Traffic trends at Walmart and other major retailers declined in December even though e-commerce sales set new records in the fourth quarter and throughout 2012.

Despite caution among consumers, retailers wrapped up 2012 with a healthy holiday shopping season, according to a new report by a retailing trade group.

In what turned out to be one of the stranger holiday seasons in recent memory retailers fought through a range of unconventional headwinds to deliver an uneven performance.

Online sales have continue to break new records this holiday season even though traffic to top retail sites during November was down compared to the same month the prior year.

Survey results released Monday by comScore revealed that the most recent work-week saw four individual days eclipse $1 billion in spending, led by Green Monday with $1.275 billion.

Through the first 30 days of the holiday season online sales have surpassed $20 billion with several days last week above the $1 billion mark.

With the holiday season officially underway, North American market research company NPD has reported its findings on consumers’ holiday entertaining purchases.

Online shopping surged 26% on Black Friday to surpass $1 billion for the first time, according to the digital measurement firm comScore.

Dollar General’s 10,000 plus locations will be open Thanksgiving Day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., but it’s not taking the heat for doing so like rivals Walmart and Target.

Social media will influence how people plan to shop this holiday season nearly as much as word-of-mouth and store advertisements, according to a survey conducted by ConsumerSearch.com, part of the About Group.

Target Corp. unveiled its lineup of gift cards for the upcoming holiday season.

Consumers are planning ahead for the holidays, with 51% saying they have set aside the cash needed to complete their shopping lists, according to Accenture's annual consumer holiday shopping study.