Product Sourcing
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…
December 7, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Retailers need to prioritize their product and pricing strategies to capitalize on the surge in holiday sales and keep loyal customers.
July 31, 2018 at 11:11 am
The Vitamin Shoppe is looking to facilitate the discovery of new brands and innovative products through a vendor incubation program. Launchpad, as the Secaucus, N.J.-based retailer has dubbed the program, is meant to introduce emerging products and brands to shoppers through its relationships with vitamin and supplement brands, the company said in a press release. The…
July 30, 2018 at 10:09 am
In episode 156 of Total Retail Talks, Matt Reynolds, co-founder and president of Indigenous, a retailer of organic, fair trade and sustainable fashion, discusses the brand's commitment to being socially responsible, steps it has taken to be more environmentally conscious, and the business benefits associated with this approach.
June 28, 2018 at 10:20 am
The prevalence of e-commerce giants has completely changed consumer buying expectations. Apparel, fashion and retail companies are all feeling the effects of the shift toward unified commerce and the pressure to deliver on consumer demands. Going beyond shipping, fulfillment and customer experience, consumers are looking closely at how a product is made, and making purchase decisions…
