Today on Total Retail

As retailers plan for the remainder of 2025, sustainability is proving to be a major driver of growth. In 2024, eco-conscious shopping habits and the rise of the circular economy transformed digital commerce, with fashion resale platforms like Depop leading the charge. Depop was one of the companies recognized in the recent Similarweb Digital 100…

Forever 21's U.S. operating company on Sunday filed for bankruptcy for the second time in six years and said it would wind down its domestic operations, hurt by mounting online competition in the fast-fashion sector and weak mall traffic, reports Reuters. It blamed the situation on higher costs and companies taking advantage of duty-free treatment…

Inventory distortion is a critical problem for retailers and, if left unaddressed, it will only worsen. The term refers to the total business costs resulting from both overstocking and stockouts. Just last year, the cost of inventory distortion in retail amounted to $1.7 trillion worldwide. Inventory distortion can significantly impact retailers’ profitability. Excess inventory leads…

TikTok has completely changed the way brands sell. A single video, maybe an influencer raving about a beauty product or a live shopping stream that sells out in minutes, can turn an unknown brand into the next big thing overnight. But here's the real challenge: What happens after that? Going viral is exciting, but it's…

Retailers have long tried to discourage returns by making the process inconvenient, hoping to avoid the financial burden of return logistics. That approach is no longer viable. Today’s customers expect returns to be just as seamless as their original purchase, and those expectations are reshaping the industry. A new report from the National Retail Federation…

Retailers are eager to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) tools to take advantage of unstructured datasets. Unlocking the untapped potential of both structured and unstructured data through AI will help retailers build more meaningful relationships with consumers, boosting brand loyalty and creating more upsell opportunities while optimizing the shopping experience and driving greater product innovation. However,…

Consumers spent at a slower than expected pace in February, though underlying readings indicated that sales still grew at a solid pace despite worries over an economic slowdown and rising inflation. Retail sales increased 0.2 percent on the month, better than the downwardly revised decline of 1.2 percent the prior month but below the Dow…

In episode 477 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Ankur Daga, CEO and co-founder of Angara, a vertically integrated online jeweler that sources and procures stones, designs jewelry, and manufactures pieces in-house. Listen in as Daga talks about his background as well as the founding of Angara (1:45), including the white space the…

Today, delivering a positive and seamless customer experience is more critical than ever for retail success. Customer service teams are the front line of this effort, and their ability to handle complex and diverse scenarios with empathy and confidence can make or break a customer's perception of a brand. This is why training is so…

Imagine this: you walk into your favorite café to grab a latte and leave with a beautifully wrapped jar of locally produced honey and a size medium super-comfortable hoodie bearing the café’s logo, which you've admired for some time. Or picture stopping by a convenience store while you fill up on gas only to discover…