Like a stocking filled with both presents and coal, the 2022 holiday season served up a mixed bag. It featured in-store experiences (which consumers have missed out on for the past two years) like Casper’s screenings with Netflix as well as digital experiences such as Bloomingdale’s virtual department store in the metaverse. On the other hand, consumers’ widespread reliance on “buy now, pay later” services to finance gift purchases signaled underlying financial insecurity.
Against this backdrop, online sales grew by 7.4% and physical store sales grew by 6.6%. Although sales grew, the...