Today on Total Retail

Primark announced that it will open a new store at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills, Michigan on Sept. 12. The retailer's first store in Michigan, this opening will offer Detroit-area shoppers more than 36,600 square feet of retail selling space with the latest fashion trends and essentials for the whole family, as well as…

Inflation continues to cast a long shadow over American households, with prices soaring to levels 33 percent higher than those seen four years ago. Despite prices easing in recent months, inflation’s cumulative effect has exacted economic strain on many families, who are grappling with a higher cost of living coupled with slower income growth. In…

Retailers will need to embrace the experience economy and strategically integrate next-generation technologies to effectively navigate enterprise transformation and industry disruption. To successfully enter the new era of cognitive retail, brands should keep these five trends in mind: 1. Customers Are Prioritizing Experiences Over Products. Nearly 90 percent of consumers say that the experience a…

In episode 461 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Maya Baluschak, director of digital marketing and loyalty at Rexall, a leading Canadian pharmacy and drugstore chain. Listen in as Baluschak provides an overview of the Rexall business (0:45), her role at the company (1:15), and digital marketing efforts to differentiate the pharmacy chain…

In the fiercely competitive realm of online shopping, each phase of the customer journey greatly influences conversion rates and customer loyalty. The checkout process is a crucial last step in this journey. In fact, half of consumers want the process to be easier. A seamless and effective checkout procedure results in increased conversion rates, enhanced customer…

Conn's HomePlus, the Texas-based home goods, furniture and electronics retailer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday and is closing 73 of its 170 stores, multiple news outlets reported. The closures and bankruptcy filings come after a year of lost profits for Conn's — the company ended 2023 with a year-over-year net loss of nearly…

Technology has long paved the way for consumers to shop beyond their own domestic markets. Today, a growing number of international e-commerce brands, including Temu and Shein, are enticing overseas shoppers with unique product offerings, competitive pricing, and more. Demonstrating the opportunity, over half (52 percent) of U.S. and U.K. online shoppers have purchased at…

It’s no secret the e-commerce industry is experiencing significant growth, with 23 percent of retail purchases expected to occur online by 2027. That number should be higher, as today nearly 71 percent of online shopping carts get abandoned, often due to user experience (UX) issues such as trouble creating accounts, pauses or delays related to product…

Amazon Prime Day is the mid-summer shopping event that serves as a litmus test of what to expect for the Q4 holiday season. Every July, Prime Day offers a valuable “dress rehearsal” for upcoming critical shopping periods such as back-to-school and the holidays. This year, Prime Day hit record-breaking sales, with shoppers spending $14.2 billion…

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a critical business process in both online and brick-and-mortar retail. Its efficiency directly affects customer satisfaction and loyalty and thus largely determines a retailer's revenues. As a retail business grows, the number of clients also increases, making CRM more labor-intensive and challenging. Retailers can address this challenge by adopting the…