Product Sourcing
May 30, 2019 at 9:52 am
The global cannabis market could be worth $32 billion by 2022, and consequently presents huge opportunities for retailers. While the transition from prohibition presents huge opportunities, it also presents huge challenges. BDS Analytics commented that 2018 was a year of "constantly diminishing forecasts," as retailers struggled to compete against the black market in a heavily…
May 20, 2019 at 1:39 pm
Kohl’s announced that it has signed a long-term deal with Fanatics to sell the sports retailer's licensed gear exclusively on Kohls.com, starting this fall. Fanatics had already been a wholesale partner of Kohl’s. The new deal, however, will enable Kohl's online shoppers access to hundreds of thousands of items across team apparel, jerseys and additional merchandise for men,…
May 17, 2019 at 11:19 am
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China, and what it means for retailers and consumers. Last week, President Trump announced that the U.S. would be raising tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports to 25 percent from…
May 14, 2019 at 10:00 am
Late last week, the Trump administration hiked tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports to 25 percent from 10 percent, escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington. Trump asserted on Twitter that there was “no need to rush” to get a deal between the world’s two biggest economies and later added that the tariffs “may or…
March 21, 2019 at 11:53 am
Before manufacturing took over the world, businesses made every product by hand with an immaculate attention to detail. Today, companies blame their own manufacturers and suppliers for poor quality control, however, in many cases their own short-sightedness is the true culprit. The rise in entrepreneurship in the U.S. has led to the birth of some…
February 25, 2019 at 3:05 pm
The United States is planning to delay additional tariffs on Chinese goods that were scheduled to begin on March 1, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday. In a series of posts on Twitter, Trump cited "substantial progress" in bilateral talks between the U.S. and China. As a result, the president said he would suspend the…
February 13, 2019 at 12:24 pm
The government may be back in session, but the trade war with China is continuing to disrupt the economy in 2019. Businesses that seek growth in times of turmoil will face steep challenges this year and beyond. Increased customs fees and longer processing times have thrust most companies into unfamiliar territory. Without experience in international…
January 31, 2019 at 11:03 am
When shopping large online retailers, such as Amazon.com or eBay, it's impossible not to notice the seemingly impossible low cost of many China-sourced products. In fact, upon further inspection, it's often the case that all these extremely low-priced items even include free shipping. This begs the question: How can China afford to ship products to…
January 11, 2019 at 11:54 am
The start of a new year brings with it consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry trends, as well as the continuation of several 2018 developments. With e-commerce, we’ve started to see brands typically available exclusively online, like meal kit services, begin to move selectively into brick-and-mortar spaces or partner with established retailers to grow the reach…
January 7, 2019 at 11:10 am
In episode 177 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the 2018 Shop.org conference in Las Vegas, Bai Gan, chief product officer at Zenni Optical, an online eyewear retailer, discusses the brand's growth from humble beginnings (i.e., selling products out of the founder's garage) into a leading seller of prescription glasses and sunglasses. Zenni Optical currently owns…
