Today on Total Retail

Innovations in frictionless-yet-secure transactions are becoming increasingly important when it comes to navigating promotions in various industries, a weapon often used to boost customer acquisition and loyalty. An estimated $1.5 million is lost each month by U.S.-based delivery companies attributed to promotion abuse, a type of online fraud in which bad actors take advantage of…

No other advertising channel has ever grown as fast as commerce media. In just five years, the market went from $1 billion to $30 billion — more than twice as fast as it took social media advertising to achieve the same milestone. And by all accounts, commerce media is just getting started. Retailers have a…

Seattle-based retailer Zulily's website has been down for maintenance since Monday following the layoffs of 800 workers. When attempting to visit Zulily's website Wednesday, the link redirects to https://www.zulily.com/password and displays a message that says, "We are down for maintenance." Earlier this month, news emerged about Zulily layoffs in three states — Washington, Ohio and…

For sugar importers, this past summer was anything but sweet. The cost of sugar has surged by more than 40 percent globally since last year due largely to poor harvest conditions caused by dry conditions across India, China, and Thailand, as well as an unusually cold and wet spring in Europe, which are expected to…

At this point, doing one's holiday shopping at the mall feels almost like a nostalgic throwback — not far removed from listening to music on vinyl or taking pictures with a disposable camera. The records for online holiday shopping are broken on what seems like a yearly basis, with last year's $9.12 billion representing the…

On Monday, VF Corporation, the U.S.-based owner of apparel brands including Vans, Supreme, and The North Face, confirmed a cyberattack has impacted the company’s ability to fulfill orders ahead of Christmas, reports TechCrunch. The company first detected the attack on Dec. 13, according to a filing with federal regulators. Hackers disrupted the company’s operations “by…

With signs that retail sales are slowing and inflation remaining stubbornly elevated, more businesses are turning to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered pricing software to maximize revenue and protect operating margins. While cost cutting will always be important, it's this focus on the top line that now creates lasting competitive advantage. The momentum behind AI shows no…

With the holiday season underway, retailers of all sizes have been preparing themselves for a festive surge in sales. However, the post-holiday months bring in a wave of returns that can serve as a financial challenge for small businesses. Recent data from Xero, the global small business platform, reveals that a staggering 53 percent of…

Heralded as the latest phenomenon in e-commerce, "shoppertainment" — the convergence of shopping and entertainment — is making colossal waves within the retail industry. According to recent research from TikTok and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), this growing trend is expected to present Asia-Pacific (APAC) brands alone with a trillion-dollar opportunity by 2025. While APAC…

For many retail brands, the holiday season is the "Golden Quarter" and prime time to deploy strategies to maximize revenue gains. After all, Black Friday has evolved from a one-day sale to (for some retailers) a multiday event demonstrating consumer demand. This is further supported by KPMG research that saw a 5 percent year-over-year increase…