Rough year? That’s putting it mildly for many of us, especially in retail and manufacturing, but the early numbers for shopping during the holiday season indicate the consumer was in a mood to shop. So while it may only be the season, that news is worthy of breathing a sigh of relief.

All shopping thus far increased by 3.6% from last year’s numbers (which slid 2.3%) in the November 1 to December 24 period; we still have a week to go to know what the final results are or will be but it’s looking good.*

And online sales, and this is important, increased 15.5%. So, online is poised to be the winner of the shopping outlets. Exactly for what has yet to surface but most importantly this number suggests the consumer continues their steady migration to the web.

So, Digerati, time to put your game face on for 2010….it’s gonna be a head turner.

*Numbers reported by MasterCard Advisors’ Spending Pulse tracking all forms of spending.

Bookmark

A year many of us will glady put behind us, 2009 represents a turning point for business, for the internet, for media, for government, and for how Christmas itself is experienced. With food pantry lines up, unemployment at Depression high levels at the same time banks are recouping and the stock market is bouncing back, there exists one of the greatest disconnects between the haves and have nots on America’s very own shores I’ve ever witnessed, and I’ve lived awhile.

Anyone who has read my blog for the last few years knows I pick a holiday music video that represents the culture of the moment, and this year is no different. For this year I’ve selected Band Aid’s 84 classic “Do they know it’s Christmas Time.” “>Feed the world.

Oh and Merry Christmas….whatever that means for you and your loved ones this year. May 2010 indeed bring about the change we are looking for.

2008’s holiday music video pick here
2007’s holiday music video pick here

Bookmark

Twitter is now the starmaker. Before it was blogs, then the makers of apps such as Facebook and Twitter, now the twitverse in general is creating the new celebrity.

And one of my favs as I’ve mentioned before on this blog is Mashable’s Social Media Guide. The original founder, Pete Cashmore, is now a writer for CNN’s Tech report and Cashmore’s latest article is on the top 10 Web Trends to watch for 2010. And I’d say he pretty much covers it, and then some.

Some of you may not even know all of this is already going on. If you don’t, get on board cause this is all for real. Speaking of which, my favorite trend is that of “real time.”

I have become so accustomed to that “real time” thing that anytime I am not doing things in real time I feel as if I have opted for the horse ‘n buggy days.

Such as my bank. If I make a debit transaction today at 3:00 p.m. and I want to know how much I have left to spend on that sweater set as a gift for someone for Christmas, I think I should be able to call the automated system or look online and get that figure. Do I? No. Not only am I not able to function in real time with this bank but the people who function there are not in sync with one another. Online vs real world people do not add up in other words. And boy do the banks make out financially not catering to their customer’s needs or rather life in real time.

So I might add to Pete Cashmore’s predictions (but his are web based, mine blur the lines, i.e., web based is virtual time which is now real time) that banks will further slip into that state of purgatory we now call limbo in 2010 on their way to extinction (we can only hope) in 2011 and 2012.

So this begs the question, who or better yet what will replace the evil banker?

Bookmark