Walmart Launches App to Ease In-Store E-Commerce Transactions
December 4, 2018 at 5:39 pm

Walmart is deploying a new mobile app-based store service that allows customers to buy items on Walmart.com if the item is not available in-store. Store associates will place orders on their handheld touchscreen devices. The service lets customers pay for items via cash, check, credit, debit or Walmart Pay and have them shipped directly to their…

3 Holiday Shopping Trends That Might Surprise You
December 3, 2018 at 1:02 pm

The holidays are upon us, and retailers are preparing for the influx of shopping activity both online and in-store in hopes of boosting traffic and sales. As the busiest shopping season of the year, retailers can stand to reap big rewards, but it’s important to remember that consumers shop differently during the holidays than they…

Gymboree Considering Closing Half its Stores
November 28, 2018 at 11:53 am

Gymboree is considering closing more than half of its approximately 900 stores, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The move would be a setback for the retailer of infant and children’s clothing after it emerged from bankruptcy last year. Gymboree was one of the few brick-and-mortar retailers that managed to escape liquidation in a wave…

Black Friday Online Spend Up a Record 23.6%
November 26, 2018 at 2:50 pm

A record $6.22 billion was spent online by the end of Black Friday, an increase of 23.6 percent year-over-year, according to data from Adobe Analytics. What's more, smaller retailers (less than $1 billion in annual e-commerce revenue) were 8.6 percent more effective at getting visitors to fill shopping carts. The holiday season to date (Nov. 1 – Nov. 24) shows $44.2…

BARK Looks to Brick-and-Mortar for Future Growth
November 26, 2018 at 12:02 pm

In episode 173 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at this year's Shop.org conference in Las Vegas, Rich Sargente, general manager and vice president of sales at BARK, maker of the BarkBox, a subscription commerce model that sells dog toys and treats to pet owners, discusses the brand's push into physical retail. Specifically, Sargente addresses BARK's wholesale…

Black Friday Off to Strong Start
November 23, 2018 at 1:15 pm

According to various analysts, Black Friday is off to a promising start for retailers — both in-store and online. According to a survey of mall property owners by JLL, 62.5 percent said the initial foot traffic at their center was "moderate to strong" compared to last year's Black Friday. And the traffic isn't limited to…

Gap Mulls Closing Hundreds of Mall-Based Stores
November 21, 2018 at 12:38 pm

Gap Inc. is considering shutting hundreds of its namesake stores at shopping malls as sales at the Gap brand continue to slide. The retailer said Tuesday evening that it still has 775 Gap-branded stores globally, in addition to those under the Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta banners. Gap Inc. has more than 3,000 stores around the…

Top 100 Fastest-Growing Retailers: #61 American Eagle Outfitters
November 20, 2018 at 12:18 pm

As part of our coverage of Total Retail's recently released Top 100 Fastest-Growing Retailers report, which ranks publicly traded retailers on year-over-year net sales growth, we've chosen select companies on this year's list to profile. Our goal is to provide insights into how these retailers were able to grow sales (and in many cases net…