With spooky season behind us, all eyes are now on the holidays. This week we’re sharing strategy tips for the season, projected spend, and how to make the most of Small Business Saturday.

And heads up: higher shipping fees are coming. USPS will add a fuel surcharge starting in January.

Btw, did you catch the grocery store in Detroit that threw a rave at the store? Lights, music, the works!

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POLLS CLOSED: Following Election Day, small biz group calls on Congress to roll back tariffs.

DoorDash + Instacart. Following the massive $17B acquisition news, analysis is emerging on who wins and loses, and the impact on Amazon and quick commerce.

Point of no return. A short video looks at the changing state of retail returns, from higher fees to shorter return windows, and how shoppers are reacting to new policies.

Black Friday. This video walks through 7 tips to sharpen your e-commerce strategy for the holiday.

It’s peak time. And on a related note, here are 10 ways to get your supply chain operation ready for peak season.

Cat in the hat bag. Fancy Feast teamed up with designer Susan Alexandra on The Little Gem, a handbag that looks exactly like the Fancy Feast cat.

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Customers expect every visit to be fast, personal and easy. NCR Voyix helps retailers modernize with one unified commerce platform that brings checkout, payments, loyalty and operations together.

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Consumers in the U.S. are cutting holiday spending by 5.5%, according to Simon-Kucher’s latest study. Survey respondents said they’re using holiday promotions to stock up, and many are shopping early to spread out costs.

Why this matters: The purse strings are tight this year. Retailers won’t necessarily be able to count on volume to grow their revenue. But with consumers shopping early and seeking deals, SMBs can bundle offerings, create early-bird promotions and emphasize value to capture holiday spending before competitors do. (Retail TouchPoints)

Small Business Saturday lands at the end of this month, and plenty of consumers are actively looking to spend with independents. For brick-and-mortar stores, experts suggest teaming up with neighborhood businesses on joint specials, and make sure to greet every customer who comes in. Digitally, businesses should start sending emails now about plans for the shopping holiday. SMBs should also make sure their Google Business and Yelp profiles and social media pages are polished and up to date.

Why this matters: Big retailers can't compete with community and personal touches. Small Business Saturday is much more than a single-day sales bump. Winning a customer on this one day could be the start of repeat business in the future. (NFIB and Chamber of Commerce)

POP QUIZ

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FUEL FEE: Postal Service adds fuel surcharge starting January, aligning with FedEx, UPS

PERSONAL PRICES: FTC orders large companies to show how they use consumer data to set prices

SLOW ADOPTION: 10% of consumers use AI for product discovery, study finds

NEW CEO: Jason Bonfig, who joined Best Buy in 1999, takes the helm at the retailer

GROCER AMBITIONS: Kroger lays out plans to recapture consumers after losing share

NOSTALGIC AD: e.l.f. picks stop-motion filmmaking instead of AI for holiday campaign

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Scams and fraud schemes evolve constantly, and retailers of any size can be targets. Small businesses don’t need big cyber teams or large budgets to defend themselves. Next Wednesday, we're sitting down with a Bank of America exec to walk through practical steps, red flags to watch and a three-step scam assessment process. Stay tuned.

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New York City has proposed regulations requiring businesses to disclose when customers are talking to a bot, whether it’s online chat or on the phone, and provide a clear path to human support. Violations could result in penalties of $3,500.

Why this matters: If this proposal passes, retailers would need to audit their customer service systems and make sure there’s a way to speak to a real human. But truthfully, this is something retailers should do anyway. Improve customer service and stop customers from getting caught in a bot loop, regulation or not. (Consumer Finance Monitor)

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The SKUpe is curated and written by Shefali Kapadia and edited by Bianca Prieto.