Digital Innovation

In a typical year, this would be roughly the time we start preparing our annual analysis of what e-commerce retailers can expect in the upcoming Black Friday season. This isn't a typical year. The pandemic has upended whatever plans businesses might have been thinking about a few months ago. Perhaps more than any other part…

The coronavirus crisis has changed all aspects of shopping and e-commerce. In a short time, we've experienced the early rush on hand sanitizer to Amazon.com packages being a lifeline during quarantine. In an exclusive look at Yotpo’s aggregated e-commerce order trends, indexed to the week of Jan. 27, 2020, the signals are there of a…

During the Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Lounge, held on April 28, Rebecca Minkoff, co-founder and creative director, Rebecca Minkoff, participated in an interview that touched on a wide range of topics. In this video clip, Minkoff notes that out of times of great challenge, such as economic depressions and health pandemics, emerges innovation and truly great companies.

As with telemedicine for healthcare and online learning for education, digital customer experience (CX) for retail is now a mission-critical path for operational continuity amid the global pandemic. Companies dependent on physical locations that didn't successfully transform their business model for digital are particularly vulnerable to worsening economic forecasts. Among other shortcomings that amassed nearly $1.7 billion…

The world is in the chokehold of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments are trying to contain the virus transmission at various levels by implementing measures like widespread testing, contact tracing, mandated isolation and social distancing. While this pandemic has put a break on business activities, it has given a mandate to retail businesses to accelerate the…

What does it take for a retail brand to survive during a global pandemic that's disrupting supply chains and manufacturing capabilities, changing consumer behavior, and impacting employee productivity? In the age of COVID-19 it takes brave brands that are willing to strategically break the rules and conventions of the industry, experiment with new ideas, play…

In the coronavirus vs. retail fight, the score so far is one to zero. Many retailers, like Macy’s and Gap, have been forced to close their stores, put tons of thousands of employees on leave, and cut their budgets to survive. These actions are just like how our bodies restrict blood flow to limbs in…

Retail sales finished strong in 2019, registering a 3.4 percent increase over 2018. Until recently, experts were predicting a robust performance in 2020 as well, with projections of 3.5 percent growth or more. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many retailers to close their doors in response to calls from public officials for people to…

In almost all product categories, consumers are making fewer trips to brick-and-mortar stores. When consumers see brands and products on shelves, they can touch, feel and learn about them, and awareness and buying increase. As that real-life exposure decreases, brands feel the pain of lost sales. In fact, when a store closes, only a small…

In episode 241 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jessica Herrin, CEO and founder of Stella & Dot, a family of brands of fashion, accessories and skincare. Listen in as Herrin discusses managing during the COVID-19 crisis, how Stella & Dot is adjusting to this new normal, and how she is motivating her…