E-Commerce

It can be hard to find the silver lining when the world around us looks as dire as it has these last few months. At the time of this writing, the COVID-19 death count was headed toward half a million worldwide. Many businesses have shuttered, and more are on the brink. Tens of millions of…

When the coronavirus required cities to introduce stay-at-home policies this spring, the initial impact on retail was immediate and, frankly, scary. “Closed” signs popped up in store windows across the country, foot traffic came to a complete halt in some areas, and some brick-and-mortar shop owners weren’t sure they would make it. An April 8…

The e-commerce business and intellectual property of omnichannel specialty retailer RTW Retailwinds were sold at bankruptcy auction last week to investment firm Saadia Group for $40 million plus assumption of certain liabilities, including honoring gift cards. Assets include websites run by the apparel company, which was previously known as New York & Co. Those sites include www.nyandcompany.com,…

In the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers raced to adapt their businesses to the new reality of shuttered stores and shelter-in-place orders. Now, the nature of retail has changed — perhaps permanently — and the focus has shifted. A recession is looming, and the pressure is on. Does your brand have what it…

T3 Micro sells 40 different hair and beauty products, from blow dryers to curlers to flat irons and brushes. The brand traditionally relied on manufacturers in China for its products, but it began experiencing supply chain interruptions earlier this year with the spread of COVID-19. As the pandemic forced business shutdowns in the U.S., T3…

In episode 260 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jennifer Kwon, president of CALPAK, a luggage and travel essentials company. Listen in as Kwon discusses the history of the company, its recent product development and direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) growth, and her career journey. She shares how the brand is staying competitive in a crowded luggage…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published by Total Retail titled, “6 Things Retailers Need to Know About How COVID-19 Has Impacted Consumers’ Online Shopping Behavior.” This article was authored by Total Retail blogger Maria Haggerty, who is CEO and co-founder of Dotcom…

Kroger is launching an e-commerce marketplace to compete with giants like Amazon.com and Walmart, Fox Business reported. The largest grocery store chain in the U.S. is partnering with Mirakl, a French e-commerce company, to launch the online marketplace. It plans to offer thousands of products to consumers from third-party sellers. Kroger is adding on to…

Retail started the year from a position of strength, with holiday sales exceeding $730 billion. Buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) was a distribution advantage for physical retailers, and direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) brands and mainstay Amazon.com were meeting their delivery promises. However, with COVID-19, this all came to a screeching halt. States shut down physical stores and…

Dotcom Distribution’s annual e-commerce consumer study took an interesting turn this year. Historically, the study explores online shoppers’ evolving behavior pertaining to various areas, including purchasing, packaging, shipping, returns, omnichannel, and sustainability. That remains true; however, because the initial survey data was collected prior to COVID-19-related shutdowns, an additional round of data was collected in…