How e-commerce is disrupting traditional seasonal work in retail

Group 1 - The holiday shopping season is evolving due to the rise of online shopping, impacting traditional retail dynamics [1] - The retail sector is expected to decline by 0.2% annually over the next decade as in-store sales decrease and e-commerce grows, with a loss of approximately 1,000 local jobs for every new e-commerce fulfillment center [2] - E-commerce sales have shown consistent growth, with a record $41.1 billion in online sales during the Thanksgiving-to-Cyber Monday weekend, while physical store foot traffic decreased by nearly 2% compared to the previous year [4] Group 2 - Retailers are projected to add 520,000 seasonal jobs this year, down from 564,000 last year, indicating a trend towards e-commerce dominance [5] - Major retailers like Amazon and UPS are adapting to this shift by creating significant seasonal job opportunities, with Amazon adding 250,000 positions and UPS adding 125,000 [6] - A significant majority, 76% of American shoppers, plan to purchase at least half of their gifts online this year, reflecting the ongoing transition from brick-and-mortar stores to online shopping [7]