Marketplaces

In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jason Stuckey, general manager, North America at Linnworks, a total commerce solution that connects, manages and automates commerce operations. Listen in as Stuckey discusses his background in e-commerce, what makes Linnworks' offerings and solutions unique, and his perspective on the current state of the…

In December 2020, a Scottish mailman named Nathan Evans uploaded a video to TikTok singing a 19th Century sea shanty called “Wellerman.” Within days, his rendition of a more-than-200-year-old song was shared worldwide, leading to countless online collaborations, features on late-night shows, and finally a three-album record contract. I'm a father of two daughters who…

As we witnessed empty storefronts mounting — along with boxes piling up on porches — it became clear last year that the pandemic was having a massive and rapid impact on the retail landscape. You weren’t imagining or exaggerating those boarded-up storefronts. In 2020 alone, 30 major U.S. retailers filed for bankruptcy, closing more than…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published by Total Retail titled, “Amazon is Finally Acting Like a Retailer, and What That Means for Brands,” authored by Tim Hershey, chief retail officer at Netrush. Amazon has recently tightened its inventory restrictions, placing new pressures…

Marketplaces have raised the bar for what consumers can expect when shopping online. Brands operating marketplaces can gain useful insights on customer experiences, data that can be adapted into their other e-commerce channels. Retailers that start a marketplace now may be better equipped for the future. In fact, according to Forrester, two-thirds of global B-to-C…

The other day I purchased a hoodie from a direct-to-consumer brand that I like. “The softest hoodie ever” was how they hooked me, but post-checkout I found myself upsold to buying eye cream. How did they do it? Co-selling. And it’s going to transform every brand into a marketplace. Co-selling is on the rise, and…

Urban Outfitters announced Tuesday it would launch a secondhand apparel and accessories marketplace for consumers to resell their clothes. The new online thrift store, called Nuuly Thrift, is launching in the fall in the form of an iPhone app. Users will be able to post their clothing and accessories from any brand and can choose…

On Tuesday, Amazon.com updated its longstanding returns policy, referred to as the A-to-z Guarantee, to address defective product claims, reports CNBC. Beginning in September, consumers can contact Amazon with a personal injury or property damage claim, and the company will then connect the consumer with the seller. Currently, buyers are encouraged to contact the seller…

Retail has had it tough. As consumers, we may be emerging from the pandemic with pent-up demand and a clutch of savings ready to spend, but it’s come too late for many businesses. No one was too big to fail. From Francesca’s to Century 21, big names tumbled among the 128 national retailers to declare bankruptcy…

In a lucrative new phenomenon, e-commerce investors are pouring billions into marketplace sellers who are often still operating from their own homes, transforming them into international brands in the process. This phenomenon is known as "rolling up" and helps to scale the business, boost sales and maximize profits. As international stay-at-home mandates forced brick-and-mortar stores…