Today on Total Retail

Starbucks workers in New York City have filed 32 more complaints alleging that the coffee giant violated the city’s labor laws. New York’s Fair Workweek law says that employers have to give their workers regular schedules from week to week, 14 days notice of their scheduled hours and extra pay for shift changes, among other…

The holiday shopping season is often referred to as retail’s Super Bowl, with the National Retail Federation estimating that November and December have accounted for 19 percent of total U.S. retail sales over the past five years. Even those with tight purse strings tend to loosen them during this time of year, with more money spent…

Joe Megibow is CEO of Bright Cellars, an online wine subscription company that uses data to pair people with wine they'll love. Megibow recently spoke at Total Retail Tech in Denver, delivering a keynote on why he opted for an "off the shelf" technology solution to quickly re-platform the business. In this video interview from the…

The holiday season beckons eager shoppers in search of the ideal year-end deals. It's a period synonymous with joyous celebrations, one that merchants eagerly await in anticipation of the revenue windfall it promises. Yet, amidst this atmosphere of prosperity, a lesser-discussed narrative unfolds: the intricate challenges posed by fraud and chargebacks. As 2023 draws to…

The intense competition in the e-commerce market, rapid changes in consumer shopping habits, and expansion of new technologies require e-commerce businesses to reshape their customer engagement strategies to win buyers and motivate them to return. Catching and keeping customers’ attention requires expertise in the latest customer experience trends and e-commerce technologies. That’s why forward-looking digital…

For the first time in seven months, U.S. retail sales have gone slightly down, according to monthly sales figures from the Commerce Department released Wednesday. October saw a 0.1 percent dip in retail sales over the month prior, suggesting a possible slowdown in consumers' spending after the summer and leading up to the holidays. The…

The seventh annual ranking of 100 retailers and brands based on the omnichannel services offered across their organizations (e.g., supply chain, loyalty, payments, customer service), and the execution of those services, was released earlier this week by Total Retail. The comprehensive report identifies the companies performing best at delivering frictionless cross-channel shopping experiences. The 2023…

In the fast-paced world of modern retail, the competition is fierce, customer expectations are higher than ever, and technology continues to reshape the landscape. For retailers, maintaining margin integrity and ensuring efficient operations in an omnichannel fulfillment environment has become an imperative. While organizations have spent the last several years investing in technology to see,…

Many retailers think of Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a sprint to the finish line. Brand teams work feverishly around the clock to attract new customers, stand out from the competition, and boost sales. And they breathe a huge sigh of relief when Nov. 28 rolls around and Black Friday and Cyber Monday are…

Consumers like to shop whenever the need or mood strikes them. Oftentimes, this can be in the middle of doing something completely unrelated. According to a study from IBM and the National Retail Federation, seven in 10 consumers shop in “micro-moments” — i.e., shop simultaneously while conducting their daily tasks. Google defines micro-moments as occurring, “when…