Product Sourcing

Retail is in a constant state of death and rebirth. The Curated Future examines retail's next big trend — curation over selection. As digitally native brands continue to flood an already saturated market, this research report looks at the impact on consumers. Frustrated, consumers are increasingly turning to a trusted voice — retailers — to curate a selection of products aimed directly at a defined consumer type.

Amazon.com has more customer search and purchase data than any e-commerce business. It can build a private-label brand in six months using these data. Amazon’s private-label products have access to the best merchandising and targeting on the marketplace. And the brand doesn’t even need to be profitable. How do national brands compete with this? According…

Today, 80 percent of consumers say private-label products meet expectations. And we can all guess why, right? Value prices for quality products are all the rage. But while it’s great that people are onboard the private brand gravy train, the truth is that this transition has been especially beneficial for shoppers on the hunt for…

When developing new products, businesses typically ask their customers a single question. They provide a long list of features and ask, “For this product, which of these features do you most prefer?” This seems like a straightforward question. Many product development teams would take these results and immediately begin developing whatever features were selected most…

Amazon.com has launched a pair of private-label furniture brands. The Seattle Times reports the online retailer unveiled the furniture brands — Rivet and Stone & Beam — this week. The brands will be sold exclusively on Amazon.com. This announcement represents the company's latest expansion into private-label brands. Amazon describes Rivet as “stylish and versatile mid-century modern furniture and…

Melissa Campanelli, co-founder of Women in Retail Leadership Circle, sister brand of Total Retail, interviews Victoria Tsai, founder and CEO of Tatcha Beauty, a luxury skincare brand.

Jet.com launched its private-label business, Uniquely J, as it continues its push to tap urban millennials and its corporate parent Wal-Mart fortifies its fight against Amazon.com. Uniquely J will offer a variety of goods, including toilet paper, coffee and laundry detergent. In keeping with its focus on "metro millennials," Jet has placed emphasis on items that are…

Some of Bon-Ton Stores’ suppliers are scaling back shipments and asking to be paid sooner in order to protect themselves from potential losses in case the department store chain falls short on its turnaround plans, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The suppliers have insisted on getting paid with letters of credit or cash…

With retail supply chains growing more complex by the day, it’s no wonder retailers are struggling to get their products to market faster and at a lower cost than their competitors. The industry is evolving at a rapid pace, producing intense competition like we’ve never seen before. As a result, retailers are finding it necessary…

Some suppliers to Toys“R”Us have scaled back shipments to the retailer as it struggles to refinance debt and avoid a potential bankruptcy filing, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The vendors are balking as Toys“R”Us continues talks with lenders over a new loan that would allow the retailer to stay open while it works…