Today on Total Retail

From brand and product options to the methods to purchase, consumers have more choices than ever in how their shopping experience comes to life. The most recent shift in consumer mindset and shopping preferences happened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because so many retailers were forced to shift to online-only during this time,…

Whole Foods Market, the Austin-based grocery store chain owned by Amazon.com, announced Monday it was introducing a new, smaller, "quick-shop" store format "designed to provide customers in urban neighborhoods a quick, convenient shopping experience with easier access to fresh, high-quality offerings," according to a company press release. The new format, called Whole Foods Market Daily…

In episode 40 of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Maigari Jinkiri, vice president of business development at Celebrus, a customer data and fraud prevention solution. Listen in as Jinkiri provides an overview of the business and how it works with retailers (0:45), his professional background that led him to recently join Celebrus…

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how retailers and merchants attend to customers and even how they manage inventory, all via technology such as chatbots and facial recognition. And now, AI can potentially transform lending in the sector, too. Banks, lenders and merchants with white-labeled lending offerings could eventually use AI to address credit risk assessment,…

Cross-channel marketing should attract new customers and deepen relationships with the ones you already have. As a marketer in the retail industry, your cross-channel marketing campaigns should create a cohesive, consistent customer experience that feels relevant and seamless. The question is, do you have the right technology and tools to achieve that? MoEngage surveyed more…

For small businesses with brick-and-mortar stores, foot traffic is (almost) everything. That’s bad news for both rural towns and small business hubs like San Francisco or New York, which haven't yet recovered to pre-pandemic foot traffic levels. With fewer people walking along city streets and a seasonal dip in sales after the holidays, small retailers…

Target on Tuesday said it will launch a paid membership program next month, riffing off the playbook of its rivals Amazon.com and Walmart, reports CNBC. The subscription-based program, Target Circle 360, will launch in early April and cost $99 per year. Target will offer a discounted rate of $49 per year as part of a…

Want to build your own retail media empire? Or at least figure out a way to manage your advertisers seamlessly to keep your stress low and your ability to scale high? Retail media is growing fast. To make the most of that momentum, your advertisers have specific, evolving expectations about what working with you will…

It can feel, at times, like a game of dominos. When there’s a global supply chain disruption, like those we’ve been seeing in recent months on the Red Sea and the Panama Canal, e-commerce companies and, ultimately, consumers feel the downstream ripples. For those working on the inside, it’s nothing new. There have been plenty…

Customer service can be the single most important factor for consumers in deciding which brands to support. Far too often, companies are waiting for problems to arise before they get to know their customers, when what they should be doing is getting to know consumers from the moment of first interaction. At a time when…