The State of Retail: Black Friday & Cyber Monday

On this week's episode of The Business Lunch Podcast, Roland and Ryan dive into the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping stats. They analyze if record online sales and in-store spending were really a sign that consumers are confident - or if it was just pulling forward purchases. Roland shares how some of their portfolio companies performed over the holiday weekend. They also debate whether interest rates will need to be lowered to manage rising debt levels or if inflation needs to come down first. Tune in to hear their take on the state of the economy and what it could mean for businesses in 2023.Highlights:"It will be interesting to see if the logic of the more I spend, the more I save during this discount period, damages sales going forward if it's basically just borrowing from tomorrow, and compressing.""If consumers are confident and consumer spend, then the economy turns along because if consumers spend, then that means businesses can spend.""The more I spend, the more I save during this discount period, damages sales going forward if it's basically just borrowing from tomorrow, and compressing."Timestamps:00:00: Introduction01:40: Black Friday06:11: Economic Outlook12:14: Brand Loyalty 18:47: Pricing Strategies21:22: Personalized Texts & Guarantees27:27: Black Friday Sales Strategies 32:03: Acquisitions