Tis the season for shopping – and more of it is happening online than ever before. This year 92 percent of holiday shoppers will go online to research or purchase. With Christmas around the corner, we’re focusing this edition of Earmarked on retail trends. The Beehive staff found these recent articles particularly interesting or insightful.

1. The Real ‘Christmas Miracle’ of WestJet’s Viral Video: Millions in Free Advertising – Hardly a “miracle,” this brilliantly executed customer experience and viral video took months of planning. Well played WestJet.
2. Moving From an e-commerce to an e-customer strategy – Online is a critical strategy this holiday shopping season, but the customer –not the channel – should still be the central focus.
3. 2013: The Year of Retail Schadenfreude – Not all retailers got things right this year. Here are a few that fell from grace.
4. Seven Things We Learned On Black Friday – Black Friday may never be the same. Here are seven observations about 2013 Thanksgiving weekend shopping.
5. Retail Sales Raise Hopes for 2014 – November sales beat expectations and sales look great, but what does that mean for 2014?