Order Fulfillment

It’s safe to say that 2020 has taken the country — and the entire world — by storm. We’re currently eight months into the COVID-19 global pandemic, and while a majority of people are yearning for a return to “normalcy,” there are many industries and businesses that simply will not, retail included. Ongoing research surveys…

Like much of everything in 2020, the holiday shopping season is expected to look quite different than prior years — and it extends way beyond just wearing a mask to the mall. Every year, Shopkick surveys U.S. consumers to learn more about their holiday shopping plans. This time around, amidst a global pandemic, findings show…

The 2019 holiday season feels like a lifetime ago, in a robust economy and pre-pandemic. Taking a look back, we see that initial retail forecasts were lackluster, with analysts predicting a downturn from 2018. Final figures belied those early grim predictions, however, with the National Retail Federation (NRF) confirming that retail sales for the last…

Retail has undergone seismic shifts since the outbreak of COVID-19, when we radically changed the way we behave outside our homes — and whether we ever even leave our homes at all. Brick-and mortar retailers have had to radically restructure their operations, from click-and-collect options to refocusing on online shopping. As states gradually open back…

The desire to unify multiple channels in response to changing customer demands and the emergence of digital technologies, social media and mobile devices isn't new to retail. And yet, delivering an integrated, 360-degree omnichannel experience to customers still appears to be a stretch for many. Late in 2019, before the coronavirus changed everything, we set…

The back-to-school shopping season certainly looked dim this year, with many students not returning to the classroom. As we now look toward the holiday season, we can expect a change in holiday shopping habits, too. However, unlike back-to-school shopping, which essentially relies on being able to physically go back to school, holiday shopping will occur…

Beginning in late July, a number of major retailers announced they will be closing stores on Thanksgiving Day for the first time in years. Walmart kicked it all off, stating it will be closing its stores on the U.S. holiday for the first time in 30 years, with many other retailers, including Target, quick to…

Retail is an incredibly resilient industry, having endured decades of economic disruption, yet continuing to come out the other side stronger than before. Thus far, COVID-19 has been retail’s most unprecedented difficulty of this decade, with social distancing guidelines forcing doors to close and operations to shift drastically. While retailers have reopened their doors to…

Lowe's announced this morning that it will add self-serve pickup lockers to all U.S. stores, more than 1,700, by March 2021. The lockers will be an additional contactless option for shoppers, who have sought out these sorts of services during the COVID-19 pandemic. A scannable barcode generated after a purchase is made will allow shoppers to…

When the coronavirus required cities to introduce stay-at-home policies this spring, the initial impact on retail was immediate and, frankly, scary. “Closed” signs popped up in store windows across the country, foot traffic came to a complete halt in some areas, and some brick-and-mortar shop owners weren’t sure they would make it. An April 8…