Amazon's Army

Hi, today we explore: (1) How many of us are shopping online this season, (2) Amazon's holiday hiring, (3) When we press play on Christmas music. TOGETHER WITH Today's Topics Hello! Can’t Go For That… [Daryl Hall]( has filed a restraining order against former music partner John Oates during a mysterious ongoing legal battle, making a reunion a firm no can do. Today we're exploring: - Online deals: How e-commerce sales are holding up. - Amazon's army: The retailer is hiring 250k workers for the holidays. - 'Tis the season: Christmas songs are climbing the charts. Have feedback for us? Just hit reply — we'd love to hear from you! [Read this on the web instead]( After the indulgence of Thanksgiving, millions of Americans will spend today relaxing, eating leftovers, watching sports and — perhaps — indulging in some retail therapy on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Many brave the malls and shops themselves, while others click to buy from the comfort of their home using a laptop or phone — but just how much of total retail shopping is actually done online? The answer is actually only about ~15%, although that figure typically rises during this time of the year, according to data from the [US Census Bureau](. Have to be there Needless to say, e-commerce got an enormous boost during the pandemic, with its share of retail sales reaching a peak of 17% in Q1 2020, when we were confined to our homes. But, as the pandemic faded, shops and stores re-opened, and the world got back to something resembling normal, the share of stuff bought online did something surprising: it fell. Indeed, the 17% figure from 2020 is, so far, yet to be matched... proving that, sometimes, you just have to be there to buy. Amazon’s army Corporate giants all have their own ways of getting into the Christmas spirit: Starbucks rolls out its red cups and increasingly experimental [beverage offerings]( Coca-Cola starts airing its sickly-sweet [holiday adverts]( and Amazon… hires a veritable army of holiday helpers to bolster its already gargantuan workforce. This year is no different for the online shopping behemoth either, shipping in a record 250,000 additional workers for the [holiday period]( to help manage the barrage of orders the company faces each year. Indeed, the site’s become a safe haven for hordes of last-minute gift buyers amongst us, even offering deadline guidance in [recent years]( on when to get your orders in to ensure no one’s left disappointed on the big day. Holiday hires lower Amazon’s record figure comes against a slowing seasonal hiring backdrop, with companies like the US Postal Service and Macy’s announcing that they’re decreasing the number of new recruits they’re bringing on this season, while Target and UPS’s holiday hiring is also reportedly staying flat [this year](. [Sponsored by Blinkist]( Stop scrolling We don’t read. At least not nearly enough. Our content appetite is largely fed by social media — which eats up 2 hours 12 min daily for the average US adult. More time for hashtags, and less time for hardbacks. Switching mindless scrolling for long reads isn't easy— but [Blinkist]( makes it achievable. It’s the app that distills the world’s best nonfiction into digestible summaries that you can read or listen to in 15 minutes. [Blinkist]( gives you the key insights in genre-defining titles from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks, in case you want to really understand the science behind your scrolling. With [Blinkist]( people read 7-8x more books than average — and 80% of users surveyed said they prefer using Blinkist to mindless scrolling. All those books won’t break the bank: get [75% off Blinkist]( for Black Friday. [Sign up for Blinkist now and save 75%]( Step into Christmas We have to inform you that there are not only people who will start listening to Christmas music today, but that there are many people who have been listening to Christmas music for weeks. Yes, it’s beginning to look a little like Christmas: the season of cheer, retail (see above), understanding, chestnuts on open fires, and your favorite festive stars coming out of hibernation (e.g. [Bublé](. Few can resist getting into the holiday spirit in the lead-up to December 25th, and nothing captures the magic like a holly-jolly hit — in fact, 53% of Americans consider Xmas music to be “essential” in any [celebrations](. Joy to the world According to a [2017 Spotify study]( November 12th marked the threshold when Xmas songs comprised over 2% of all streams. From then on, the festive listening ramps up each weekend, before peaking on the big day itself… and then sharply dropping when the holiday has wrapped up. Predictably, the song climbing the Spotify charts the fastest is Christmas-constant All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey, which was already the 11th most listened-to song on all of Spotify (globally) on Wednesday, racking up 3.3 million streams on that day alone — worth about $8-10k of royalties to the rights holders, per estimates. Related data: Cool visual from Eva Murray exploring when [Christmas music]( takes over in different countries. More Data • Shaken, not soled: to celebrate the [Las Vegas Grand Prix]( the Bellagio served [cocktails]( out of leather racing shoes, setting people back a mere $135. • The richest 1% of people emitted as much carbon pollution as the poorest two-thirds of humanity in 2019, according to a new [Oxfam report](. • The best books summarized in 15 mins — that’s how [Blinkist]( helps people learn from 6500+ non-fiction titles. Users read 7-8x more than average, and 80% of those surveyed said they prefer Blinkist to mindless scrolling. Take [75% off]( until Nov. 30.** • Napoleon is conquering the box office: after gaining $946k on its opening day in [France]( (despite scathing reviews from critiques), it's also on track to earn up to $37.5m in the US over the 5-day [holiday period](. **This is sponsored content. Hi-Viz • A viz exploration of the unhealthy [air quality]( that blighted this year’s Cricket World Cup in India. • These highlight pictures from the 2023 Macy’s [Thanksgiving Day parade]( might lift your spirits. Off the charts: What's almost doubled in size over the past 60 years, according to USDA data? Hint: you may have overindulged in it yesterday. [Answer below]. [Answer here](. Thanks for reading. See you on Sunday for our deep dive! Have some [feedback](mailto:daily@chartr.co?subject=Feedback&body=Hi%2C%0A%0AI%20like%20the%20newsletters%2C%20but%20I%20had%20a%20thought%20for%20you...) or want to [sponsor]( this newsletter? Not a subscriber? Sign up for free below. [Subscribe]( Copyright © 2023 CHARTR LIMITED, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: CHARTR LIMITED 231 Vauxhall Bridge RoadLondon, SW1V 1AD United Kingdom [Add us to your address book]( Don't want charts in your inbox anymore? 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