1. Cartier’s Dazzling Festive Season Bodes Well for Luxury Stocks: Richemont, the Swiss luxury goods company that owns Cartier and Piaget, said Wednesday that group sales for the three months through December increased almost a third compared with the same quarter of 2020. – Read More on WSJ

2. How COVID-19 and free shipping made overbuying the new norm: Even before the holidays, consumers were sending back e-commerce purchases two to three times as often as in-person purchases, industry data shows. That’s partly because online purchases are more likely to not fit or otherwise satisfy shoppers. – Read More on Dallas News

3. How Luxury Brands Are Making Money in the Metaverse: Among other things, most luxury brands have decades of archival designs that they can convert into virtual assets, providing a new revenue stream with minimal investment. – Read More on Forbes

4. What’s the ‘next normal’ for retail? CEOs chime in: Health, inflation, and supply chain issues will continue to be top of mind for retailers and shoppers over the coming months. Merchants need to ensure their workplace is safe for employees and shoppers and that they’re offering multiple fulfillment options, such as curbside pickup and click and collect. – Read More on eMarketer

5. China’s 150 million online shoppers, overseas suppliers fear coronavirus mail contamination threat: Fear and confusion is spreading among Chinese consumers and overseas suppliers that China’s restrictions on international mail aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus will have a prolonged negative impact on the once-booming overseas online shopping business. – Read More on SCMP