Backyard Holiday News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Impulse shopping usually drives 25% of overall holiday spending, according to The NPD Group. This year, it's expected to drive 18% to 20% — a potential loss of $5 billion to $7 billion in sales for the season, the market research firm estimates. Marshal Cohen, chief industry advisor for The NPD Group, said the acceleration of e-commerce sales during the pandemic — which is expected to outlast the global health crisis — will force retailers to confront the riddle of encouraging impulse buys in an online environment. He said the spending "feeds into the equation no matter what the categor...

U.S. lawmakers are racing to nail down a Covid relief bill after months of negotiating, as a Friday deadline to fund the government approaches and key aid measures are set to expire. Leaders from each side of the aisle met Tuesday afternoon and appeared to make progress. A final deal could include extended unemployment benefits, temporary student loan relief, a continued eviction moratorium and additional funding for small businesses. It's unclear whether a bill would send a second round of checks to Americans, but any combination of those efforts would help millions of people during a period...