We know consumers are cutting back on spending, but that only adds a bigger push for retailers to try harder to engage them, especially around the holidays.

Last week, we told you about some of the strategies luxury retailers are employing to bring in shoppers this season, but what about more accessible/affordable retailers? Well, they have a few tricks up their sleeves too.

For example, Italian clothing brand Falconeri that specializes in knitwear and cashmere, is focused on pushing cashmere in different types as its key strategy.

“The brand is focused on highlighting the wide offering of cashmere this holiday season: ultrasoft, ultrafine and four yarns,” Falconeri Sales Director Caterina Modesti told Retail Brew via email. “During the holiday season, we will also be rewarding our top customers with a special holiday box in order to thank them for being part of our Falconeri family.”

Over at Simon G. Jewelry, the brand is also relying on promotions to draw shoppers to its signature accessories.

Keep reading here.—JS

You know it as the biggest shopping day of the year—which means it’s also the biggest *data* day, if you want to understand shopper habits and behavior.

Need help combing through all the stats? Bluecore broke down their Black Friday data and dug deep to create the 2023 Black Friday Benchmarks report. Take a look at the trends that impact retail growth, like:

• identification rates
• how well retailers moved their shoppers to first-time buyers and previous customers to multi-time buyers
• retention-specific metrics around repeat shopping
• performance of various site and email campaigns

With billions of data points across eight different verticals, Bluecore’s team of retail strategists has the insights to help you grow your brand.

Rock next year’s revenue with this year’s data.

The Consumer Price Index rose 3.1% year over year, a slight dip from the 3.2% rate in October, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Tuesday. Month over month inflation rose 0.1% in November after remaining flat in October.

While prices remain inflated, they’re notably down from the peak monthly rise of 9.1% in June 2022. In a statement on Tuesday, President Biden said the report “demonstrates continued progress” in reducing inflation, though “many Americans still find too many things unaffordable.”

“And now that our actions have helped rebuild supply chains and brought down input costs, I’m calling on large corporations to pass along the savings to consumers,” he said.

Food prices rose 0.2% in November, a slight cooldown from the 0.3% increase in October. Food at home inflation saw just a 0.1% rise from November, up 1.7% year over year, while food away from home saw a larger bump, at 0.4% month over month and 5.3% since last year.

Keep reading here.—EC

Nerds, the colorful candy brand amidst a major renaissance thanks to a product innovation that would’ve made Wonka proud, is set to run its first-ever Super Bowl commercial in February.

The last time you went on a group snack trip, chances are someone made a beeline for the innovation in question: Nerds Gummy Clusters, the bite-sized Nerds Ropes that make you see God.

The sugary treat has become so popular since its 2020 release that Nerds parent company Ferrara Candy has more ad money than it knows what to do with.

Keep reading here on Morning Brew.—ML