Today on Total Retail

Carhartt, America's iconic workwear brand, announced Monday it's dedicating its Fall 2024 "For the Love of Labor" grant to support Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation and its Metallica Scholars Initiative. Created by the members and management of Metallica, All Within My Hands is a nonprofit, philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting workforce education by connecting…

The retail sector continues to face mounting pressure to meet higher standards of social and environmental responsibility. A recent survey found that over the next three years, 90 percent of organizations intend to ramp up their investments in ESG in response to both regulatory pressures and growing consumer preferences for sustainable products. Seventy-three percent of millennials now…

New data shows 30-day free trials had the highest customer acquisition (32 percent) and conversion rate (56 percent). Despite their effectiveness, nearly three in four e-commerce sellers didn't use free trials last year. These findings come from the Optimal Free Trial Length for Digital Products study, which was conducted to understand how digital retailers can…

The U.S. holiday shopping season is almost here, and most retailers anticipate another record-breaking year. In fact, analysts at eMarketer predict that consumers will spend more than $271 billion, a 9.5 percent increase in domestic holiday retail e-commerce sales over 2023. Being a winner of the upcoming holiday season may come down to a retailer’s…

High turnover rates and staffing challenges have long characterized the retail industry. In 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found the average rate of retail employee turnover to be around 60 percent in the U.S. — far exceeding the national average by a whopping 15 percent. The seasonality of retail work only exacerbates the…

Off-price department store chain TJ Maxx has launched a new incubator program in partnership with celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger to support emerging stylists. Named “Styled by Runway,” the program provides five upcoming stylists with career-building mentorship, a platform to refine their styling aesthetic, and access to high-end brands through TJ Maxx's premium designer shop, Runway.…

In episode 463 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Rah Mahtani, head of marketing, North America at Alibaba.com, a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce. Listen in as Mahtani discusses the launch of Alibaba Guaranteed (0:55), how the solution addresses global sourcing challenges (2:45), and the process of incorporating feedback from buyers…

Integrating online and offline channels into a unified commerce strategy is no longer just an option, it’s a necessity. As consumer expectations evolve, it’s increasingly clear that this approach significantly enhances customer experience, increases sales, and streamlines operations for enterprise B2B e-commerce companies. Taking a step back: What exactly is unified commerce? We’ve all heard…

From October to December, peak retail traffic creates transitory headaches for warehousing and logistics managers — and those headaches are getting peskier by the year. In 2023, shoppers spent 3.8 percent more than during the previous peak season. Meanwhile, peak-era spending has increased by 63 percent in the past decade, aided by the rising trend…

Q4 is a fruitful time for many businesses. However, with every advertiser vying for consumers’ attention, the holiday season can also be extremely competitive. CandleScience, a candle and soap making supplies company, added a new performance channel to its marketing mix to remain top of mind with shoppers leading up to and through the holidays.…