Today on Total Retail

In 2024, the demand for sustainable practices in retail is more than just a trend; it has become a fundamental shift in consumer expectations and regulatory requirements. Consumers increasingly make purchasing decisions based on a company's environmental impact, looking beyond the surface to see which brands are committed to making a difference. Concurrently, governments worldwide…

The Body Shop has ceased its U.S. operations and is closing dozens of locations in Canada amid deepening financial struggles for the British beauty and cosmetics chain. The Body Shop's U.S. arm ceased operations on March 1, according to a company announcement from earlier this month. And the brand's Canadian subsidiary commenced liquidation of 33…

In episode 443 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Rob Robillard, chief merchandising officer of HSN, a leading interactive and lifestyle retailer that is part of Qurate Retail Group. Listen in as Robillard provides an overview of HSN's history in enabling video commerce and live shopping (1:00), the retailer's increased focus on streaming…

The retail supply chain is undergoing a major transformation, driven by the rise of e-commerce and the increasing complexity of global supply chains. In Gartner's 2023 Top Supply Chain Technology Trends report, "actionable AI" was named the No. 1 trend. This reflects the growing recognition among retailers that artificial intelligence is essential for modernizing and…

The convenience of browsing products from anywhere, coupled with the ease of doorstep delivery, has caused a surge in online shopping. In fact, a recent report released by UPS Capital Insurance Agency, Inc. found that almost all surveyed small and midsized merchants (99 percent) claimed an increase in their shipping volume over the past two…

Creating a positive customer experience lies at the heart of every brand’s purpose in the journey to nurturing and retaining customers. But how does the post-click experience factor into this important dynamic? In an ever-evolving and crowded marketplace — and with social commerce increasingly dictating how customers are introduced to brands and shop with them…

Customer data platforms (CDPs) are technology solutions that combine data from multiple tools to create a single centralized customer database containing data on all touchpoints and interactions with your product or service. With that data in hand, marketers are able to create the personalized experiences that consumers have come to expect and in many cases…

For e-commerce brands, it’s not the year of the dragon, it’s the year of the back-in-stock message. Automated back-in-stock message sends have been on a multiyear rise. In 2023, brands sent 4x as many as the year before, generating 3x the number of orders than the year before. Back-in-stock messages perform exceptionally well compared to…

The stakes are high in today’s ever-changing economy, and companies must make the right supply chain decisions or risk being left behind. Navigating the complexity of today’s supply chain requires utilizing converging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), decision science, and operations research for more informed, data-driven decisions. However, leveraging these components…

As the war for customer attention rages on, the average consumer’s online browsing experience is starting to feel more like a battlefield than a comfortable and inviting place to seek out information. Imagine trying to navigate a website only to be bombarded with flashy visuals, confusing layouts, and no way to hear what's going on.…