Today on Total Retail

A whopping 69 percent of retailers treat returns as a cost of doing business, meaning they simply accept that they will incur $165 million in merchandise returns for every $1 billion in sales. This problem is further exacerbated during the holiday season when 17.9 percent of merchandise sold is returned. But what if one shift could…

During the five-day holiday weekend spanning from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday last year, 200.4 million consumers shopped, setting a new record both in the number of people shopping and the amount spent — online sales rose 7.8 percent from 2022 to $38 billion. With 2024 upon us, retailers find themselves on the brink of a…

A woman in Florida is suing the candy giant Hershey, alleging that the Pennsylvania-based company misled consumers with the packaging on a Halloween-themed Reese's candy. The lawsuit, filed by Cynthia Kelly on Dec. 28, claims that Hershey engaged in "false and deceptive advertising" when it advertised an image of a chocolate peanut butter pumpkin with…

In a truly dynamic market, retailers that leverage disruptive technologies like generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) to embed themselves in their customers’ lives better are more likely to succeed than their peers relying on traditional selling methods. Numerous retailers have displayed remarkable resilience over the past year, cultivating empathy and delivering personalization despite an uncertain…

Being a forward-thinking retailer requires actively identifying shifts in consumer behavior. Perhaps one of the most notable changes in recent years has been the rise in cashless consumers. According to a Pew Research Center survey, roughly four in 10 Americans (41 percent) say none of their purchases in a typical week are paid for using cash, up…

As we begin 2024, the world of e-commerce will see continued evolution and disruption. Consumer behavior has fundamentally shifted over the past several years, with more shoppers flocking to digital storefronts and leveraging digital shopping technologies. With this backdrop in mind, here are four key predictions for what's in store for e-commerce in 2024. Consumers…

Customer loyalty, like many aspects of commerce, has undergone a major transformation since 2020 — away from transactional benefits and toward enriched experiences. Before the onset of the pandemic, points redemption and “buy some get some” loyalty models were already losing out to value-focused loyalty offerings like subscriptions, design services, and member pricing that are…

While debates rage around the pros and cons of artificial intelligence, the technology is slowly being adopted by the online retail sector and generating some positive results. It has the potential to do so much more, though. While many people talk about AI, it’s fair to say that few fully understand its potential or how…

Online retailer Zulily is shutting down, reports CNBC. The business ceased operations on Fri., Dec. 22, 2023. In a note on the company’s homepage, an official said Zulily’s leadership had “made the difficult but necessary decision to conduct an orderly wind-down of the business to maximize value for the companies’ creditors” by entering an assignment…

The National Retail Federation forecasted 2023 holiday sales to grow between 3 percent and 4 percent. And while sales growth has slowed due to the pandemic, economic uncertainty, and other factors, retailers must still compete — if not compete even harder — for consumers’ eyeballs and wallets. The smartest retailers will leverage advanced technologies like…