Pandemic

More Brits prefer online shopping since pandemic

By Keisha P. Crabtree 15 hours ago

FILE PHOTO: A man looks at his phone next to a shut down store, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain October 13, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

LONDON (Reuters) – About 70% of Britons say buying online and on mobile phones have become their preferred shopping methods, up from less than half prior to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study by personal finance startup Credit Karma.

The study, which has not been previously reported, surveyed 1,034 adults in the UK in July to gauge how digital spending and banking habits have changed since COVID-19 restrictions began.

More than half of respondents said their online shopping had increased since the pandemic’s start, and of those, more than a third said their finances had taken a hit as a consequence.

“Healthy consumer spending, online or otherwise, is generally a sign of a healthy economy, which can be great

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Revlon CEO discusses pandemic beauty habits, staying nimble

By Keisha P. Crabtree 1 week ago

NEW YORK (AP) — When Debra Perelman took over as Revlon’s first woman CEO in its 89-year history in 2018, the global beauty company was already facing big challenges.



a woman wearing a white shirt


© Provided by The Canadian Press


The publicly traded company, which is backed by her billionaire father Ron Perelman’s MacAndrews & Forbes Inc., and which also owns iconic brands like Almay and Elizabeth Arden, had been struggling for years. That includes a heavy debt load, changing consumer tastes and intense competition, most recently from celebrity launches like Kylie Jenner-backed Kylie.

Revlon’s problems only intensified with the pandemic, which hurt sales of lipsticks as people masked up. Sales fell 21% to $1.9 billion in 2020. The company avoided bankruptcy late last year by persuading enough bondholders to extend its maturing debt.

It’s a big change from when Revlon in its heyday throughout much of the 20th century was the second largest cosmetics

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Bella Hadid, Precious Lee, Soo Joo Park, and More on How the Pandemic Changed the Modeling World

By Keisha P. Crabtree 4 weeks ago

For many fashion insiders, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic is intricately linked with the fall 2020 season. During Milan Fashion Week, major signs of the spreading coronavirus started popping up in the city, and models recall feeling the initial frenzy and panic during the shows. “I remember being in Milan and hearing that it had made its way there,” says Kaia Gerber. “I remember everyone trying to get out. Little did we know how it would follow us to Paris and then the world.”   Since then, the global pandemic has shifted all of our lives and changed how many industries operate, including fashion. In a new Vogue video, nine top models, including Bella Hadid, Precious Lee, and Soo Joo Park, sat down to discuss how the pandemic has particularly changed the modeling world. 

The models share how they felt when they realized their busy careers—including all runway shows, photo

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Pandemic Drove Online Prices Higher -Report | Investing News

By Keisha P. Crabtree 2 months ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The rush to online shopping during the pandemic drove prices higher for goods ordered over the internet, eroding a long-standing cost advantage and possible evidence that overall inflation may become more persistent than thought, according to a new report from tech giant Adobe.

The study, analyzing a trillion retail site visits across 18 product categories matched to the closely watched U.S. Consumer Price Index that measures general inflation, found that online prices jumped 2.3% in June on an annual basis.

Graphic: Cost of digital goods turns up: https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-ECONOMY/PRICES/lgpdwmjlnvo/chart.png

They had fallen an average 3.9% annually from 2014 to 2019 and began turning higher last year.

For consumers, online shopping “has been a bit of a haven. They can get different pricing,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst for Adobe Digital Insights. “Through the pandemic what we have seen is that is not so much the case.”

The online

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