Update on West Coast ports labor negotiations (chainstoreage.com)

Cyber Monday 2024 results overtook totals from the same day in 2023 to reach the highest U.S. online sales for any day historically, once again beating projections, according to Adobe Analytics data. Adobe Analytics had projected U.S. consumers would spend $13.2 billion online on Cyber Monday 2024, which already would have been a record. Then, consumers exceeded that by $100 million, spending $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday this year. That’s 7.3% more than they spent in 2023.

Unit sales of print books got off to a blazing start in 2021. Sales jumped 19.3% last week over the week ended January 2 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Moreover, units were up nearly 25% over the comparable week in 2020. With sales hitting 17.1 million, BookScan said it was the first time in the history of the service unit sales topped 17 million in the first week of January. Early January is always a good time for titles tied to renewal and self-improvement, and those categories did especially well compared to last year. In the nonfiction adult segment, double-digit gains were posted by body, mind, and spirit (up 63%), self-help (ahead 30%), cooking (+22%), and religion (+13%). The new year did not help the travel segment, however, with units tumbling 41%.

Dear Industry Member: It's not too late to sign up and take part in ACMA's upcoming series of legislative meetings with Members of Congress on Capitol Hill on Oct. 4-5, 2023. Our industry is facing multiple threats across postal, tax, consumer privacy, and trade policy matters. ACMA has an aggressive plan to push back on this but it requires companies to engage with Congressional offices to educate and build support for our positions. Otherwise, the excessive cost and regulatory burdens will only continue. Given the current appetite for bill passage in Congress and in light of an election year on the horizon, our goal is to get these voted out of committee with a large number of cosponsors, then for several large pieces of moving legislation to serve as vehicles to secure passage. Specifically, from now through the end of the year, Congress will be working on such must-pass legislation, including bills to provide government funding, appropriations, and most likely a tax-extenders package. Pulling together a sizable group to meet with Members of Congress in early October will impact the outcome for our collective advantage. Your time out of the office will be minimal. Non-member companies are welcome and encouraged to participate. Click read more below for the agenda and more.