Consumers expect to hear knocks on their door from delivery services well into the holiday week and for no cost at all, according to Deloitte's 30th annual holiday survey of consumer spending intentions and trends. In fact, free shipping is the top priority for shoppers when it comes to retail policies, with 72 percent of responding consumers planning to take full advantage of the perk. Nearly 9 in 10 shoppers (87 percent) prioritized free shipping over fast shipping (13 percent) when purchasing gifts shopping online.

The private label industry now represents one in every $6 of spend in the United States and poses a significant opportunity for retailers to drive margin, differentiate products, and serve consumer's wide and changing tastes.

Retailers should see a moderate increase in holiday sales in the stores and online this year, according to Deloitte's annual retail holiday sales forecast.

Rising and increasingly volatile costs dominate retailers' top challenges sourcing private label goods, while changes in consumer behavior fueled by mobility and online shopping are driving the strategic importance of private label sourcing, according to Deloitte's study entitled Private Label Sourcing: Strategies to Differentiate and Defend.

Global executives are increasingly concerned about the growing risks to their supply chains and costly negative impacts such as margin erosion and inability to keep up with demand, according to a report from Deloitte. Yet as they operate in this environment of escalating risk, an alarming 45 percent of surveyed executives say their supply chain risk management programs are only somewhat effective or not effective at all.