
E-Commerce

Beginning in late July, a number of major retailers announced they will be closing stores on Thanksgiving Day for the first time in years. Walmart kicked it all off, stating it will be closing its stores on the U.S. holiday for the first time in 30 years, with many other retailers, including Target, quick to…
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Ashley Chiaradio and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published in Total Retail Report titled, "4 Key E-Commerce Trends Ahead of COVID-19 Christmas," by Scott Hirsch, CEO of Media Direct. In the article, Hirsch lists four things retailers should plan for as they prepare for the first-ever…
COVID-19 has left an indelible mark on many sectors. Consumers are continuing to shift priorities and spending habits as they adjust to new realities. Across the country, children are back to school in many different forms. Back-to-school marks the second busiest season of the year for retailers; an event that's only superseded by the holidays.…
Amazon.com has made signals over the past few weeks that Prime Day could kick off in the coming weeks, CNBC reported. The e-commerce giant confirmed in July that it would be postponing the two-day shopping event in the U.S. and said Prime Day would take place in the fourth quarter. It previously told third-party sellers to use the week of…
I know we were all hoping the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic would be behind us by now, or at least things would be tapering off. Yet, it looks like we’re still unfortunately in the thick of it. There are a few bright spots, however: film crews have resumed production in California with state-designated safety protocols, and…
Small to midsize businesses (SMBs) were among the hardest hit during COVID-19. Since mid-March, one-third of U.S. small businesses have stopped operating, and an additional 11 percent don't believe they’ll survive if conditions persist for three more months. Small businesses that primarily sell on Amazon.com suffered when the online giant prioritized essential goods in response…
In episode 265 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews James Pope, director of marketing and sales operations at FLOR, a customizable flooring company. Listen in as Pope describes what makes FLOR unique in the marketplace, how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the company, and the significant growth it has seen in its direct-to-consumer (D-to-C)…
The world has changed drastically in the last few months thanks to COVID-19, and the retail industry is no exception. In the B-to-B world, traditional modes of face-to-face selling have become impossible, and now it’s likely that much of what has changed for B-to-B sellers will never be quite the same. For many businesses around…
When the first 3G-enabled iPhone launched with much fanfare in June 2008, nobody knew what an app economy could look like. Yet within a decade, the smartphone, propelled by the adoption of 3G and 4G technologies, has upended the world of commerce. The Digital Transformation Over the past decade, digital has made it easier to…
Amazon.com is launching Luxury Stores, a shopping experience focused on high-end fashion and beauty brands, MarketWatch reported. Luxury Stores will be available in the Amazon app by invitation-only to U.S. Prime members, and will kick off with Oscar De La Renta, featuring the brand's pre-fall and fall/winter collections. In the upcoming weeks, other brands will also…