Today on Total Retail

Consumer spending on Mother’s Day is expected to reach $34.1 billion this year, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The amount is up from last year’s $33.5 billion and follows closely behind the record of $35.7 billion in 2023. Eighty-four percent of U.S. adults…

A month rarely goes by without a new platform promising “streamlined” ad buying. It’s no surprise, given that the digital advertising market is expected to reach $513 billion in 2025, according to Statista. Despite new options, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often stick with what they know: Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon.com. The sheer volume…

In an era of compound volatility, uncertainty is the only constant. For retailers, the latest disruption is a wave of tariff actions complicating costs and supply chains, highlighted by evolving discussions on goods from Mexico, Canada, and the European Union. How Best to Respond? Resilient retailers are taking a two-pronged approach: using data-driven decisions to…

In episode 480 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jessica Thompson, global brand president of Halara, women's activewear-inspired everyday apparel. Listen in as Thompson provides an overview of the athleisure brand (1:40), its direct-to-consumer e-commerce distribution channels (2:25), and shares her career journey that lead to her current role (3:10). She discusses the…

Global retailers face constant whiplash as countries adjust their value-added tax (VAT) regulations, complicating cross-border operations. Recent updates — including zero-dollar VAT thresholds in Indonesia and the Philippines and revisions to the European Union’s Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) — demand urgent attention. These unpredictable changes create more than administrative burdens. When customers encounter unexpected VAT…

Every year during this booming season, shoppers reset their routines, explore new products, and rethink their brand preferences. It’s a time of renewal — and that sentiment applies to consumer behavior as well. Economic uncertainty and a growing appetite for discovery make spring a critical time for brands to reinforce their value and retain shoppers…

The Container Store, which less than six months ago filed for bankruptcy, has announced it will lay off about 2 percent of its workforce, or around 70 people, mostly in corporate positions. Capital projects will be also be placed on hold. The Container Store's former president and CEO, Satish Malhotra, resigned last month and was…

The economic climate retailers face today is next level. Rising tariffs, volatile supply chains, and shifting consumer expectations are making it hard to navigate. The rapid increase in costs across retail categories — e.g., cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, packaging, and sporting goods — is putting pressure on already slim margins, forcing businesses to reevaluate inventory planning and…

Shoptalk’s theme this year was customer centricity. Putting the customer at the center can be a big challenge for brands. The first issue many companies run into is competing priorities. A retailer that needs to clear excess inventory before the next shipment feels the pressure to push clearance messaging even if a customer-centric strategy would…

There’s a pattern that repeats itself every time a new digital advertising channel emerges: advertisers get as many consumers that they can find at the bottom of the funnel and then start to figure out how to work their way up the funnel. This strategy has been particularly popular on retail media networks (RMNs) where…