Good Morning and we're another Friday closer to the holidays! 

Yes, 'tis the season to go shopping! We know we've just had Black Friday and Cyber Monday earlier this week, but the shopping spirit isn't over yet! So here's everything that went down in the retail & e-commerce world this week.

• Amazon has eyes for HubSpot at a whopping $38 billion
• On-Time Delivery Rate Improves for Major Carriers, finally!
• Black Friday sales are still 28% lower than pre-pandemic levels

Top Retail and E-commerce Stories

Mind on My Money and Money on My Mind: Amazon's $38 Billion Offer 

Is HubSpot for sale? In August, Pinpoint, the marketing software of Amazon.com Inc recommended acquiring HubSpot Inc for a $38 billion purchase, according to Business Insider. Despite numerous product releases, the AWS business application group struggled to expand. The core AWS infrastructure business is becoming commoditized; competitors are quickly catching up.

If You Ain't First, You're Last: UPS and FedEx Leading the Race towards On-time Deliveries

Are we going to get our Christmas gifts on time this year? In a difficult recruiting climate, parcel carriers are attempting to add tens of thousands of seasonal employees to serve the rising volume demand. At the same time, volume entering last-mile carriers' networks may be stifled by port congestion and other supply chain difficulties.

On top of sky-high demand for home delivery, this tough supply chain climate — on top of high parcel volume — has package carriers investing more in their sorting networks and suggesting that big shippers bring in their goods earlier or on less-active days. Many shippers are diversifying their shipment schedules to avoid surcharges and volume restrictions and this upcoming peak season will clearly put shipping companies like UPS and FedEx to the test.

Lack Friday: Black Friday Sales are Still Down by 28.3% Compared to 2019 Levels

Lackluster Black Friday? Or just shopping a little earlier? Preliminary data from Sensormatic Solutions revealed that traffic at retail locations on Black Friday fell 28.3% compared to 2019 levels as Americans shifted to online shopping and started shopping earlier in the year. It's apparent that consumers are shopping earlier this season said senior director of global retail consulting at Sensormatic, Brian Field. According to data from Adobe Analytics, online retailers made $8.9 billion in sales on Black Friday this year, down from the previous record of about $9 billion.

A LITTLE MORE

• The new coronavirus variant could mean dollars are going to electronics, toys, and apparel yet again than vacations and movie tickets.
• Retailers see beauty sales spike before the holidays.
• Hydro Flask owner acquires Osprey for $414M.

FUN FACT

By the year 2040, it’s estimated that 95% of all purchases will be through eCommerce. - Nasdaq

QUICK TIP

Try this. Run a test on free versus paid shipping. When you have a brand-new store with a small social following, offering free delivery will entice the purchase. However, if you have an established store with a large social following, then it might be better to charge for shipping and use that money to promote your products.

TWEET TWEET

"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." - Bill Gates

OLDIE BUT A GOODIE

In the 1990s, Netscape Navigator was created by Jim Clark and Marc Andreessen as a web browsing software. Netscape Navigator became the most popular browser on the Windows platform in the 1990s, before Google's rise to world domination.