Today on Total Retail

Retail sales jumped significantly in May, showing strong increases both month-over-month and year-over-year, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions, released today by the National Retail Federation (NRF). Total retail sales, excluding automobiles and gasoline, were up 1.35 percent seasonally adjusted month-over-month and up 3.03 percent unadjusted YoY in May, according to…

In episode 456 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Alok Jain, senior director of CRM, loyalty and marketing analytics at West Marine, the nation's leading omnichannel provider in the marine aftermarket. Listen in as Jain discusses his career background in the loyalty space (1:00), an underutilized aspect of CRM (customer relationship management) data…

Retailers have had to contend with California’s Song-Beverly Credit Card Act since 1971. Among other things, this law set limits on what information retailers can and cannot collect at the point of sale. A 2011 decision by the California Supreme Court saw a wave of class action lawsuits against retailers in the early part of…

The direct-to-consumer (DTC) landscape has faced its share of challenges and misconceptions in recent years. While some high-profile brands have struggled, leading to a perception of decline in the DTC space, the reality is far more nuanced. The key takeaway is clear: DTC brands are not dead. In fact, the smart ones are thriving by…

In 2023, rising interest rates, inflation, and less discretionary spending squeezed some consumer and retail companies. This year, even though some of the same factors are still at play, there is greater stabilization and along with it increased interest in pursuing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity. In fact, this activity is already appearing on Datasite’s…

Walmart will begin offering new training programs and certifications to fill high-demand roles across its business, such as HVAC technicians, opticians and software engineers, reports CNBC. The big-box retailer said it will also offer hourly store workers a bonus of up to $1,000 per year. Walmart’s new programs give employees more ways to move into…

In today's competitive retail landscape, providing a seamless customer experience is no longer enough. Consumers and businesses increasingly seek flexible and personalized financial solutions at the point of sale (POS). Since 2018, POS lending products have experienced an annual growth rate of 20 percent, and the number of users of these services is expected to…

In a privacy-first world where new technologies are evolving rapidly, the digital marketing industry is experiencing an upheaval due to its historic lack of standardized measurement and attribution. As e-commerce businesses struggle to adapt their approaches to performance reporting, companies that don't prioritize deeper analytics investments will face greater challenges than others. Let's take a…

Go to any retail store and the associates likely have some spooky stories to tell when it comes to returns fraud and abuse. For instance, imagine a box arrives for a returned computer and all that’s inside is a heap of heavy rocks. Unfortunately, fraudsters and organized retail crime (ORC) groups are only getting craftier…

Across the globe, a transformative wave is reshaping the landscape of international commerce. Nations and economic blocs worldwide are instituting a broad array of supply chain due diligence laws aimed at eradicating forced labor and safeguarding human rights. These regulations mark the most concerted global push ever for more ethical supply chains, signaling an era…