Omnichannel
February 18, 2021 at 12:19 pm
The effects of the current pandemic on retail have been unlike anything we’ve seen in the industry. Consumer behaviors are five years ahead of predictions and strategic technology timelines have shrunk from several years to a few months. These dramatic occurrences are all because omnichannel is essential right now. The cautious consumer isn’t a trend…
February 15, 2021 at 5:15 pm
In episode 285 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Gregg Melnick, executive vice president and chief stores officer at Bed Bath & Beyond. Listen in as Melnick discusses how the retail chain has transformed at an accelerated rate due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of operating within an "omni-always" lens, and how…
February 14, 2021 at 11:44 am
From small local boutiques to iconic department stores, no corner of the retail sector has been untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the separation between winners and losers has never been so stark. For every mall chain declaring bankruptcy, there’s a competitor that’s quickly responded to the new normal and is reaping the revenue benefits.…
February 7, 2021 at 8:45 am
The COVID-19 pandemic created a major spike in outsourced delivery services as restaurants, grocery stores and retailers rushed to adapt to an overnight shift in consumer behavior. Months later it has become clear that the home delivery shift is here to stay, and the high fees and unpredictability of outsourced services are no longer tenable.…
February 4, 2021 at 4:34 pm
Many companies are now wondering about the long-term impact of coronavirus on the retail and e-commerce industry, and what lasting changes it may leave. Despite the doom mongering, many brick-and-mortar stores are doing very nicely online, and so are smaller e-commerce players, with average e-commerce businesses reporting a 15 percent increase in annual revenue since…
January 20, 2021 at 11:43 am
The zeitgeist of 2020 retail commerce can be summarized in two words: survival mode. COVID-19 kept shoppers at home, away from brick-and-mortar stores, and encouraged many consumers to order online for the first time, adding their purchases to the already increased activity of users already confident in digital transactions. The pandemic increased e-commerce sales 44…
January 19, 2021 at 11:37 am
Faced with rising COVID-19 case numbers across the country, many consumers planned to visit fewer retail stores this past holiday season than any year on record. As a result, online and contactless shopping experiences — e.g., buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), curbside, and delivery services — have become the new normal. Ten months into…
January 18, 2021 at 12:58 pm
Traditional shopping patterns went out the window, e-commerce loomed large, and concerns about product availability and fulfillment were some of the themes that emerged during the 2020 holiday shopping season. In-store browsing and comparison shopping are moving online, and the emotions and values traditionally embraced by consumers have been intensified. Omnichannel video advertising can help…
January 12, 2021 at 7:40 pm
Lots of design literature has been written to document e-commerce shopping best practices. User experience (UX) and user interface strategies, like checkout flows or microcopy, matter for increasing purchases. The role operations can play with improving conversion and revenue is often ignored because of its multiple levels of difficulty. Unlike a button, whose color can…
January 11, 2021 at 10:23 pm
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned retail upside down. Pre-coronavirus, digital commerce was already outpacing overall retail growth. Services such as buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) were steadily increasing, but aside from grocery and select big-box retailers, curbside pickup wasn't even on the long-term road map for most retailers. Today, BOPIS and curbside pickup have…
