INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

NEW YORK — While sales figures for pharmaceuticals are frequently reported on, drugs for people's four-legged friends also are a money maker.

According to Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, retail sales of pet medications — including sales through retail stores, online retailers and veterinarians — will reach $6.7 billion this year.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Shoppers are just as promotion-driven as they have been since economists first coined the term the "new normal" economy — and that's not likely to change, according to a new "The Why? Behind the Buy" report released Wednesday by Acosta Sales.

ARMONK, N.Y. — Coming off a Thanksgiving weekend chock full of sales gains, it appears retailers also fared well on Cyber Monday, according to a new report by IBM.

Online sales were up 33% over 2010, while consumers' average order value increased 2.6% from $193.24 to $198.26. Additionally, mobile sales reached 6.6%, compared with 2.3% in the year-ago period, with 10.8% of people using a mobile device to visit a retailer's site, up from 3.9% in 2010, IBM said.

NEW YORK — The short-term forecast for cold weather items, including cold medicines, is that demand could be down as much as 15% without Jack Frost biting at everyone’s nose, according to analysis from Deutsche Bank published Monday.

Weather Trends International estimates temperatures will be up 2 to 5 degrees warmer year-over-year, on average, over the balance of the year across the United States.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A drug commonly used to treat Type 2 diabetes may reduce the risk of diabetes-associated cancers, including breast cancer, according to a new study.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A study published online earlier this month by the American Journal of Cardiology concluded that supplementation with vitamin D conferred substantial survival benefits, specifically in patients with documented deficiency.

According to the research, evidence supported an association between vitamin D deficiency and hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, coronary artery disease and heart failure.

RESTON, Va. — Retailers who promoted their online presence as a way to avoid the crowds this past weekend were rewarded for their efforts with record sales on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, according to online measurement firm ComScore.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The recession grinch may have to pack it up this holiday season, as initial spending indicated that this year's holidays are on track toward some pretty significant growth as compared with last year.

(THE NEWS: Black Friday proves to be record day for retail, NRF reports. For the full story, click here.)