
The changing holiday shopping season

Economic News from RSM
by Seth Bacon and Christopher Shaker
The pulling forward of Amazon Prime days to mid-October may have something to do with the changing expectations around spending, inventories and advertising ahead of the holiday season.
The holiday shopping season was off to a sluggish start in November as retail sales fell 1.1% compared to October, the Commerce Department reported on Wednesday. It was the biggest drop in seven months and well below analysts’…
Fresh 15% tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods are set to take effect next week. Despite an effort to mitigate the blow amid the impending holiday season by delaying some items on the list, the apparel industry…
Seth is a senior analyst specializing in consumer products for RSM US LLP in the Seattle office. He has more than 10 years of experience serving clients across the country by providing industry- specific insights and thought leadership focused on digital transformation. He has worked with a variety of clients in the consumer products industry helping them focus on acquiring and retaining customers through data driven insight.
In May 2020, Seth was selected as a senior analyst in RSM’s cutting-edge Industry Eminence Program, which positions its senior analysts to understand, forecast and communicate economic, business and technology trends shaping the industries RSM serves. These senior analysts advise clients on conditions influencing middle market leaders.
Chris Shaker is a partner in RSM’s Boston office. He serves as a member of both the firm’s national consumer products and retail teams. In January 2018, Chris was selected as a senior analyst in RSM’s cutting-edge Industry Eminence Program to focus on trends impacting the consumer sector.