The VCA Retail Spend Monitor analyses retail sales activity over a seven-week period beginning on 1 November 2025. South African consumers significantly increased their online shopping during the 2025/26 holiday season, with e-commerce spending jumping 49.9% year on year, according to Visa’s latest Retail Spend Monitor. The annual report compiled by Visa Consulting and Analytics…
Snow blanketed highways and neighborhoods from Long Island to the Florida Panhandle overnight, turning familiar roads into winter scenes rarely seen that far south and snarling travel across the eastern half of the U.S. during a busy holiday weekend. Flight delays continued to pile up Sunday for thousands of people, foiling Martin Luther King Jr….
TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 27: Pedestrians and shoppers walk through the Akihabara area on July 27, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. Japan’s core consumer price index climbed by 3.3% in June, outpacing the US figure for the first time in eight years as the Bank of Japan holds its monetary policy meeting on July 27 and…
President Donald Trump injected some politics into this year’s Christmas Eve phone calls with children from across the country, touching on topics like energy production and the 2020 election. Fielding calls as part of the U.S. military’s annual NORAD Tracks Santa event, Trump asked one caller what she wanted for Christmas. “Not coal,” said the…
New York City, United States – Since the recent termination of the nearly decade-old trade rule called “de minimis,” United States consumers and businesses have been exposed to slower shipping, destroyed packages and steep tariff fees on international goods – foreshadowing what could make for a chaotic holiday shopping season. For major international carrier UPS,…
As Black Friday banners flash across screens and festive cheer builds, South Africans face a surge of high-pressure buying moments. On Black Friday last year alone, FNB customers spent over R3.2 billion, marking an 11% increase in spend from the previous year. The bulk of this spending went toward groceries, clothing, entertainment, and travel, reflecting…
