Omnichannel

With brick-and-mortar retailers struggling from online competition, every point of differentiation helps. Data makes that possible.

Everything we hear these days is about how big mobile is, and how it’s going to be even bigger going forward. 2016 was the year of mobile, they say. So 2017 is definitely going to be the year of mobile, they say. Mobile payments are expected to hit more than $90 billion this year, up…

It’s no secret that the retail landscape has changed recently. Thanks to the influence of Amazon.com and other retail disrupters, customer expectations today are at an all-time high, and this puts economic pressure on legacy retailers, which generally have very different business models and as such can’t always meet these expectations. So, what are legacy…

With school season just beginning, back-to-school (BTS) shoppers are making sure everything on their list has been taken care of. The second biggest shopping season after the winter holidays, this is a crucial time for retailers to attract and engage BTS shoppers in a space where competition is rampant. The value of knowing and understanding…

In episode 108 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Total Retail Talks Live! event in New York City, Fred Argir, vice president and chief digital officer at Barnes & Noble, talks about the bookseller's digital and omnichannel strategy, as well as his leadership philosophy.

Traditional retail has experienced a seismic shift over the last few years as more and more shoppers go online, forcing retailers to boost and optimize their digital presence. There's no space more poised for a shakeup than grocery stores. Once immune to the online trend, more companies, including Amazon.com, are pushing into this space. A…

lululemon athletica, the athletic apparel retailer, posted better-than-expected second quarter results on Thursday, CNBC reports. In addition to new product lines, a recent uptick in purchases within brick-and-mortar stores has helped lift sales for lululemon. Finally, the launch of a menswear ad campaign and rise in sales among men has helped the brand grow its…

Consumer goods companies, having previously lagged behind other sectors with rocketing online sales, now appear to have reached an e-commerce tipping point. They are learning from traditional e-commerce retailers when it comes to their use of online customer and competitor insights to understand buying patterns, price sensitivity, and new competitive product offerings and to improve…

The struggles of brick-and-mortar retailers in 2017 have been well-documented. Iconic brands such as J.C. Penney, Macy's and Sears have all announced store closures this year, and other mall-based retailers such as The Limited, Wet Seal, and American Apparel have gone out of business. Why? A common reason cited is less in-store traffic, the result…

Smart brands are looking for new ways to beat their competition and succeed in this changing retail industry. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSI) is leveraging its best competitive advantage — its network of stores — to give customers an enhanced shopping experience across its portfolio of brands (Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm). Williams-Sonoma, Inc. recently introduced…