Today on Total Retail

Kohl's on Tuesday lowered the top end of its annual sales forecast and said it would be aggressive with promotions in the crucial holiday season as cost-conscious shoppers spend less at its department stores, reports Reuters. Kohl's now expects annual sales to fall between 2.8 percent and 4 percent, against its previous projection for a 2 percent…

We’ve long been talking about media sellers grading their own homework in digital advertising. And it’s no different when it comes to retail media. If anything, brands are stuck between an even bigger rock and a hard place in retail media. Not only does the measurement come directly from the media seller, but the same…

We're now in the afterglow of Customer Experience (CX) Day, a day when organizations roll out the red carpet for everyone involved in customer experience. Yet, for those in the retail game, CX Day stands as a reminder that it’s not just one day but really every day that should be dedicated to addressing and…

Organized retail crime (ORC) is rising as store employees face more aggressive and violent perpetrators than ever before. The National Retail Federation reports that the average shrink rate increased to 1.6 percent in 2022, representing $112.1 billion in losses, nearly $20 billion more than in 2021. Even more troubling, nearly half of retailers say that…

Back in 2020, when Google announced it would deprecate cookies, a wave of uncertainty transcended on the digital media landscape. Media buyers wondered what impact the loss of cookies would have on their ability to reach high-value audiences, while media sellers mulled over the potential risks to their valuable revenue streams. All advertising verticals across…

Consumer holiday spending during the Thanksgiving week is expected to reach new highs as consumers look to make the most of festive deals, according to Deloitte's recently released 2023 Black Friday Cyber Monday Survey. Key findings from the annual survey include: Black Friday-Cyber Monday shopping is back. Spending during the Thanksgiving week period is expected to be…

In episode 428 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Mike Clem, CEO of Sweetwater, the world's leading music technology and instrument retailer. Listen in as Clem discusses his 20-year career at Sweetwater (1:00), why the company has a strong track record of long-time employee retention (1:45), and how he is working to maintain…

A record 196.7 million consumers shopped over Thanksgiving weekend in 2022, and Black Friday sales are expected to reach $9.8 billion this year. For small businesses, this presents a significant opportunity to bolster sales and attract new customers to their brick-and-mortar stores. That is, if they have the necessary tools to handle a serious influx…

Amazon.com's Prime Big Deal Days are in the rearview mirror, and it’s all holiday ahead. With consumer spending expected to surpass pre-pandemic figures for the first time, retailers that deliver a great digital experience (DX) are poised to win big during the most important time of the year. In fact, 85 percent of consumers say…

October’s early holiday online shopping bump failed to materialize in a meaningful way, leaving retailers wondering whether the rest of their busiest season would live up to the already meager projections for fourth-quarter sales growth. U.S. e-commerce spending was up 4 percent in October compared to a year ago, according to data from commerce protection provider…