Marketplaces

Walmart announced today that it's rolling out a new service called Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) that offers selected marketplace sellers access to its supply chain capabilities, including storing, picking, packing and shipping items, as well as the handling of returns and customer service. The retail giant said in a statement emailed to Total Retail that WFS…

The Amazon.com marketplace is constantly evolving, and it has become a lot more complex over the past few years. In order to stay competitive, Amazon sellers must remain agile. The most successful brands continue to adopt new strategies, ensuring their sales are protected from these frequent changes. Here are three tactics you can implement to…

According to a recent report from eMarketer, there are an estimated 400 direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) brands in operation today. At their core, D-to-C brands are characteristically the same — each has a unique brand identity and each brings an exceptional user experience directly to their consumers, no middleman necessary. However, we’re seeing that for D-to-C brands,…

Modern direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) brands, which tend to be digitally native, have cracked the code on the contemporary shopper. Through a unique combination of brand voice, value proposition and storytelling, these brands have created memorable, end-to-end experiences that resonate with consumers on a deep, emotional level. As a result, Forrester forecasts that online spending for D-to-C…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Ashley Chiaradio and Kristina Stidham discuss the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) announcement that it will begin cracking down on the sale of counterfeit products online from platforms like Amazon.com. Last Friday, the DHS released a report stating that law enforcement officials will immediately start to identify cases where…

Over the last decade, Amazon.com has become one of the most powerful companies in technology and beyond. Amazon’s success shows no signs of slowing down in 2020, especially in terms of its unmatched logistics operations and advertising earnings. Revenue in Amazon’s core business, e-commerce, has increased sevenfold from an already massive base of $34.2 billion,…

Amazon.com is reportedly planning to launch a luxury fashion platform, according to Business Insider. This new platform will reportedly work similarly to a concession in a high-end specialty store, and unlike with Amazon's current marketplace, the upscale brands will have more control over what their online store will look like as well as what items…

It’s no surprise that in order to remain competitive, retail brands need to deliver a top-notch unified commerce experience — especially as they expand their reach and adopt new sales channels. One way retailers have tried to improve the e-commerce experience is via digital storefronts, which use APIs to connect smaller retailers with established retail marketplaces…

In episode 225 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Anthony Marino, president of thredUP, the world's largest online thrift store, from which consumers can buy and sell high-quality, secondhand women's and kid's clothes. Listen in as Marino discusses thredUP's mission and business model, its partnerships with traditional retailers J.C. Penney and Macy's, and the…

In episode 224 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Mike Ward, president and CEO of ThriftBooks, the world's largest seller of used books. Ward discusses the growth of secondhand stores and used products, and how ThriftBooks has capitalized on this market. He shares why ThriftBooks sells product on third-party sites such as…