Customer Acquisition

While retailers typically put a significant emphasis on post-holiday sales, they didn't resonate with shoppers after the 2023 holiday season. During the week after Christmas, year-over-year sales were down across the board, with only computer software sales seeing an increase from 2022. Department stores, cosmetics stores and clothing stores saw some of the largest declines,…

Grocery stores have been in a state of flux in recent years, influenced broadly by the economy and supply chain issues and, at the store level, by how consumers want to shop. This year, grocery bills are expected to exceed $300 a week, which in turn will impact the choices consumers are making at the…

For small businesses, resonating with as many potential customers as possible is a unique but critical task. With limited resources and more targeted product offerings, SMBs need the right plan and tools in place to effectively reach different demographics and drive sales year-round. Shopping journeys and preferences look different across generations, and retailers looking to…

Over the past few years, venture capitalists (VCs) and pundits have declared the direct-to-consumer (DTC) commerce business model all but dead. This much is true: The party is over for hockey stick growth driven by Instagram ads or the abundance of cheap VC money for retail startups in the ZIRP era. However, as one crop of…

One might think that after multiple years of inflation and a scarcity mindset that consumers would have adjusted their expectations of retailers to allow for more leniency and to ensure they’re just able to get the products they want. CI&T’s 2024 Connected Retail Report told a very different story. In our fourth year collecting consumer…

In a presentation at the ICR Conference in Orlando, FL last week, Marc Metrick, CEO of Saks, a digital platform for luxury fashion in North America, discussed winning over digital-native consumers and the concept of accessible luxury, among other topics. Metrick is a self-described "lifer" at Saks, having spent more than half his life at…

In episode 435 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Mary Ellen Coyne, CEO, and Kevin McLaughlin, co-founder and creative director of J.McLaughlin, an American lifestyle brand. Listen in as Coyne and McLaughlin provide an overview of the J.McLaughlin brand (0:55), detail the origin of the company (1:55), and identify the customer behaviors they…

As we begin 2024, the world of e-commerce will see continued evolution and disruption. Consumer behavior has fundamentally shifted over the past several years, with more shoppers flocking to digital storefronts and leveraging digital shopping technologies. With this backdrop in mind, here are four key predictions for what's in store for e-commerce in 2024. Consumers…

For many retail brands, the holiday season is the "Golden Quarter" and prime time to deploy strategies to maximize revenue gains. After all, Black Friday has evolved from a one-day sale to (for some retailers) a multiday event demonstrating consumer demand. This is further supported by KPMG research that saw a 5 percent year-over-year increase…

There’s no question that the holidays are a time of joy and celebration. However, for many they can also be a time of stress and anxiety, especially when it comes to personal finances. According to Purchasing Power’s 2023 Consumer Holiday Spending Survey, more than half (56 percent) of lower income U.S. consumers (those earning $75,000…