Today on Total Retail

Two major Macy’s investors, Arkhouse Management and Brigade Capital Management, are in talks to take the famed department store chain private, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Arkhouse Management, a real estate-focused investing firm, and Brigade Capital Management, a global asset manager, submitted a proposal to acquire Macy's for $5.8 billion on…

Consumers are back to pre-pandemic spending, and for stressed-out retailers, that’s good news this holiday season. Deloitte expects consumers to spend 14 percent more in 2023 than the previous year — the most they’ve spent since 2019. However, there are a lot of new trends that make this year very different from 2019 or any…

As the holiday season approaches, retailers are gearing up for one of the busiest and most pivotal periods of the year. Paysafe’s newest study sheds light on the evolving landscape of consumer behavior, emphasizing the critical role that payment methods and seamless checkout experiences play in driving sales growth for online merchants of all sizes.…

2023 was a challenging year for retail logistics. The industry was still recovering from a pandemic-fueled supply chain crisis, as well as a crippling labor shortage. Technology changed, HR strategies shifted, and retail logistics providers evolved to move past the challenges of 2023 and towards the opportunities of 2024. What could the new year bring?…

In episode 431 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Anna Harman, co-founder and CEO, and Lisa Bubbers, co-founder and chief brand officer, of Studs, a new ear piercing experience that enables consumers to express themselves through "earscaping." Listen in as Harman and Bubbers provide an overview of the company (0:55), their inspiration for…

The holiday season is always marked by a shopping spree. The challenge retailers face with this surge is making shopping experiences exceptional despite the chaos. Even with all of the variety of ways consumers shop, retailers must be able to understand what they seek and prefer. This is where advanced technologies like artificial intelligence come…

Amazon.com is slashing its merchant fees for clothing vendors in an attempt to compete with Chinese fast-fashion retail site Shein, which may be on the docket to IPO in 2024. The online retail giant announced Tuesday that referral fees for items priced under $15 will drop from 17 percent to 5 percent. The fees for…

As the holiday season nears, artificial intelligence is transforming retail marketing in the beauty sector. However, responsible AI usage is crucial to maintaining trust with wary consumers. Our VisualGPS research revealed that in 2023, AI makes 63 percent of Americans very nervous, rising from 53 percent in 2022. So, as AI-generated visual content enters the…

The peak holiday season usually brings a welcome boost in sales and festive cheer for merchants. Known shopping events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas pique consumer interest and lead to increased customer traffic. But while you might support year-end customer activities with festive purchase options, there's a potential threat to all…

Peer recommendations have been a trusted endorsement for products and services since the earliest days of commerce. However, in the “age of influence,” brands maximize this word-of-mouth endorsement and spread it far and wide through authentic and paid channels. This age-old practice of sharing advice transcends consumer markets. It's taking hold in the B2B space…