Omnichannel
July 7, 2015 at 1:59 pm
The numbers are mind-boggling: a new research report from retail analyst firm IHL Group, sponsored by OrderDynamics, points out that retailers worldwide lose $1.75 trillion (that’s trillion, not billion) annually in revenue opportunities due to the combined costs of overstocks, out-of-stocks and sales returns. It’s a phenomenon that IHL and OrderDynamics call the “Ghost Economy,”…
July 2, 2015 at 8:52 pm
Explore why product content is key to your e-commerce strategy; how it leads to better supplier-retailer relationships; and more!
July 1, 2015 at 3:54 pm
In the era of customer-driven commerce, merchants are sometimes painfully aware that they're not in the driver’s seat anymore. Shoppers empowered with greater access to information than ever before now expect to be able to browse and purchase products anytime, from anywhere, on any device they choose, all in speedy, seamless transactions. Merchants might be…
June 25, 2015 at 2:05 pm
Wal-Mart has introduced an Apple Watch application, suggesting that the device could have a broad market appeal while cementing the retailer’s role as a leader in mobile retail. While there's been no shortage of marketers jumping in with Apple Watch apps since the device, Wal-Mart’s entry here is notable given the retailer’s value positioning, which…
June 23, 2015 at 2:47 pm
As many readers of this blog know, I've been working with Direct Tech, a 26-year-old provider of merchandise and inventory planning tools for direct-to-consumer retailers, for the last few years. Earlier this year, Direct Tech was acquired by Software Paradigms International (SPI), a 20-year-old provider of IT solutions to brick-and-mortar retailers. It’s exciting to be…
June 18, 2015 at 4:26 pm
If you thought implementing omnichannel commerce was tough enough, just wait until later this year. At its recent "Google I/O" conference for developers, Google announced two significant products that will impact your omnichannel commerce strategy: digital payments and search commerce. On the digital payments front, Google has pulled the wraps off its Apple Pay killer,…
June 12, 2015 at 4:03 pm
Sometimes staring into the future of retail can look a bit like a sci-fi movie. From Rebecca Minkoff's interactive mirrors and dressing rooms to ThinFilm’s new smart tags that monitor the freshness of produce to Cubifiy’s in-home 3-D printer that can print shoes on demand, retailers and technology companies are striving to deliver customer experiences…
June 12, 2015 at 2:09 pm
Put J.C. Penney executives in the same room with Wall Street analysts and the question of store closings always comes up. Why isn’t Penney closing more stores? J.C. Penney CEO Mike Ullman and CEO-designee Marvin Ellison were on the same podium Wednesday at the Piper Jaffray Annual Consumer Conference in New York. Analyst Neely Tamminga…
June 11, 2015 at 2:53 pm
A 2012 study from Aberdeen Group found that “best in class” retailers placed a higher emphasis on integrating social media into their omnichannel initiatives than did the rest of the pack. Some 46 percent of the best-in-class group called that integration “very important,” compared with 18 percent of “average” or “laggard” retail businesses. Much has…
June 10, 2015 at 4:27 pm
Facebook is offering up free beacons to retailers and businesses using its service as part of an update to the company’s Place Tips feature originally rolled out in January. Place Tips, which works by showing Facebook users posts and photos about a specific retailer or business when they open the app within the actual store,…
