to spend outdoors and continuing a movement that has inspired millions to rethink the start of the holiday season. In 2015, a simple question was asked at REI Co-op that would later spark a movement: What if we closed on Black Friday? Susan Viscon, now the co-op's Chief New Ventures and Impact Officer, was part of that conversation. “When we first decided to close our doors on Black Friday, it was a leap,” she said. “It meant missing one of the biggest sales days of the year so our employees could be outdoors with their families and friends. But that was the point. Choosing time outside was an act of care that reflected our values and who we are as a co-op.” What began as a single idea has become a legacy at the co-op. In 2022, REI made Opt Outside permanent, ensuring every employee continues to receive a paid day off to spend time outside.

Adobe released its online shopping forecast for the 2025 holiday season, covering the period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025. Based on Adobe Analytics data, the analysis provides the most comprehensive view into U.S. e-commerce by analyzing direct transactions online, covering over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million SKUs and 18 product categories. Adobe Analytics is part of Adobe Experience Cloud, relied upon by the majority of the top 100 internet retailers in the U.S.* to deliver, measure, and personalize shopping experiences online. 2025 holiday season to surpass $250 billion online Adobe expects U.S. online sales to hit $253.4 billion this holiday season (Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025), which represents 5.3% growth year-over-year (YoY). A record 10 days will see consumers spend over $5 billion in a single day (up from 7 days last year). Cyber Week (the 5-day period including Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday) is expected to drive 17.2% of overall spend this season, at $43.7 billion (up 6.3% YoY).