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Technology To Play Key Role in Buying, Selling This Holiday Season, Says NRF

Technology will again play a major role in the upcoming holiday season, but it won’t be just products that consumers buy driving end-of-year sales, said a National Retail Federation report. While the expected TVs, PCs and Oculus Rift virtual reality…

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headsets are primed to be top sellers come November, wearables and video streaming also will be factors on the gift side, and buy buttons and mobile payments will influence the way consumers make purchases, NRF said. It cited a Synchrony Financial report from early this year saying eight of the top 10 retail trends for 2016 involve technology. Topics to keep an eye on, said NRF: (1) how social media and in-store shopping experiences blend, (2) how retail takes advantage of location-based strategies, (3) whether augmented reality and VR play a role, (4) if messaging services and bots “become the new apps,” (5) how online marketplaces will change the landscape, (6) the impact of payment options on the bottom line, (7) whether Singles Day (Nov. 11) gains traction with early-bird shoppers in the U.S. and (8) how two additional shopping days will affect holiday season sales compared with 2015.