Good morning, shoppers. Now that we know who our next president is, we can start thinking about the holidays. And while the forecast remains glum, online retailers are still hoping for a profitable holiday.

• More than 56 percent of online retailers expect holiday sales to increase at least 15 percent from the same period a year ago, according to the 2008 eHoliday Study conducted by Shopzilla for Shop.org. More than 77 percent of online retailers had the same expectation in 2007.

In addition, about 78 percent plan free shipping, but with certain conditions. To pay for the higher shipping costs, about 40 percent of retailers expect to negotiate costs with shipping providers, 33 percent hope to manage company personnel and 15 percent will reduce other promotions.
Here's a link to the news release posted on the Web site of the National Retail Federation.

• On a related note, USA Today has a story that says brick and mortar retailers are counting on their online sites to boost sales this year. The story refers to the Shopzilla survey. Experts say retailers that do not have an online strategy will be severely challenged during the holidays.

• The election is over, and 7-Eleven continues to rule.
7-Eleven coffee drinkers have correctly predicted the election three times in a row. The final results from 7-Election.com was 60 percent to 40 percent for Obama. And it turned out to be a conservative estimate — as of right now, Obama has already won about 64.8 percent of the electoral votes, according to the New York Times.

• While Starbucks has released its holiday beverages, I know that other coffee shops are offering seasonal drinks as well. So, Shop Talk readers, where can shoppers find the best holiday drinks?

That’s it for now, shoppers. As always, comment or e-mail me at mhoang@yakimaherald.com.

-- Posted by Mai Hoang