Amazon delivering first holiday toy catalog to millions
E-commerce giant Amazon is stealing a strategy from traditional brick-and-mortar retailers and mailing some customers a lookbook ahead of the 2018 holiday season for the first time ever.
A spokesperson for the company said in an email to FOX Business that its “Holiday of Play” catalogs will be delivered to “millions of customers” this month. Limited quantities of the lookbooks will be available in Amazon bookstores, as well.
The retailer offers digital versions of the magazine, which features the company’s top holiday gift picks for different age groups, ranging from baby to teenagers.
Big retailers are vying to win new customers this holiday season, after toy retailer Toys ‘R Us filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.
The competition is good news for consumers, as the country’s largest retailers offer new shipping and delivery perks as well. Amazon recently announced free shipping on all orders scheduled to arrive by Christmas, while Target and Walmart have unveiled their own shipping sweeteners.
Retail sales this holiday season are expected to rise by as much as 4.8 percent in 2018, according to the National Retail Federation, as the U.S. economy continues to strengthen.
Research tracker eMarketer expects total holiday sales, retail and e-commerce, to grow nearly 6 percent to cross $1 trillion for the first time. Holiday e-commerce sales alone will jump nearly 17%.
