3.1%
The percentage year-over-year increase in U.S. retail sales during the 2023 holiday season (between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24), according to the latest Mastercard SpendingPulse, per Reuters. The increase is lower than Mastercard’s projection of 3.7% and last year’s 7.6% spike.
6%
The projected year-over-year growth in global sales of premium smartphones in 2023, according to data from Counterpoint Research’s Market Pulse Service. The premium category consists of phones priced $600 or more.
20%
The share of brands that will leverage being an AI-free business as a differentiator by 2027, according to the latest Gartner forecast, per Marketing Dive.
3/4ths
The share of U.S. online shoppers who say that free shipping is among the most important factors they consider when deciding where to shop, according to a Forrester report, per Retail Dive.
$45,519.52
The intraday high hit by Bitcoin on New Year’s Day, marking a 21-month peak for the cryptocurrency, per Fox Business.
90%
The percentage of recycled content that Ball Corporation’s aluminum cups are made with, per Modern Retail. The 140-year-old company is working to expand its reusable cups business — which it launched in stadiums in 2019 — to other food service and hospitality venues, as well as retailers.
$10 billion
The revenue of the newly consolidated healthcare system that includes St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare and Saint Luke’s Health System, based in Kansas City, Missouri, per Becker’s Hospital Review. The merger — which was finalized Jan. 1 — brings together 28 hospitals and 44,000 workers, and affects more than 6 million patients across Missouri, Illinois and Kansas, per a BJC statement.
525,409
The number of electric vehicles that Chinese automaker BYD sold in the final quarter of 2023, knocking Tesla out of the top spot for global EV sales, per CNN Business.
20th
The anniversary that Mtn Dew (Mountain Dew) Baja Blast celebrates in 2024, per a company announcement. To celebrate the milestone, the beverage (typically exclusive to Taco Bell restaurants) will be available for purchase year-round in stores nationwide.
$743 billion
The estimated total value of returned merchandise for the U.S. retail industry in 2023, resulting in a total return rate of 14.5%, per the National Retail Federation’s 2023 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry report.
