Social Commerce

The retail landscape has reached a permanently hybridized state, with shopping flourishing both online and offline alongside stretched supply chains. Amidst this landscape, more traditional brands are working through a dramatic shift toward more e-commerce, while direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) natives consider expansion into retail distribution. Large, established CPG brands typically focused on selling in-store now face…

Over the last 20 years we’ve seen social media shift from simple, text-based updates to increasingly visual content, championed by app-based platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, with new entrants such as TikTok and Pinterest taking the trend even further. Social media now goes way beyond communicating with friends and family. The impact and growth of…

This past holiday season wrapped up with mixed reviews. While many retailers were bracing for stronger sales, the emergence of Omicron caused consumers to revert back to 2020 levels when it came to discomfort with entering brick-and-mortar stores. Supply chain issues moved up many consumers’ purchasing plans, elongating the holiday shopping season. While we wait…

Petco is among a growing number of retailers and brands that have begun testing livestream selling as another digital channel to engage with customers and sell their product. In the case of Petco, the retailer has partnered with Facebook to host livestream events via the social platform. In an exclusive interview with Total Retail, Jay…

Brand consistency is fundamental to sustaining a successful and dynamic e-commerce ecosystem. However, its true meaning, in practice, is often forgotten. It means much more than the consistency of appearance across all channels, but the consistency of messaging, interaction and seamless interlinking from one customer touchpoint to the next. This consistency is essential in fostering…

How to expand your storefront to any digital surface

The days of having just one or two places to sell your products or services on the web have long passed. These days, you have myriad options for moving merchandise digitally. As you craft or refine your business plan for online selling, it's important to know which avenues are most strategic. This starts with understanding the pros…

Pinterest, the social app and website best known for "pinning" recipes, craft ideas and DIY tips, is the latest platform to offer its users livestream shopping. Pinterest TV is a series of live, original and shoppable episodes featuring product creators that streams on Pinterest. "Pinterest TV episodes are refreshed each weekday and will be recorded and available…

TikTok turned five years old last month, which might be a surprise to many who thought the social media platform only emerged last year. And while it certainly gained enormous popularity and global appeal during the pandemic, this little app has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a lip-syncing app, or for…

In a digital world with so many choices on where to exert your effort and budget, the question for direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) merchants is really where you should be spending your time and what channels — new or old — can deliver the desired results. Smaller brands cannot be everywhere all the time nor do they…