International Strategy

Alibaba's Ma Meets Trump, Promises to Bring 1 Million Jobs to US
January 10, 2017 at 12:01 pm

Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma met U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday and laid out the Chinese e-commerce giant's new plan to bring one million small U.S. businesses onto its platform to sell to Chinese consumers over the next five years, an Alibaba spokesman said. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd expects the initiative to create one million U.S.…

Have a Holly Jolly Holiday Shipping Season 
November 15, 2016 at 8:00 am

The holidays are quickly approaching, which means retailers are once again planning for the busiest shipping season of the year. According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales are expected to reach $656 billion in 2016. Many retailers are finalizing their processes for handling these high shipping volumes. Here are some key strategies that even the most…

American Apparel Likely Shuttering UK Stores
November 10, 2016 at 10:41 am

Accounting giant KPMG announced on Tuesday that it has been appointed as administrator in charge of American Apparel’s retail and wholesale business in Britain, likely meaning that the retailer will be closing its U.K. stores. American Apparel is up for sale, but operations in the U.K. and other parts of Europe aren't part of the…

How Age, Gender, Culture Affect Online Behaviors
October 31, 2016 at 9:48 am

In episode 59 of Total Retail Talks, Ian Wisbey, senior manager, global retail at Worldpay, a payments processing company, discusses the key findings from the company's recent research report, Why Do They Pay That Way?, as well as the implications for retailers based on the survey's findings. From how millennials prefer to pay for online…

Lidl Comes to the US
October 25, 2016 at 9:06 am

One of Germany’s biggest supermarket chains is coming to the U.S. to see if its unique model can find success here. Lidl is a grocer known for competitive prices and private labels, and it plans to expand along the East Coast, from Georgia to New Jersey, by 2018. According to an article on Forbes, Lidl…

Not Thinking of Santa and Singles Day Yet? You Should Be 
October 13, 2016 at 10:42 am

If you’re not already planning for Black Friday and Singles Day, then you’re behind schedule. The National Retail Federation reported that online and other non-brick-and-mortar holiday sales increased by 9 percent during the 2015 holiday season, to $105 billion. Compared to the overall 3 percent growth for all of 2015 holiday sales, it’s clear that…

Office Depot to Sell European Business
September 26, 2016 at 10:44 am

Office Depot agreed to sell its European business to the Aurelius Group, helping sharpen its focus on the North American market after its failed merger with Staples. The deal will be structured as an equity sale for “nominal consideration,” Boca Raton, Florida-based Office Depot said Friday in a statement. The European unit has annual revenue of…

Blurred Lines: Managing Cross-Border E-Commerce Fraud
August 29, 2016 at 10:31 am

Omnichannel is a term merchants can’t avoid. Industry experts are clamoring for retailers to deploy a cohesive shopping experience across all channels. The entire strategy is contingent upon blurring lines, providing consumers a multitude of options and enabling them to interact with a retailer’s brand every step of the way. However, true "total commerce" extends…