Walmart is testing the use of storage and retrieval robotics, called Alphabot, to increase the speed of online grocery order pickup, according to a company blog post. The technology, which was developed in collaboration with retail automation company Alert Innovation, is being installed in a section of a Salem, N.H. supercenter, which will also be a dedicated…
In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Caitlin Sullivan and Joe Keenan discuss Nordstrom's inventory-free Local stores, and why experiential retail is integral to the future of brick-and-mortar.
Specialty goods retailer Brookstone, known for quirky products, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday and plans to close all of its remaining mall-based stores. The company hired liquidators to close its roughly 100 remaining mall locations after declining foot traffic and management blunders crushed sales. The retailer has been bleeding cash as customers increasingly shop online…
The retail industry is in a profound shift, and for most retailers, it’s adapt or die. Among the survival imperatives: responding intelligently to heightened consumer demand for creative, memorable shopping experiences. These are what reinforce the value of physical retail to shoppers and, consequently, remind brands exactly how valuable their brick-and-mortar spaces are. (Lest we…
A program Walmart announced last summer that lets store associates opt into delivering e-commerce ship-from-store orders quietly ended in January, according to company documents obtained by Reuters. The program was tested at three stores — two in New Jersey and one in Arkansas — and the idea was that store employees would bring online orders directly to…
Despite filing for bankruptcy twice in just over two years, RadioShack announced a partnership with HobbyTown, a toy and hobby retailer, which will bring the electronics retailer's branded merchandise to 60 HobbyTown franchise locations across the U.S. The new stores will be called "RadioShack Express." Over time the new RadioShack Express “store-within-a-store” concept will be rolled out to HobbyTown…
Leaving behind its big-box roots, Petco is opening a new kind of retail store where animal-friendly amenities such as dog baths, play yards and treats fit for humans are meant to win over picky pet owners who would otherwise snub the mainstream brand. Called PetCoach, the pilot store in northern San Diego County — unveiled this…
Some might say that retail is dying, but e-commerce growth is off the charts. In 2008, e-commerce accounted for just 3.6 percent of retail sales; now, that number has grown to 9.46 percent. The average yearly growth rate is 15.75 percent, and it shows no signs of slowing. While the shift toward online purchasing began largely…
Amazon.com is kicking off its fourth annual Prime Day today at 3 p.m. EST, with millions of products on sale exclusively for Prime members over the course of 36 hours. In anticipation of the sales event, some of Amazon's top rivals have announced their own online sales to steal some some market share from the online retail…
In episode 154 of Total Retail Talks, Joe Alexander, founder and CEO of Nest Bedding, discusses how the mattress and bedding company is humanizing the in-store shopping experience, and why the strategy is paying dividends. In addition, Alexander offers advice for other retailers that are looking to create a differentiated in-store shopping experience for their…
