Although some 2016 Holiday sales figures are still being tabulated, one thing is clear: a competitive, promotional environment—a sign of the dramatically changing shopping landscape—proved great for shoppers and pure-play e-tailers, but not terribly profitable for many department stores and apparel retailers. Overall, consumers spent $196.1 billion on Holiday purchases, up 3.8%, the biggest increase since 2011, according to research firm Conlumino. While stores saw a 2.6% increase, online sellers were the big winners and saw sales rocket 17.1%. Overall, the National Retail Federation expects Holiday sales to rise 3.6 percent and said that a jump in spending in the ... Log in to view full article.