Merchandising

Gen AI, Product Discovery and the Era of ‘AI Everywhere at Once’ in Retail
March 20, 2024 at 9:54 am

Expectations for easy, seamless experiences — driven in part by the high bar set by Netflix, Spotify, and TikTok — have spilled over into other facets of consumers’ lives, including shopping. These global brands, and many B2C and B2B commerce brands, employ artificial intelligence to drive their customer experiences. However, AI isn’t a single science.…

Conversational Commerce for Better Customer Experience
February 20, 2024 at 9:39 am

Since Amazon Echo’s 2014 launch, conversational commerce has been a hot topic of conversation in retail (pun intended). The biggest question: How can conversational commerce improve shopping experiences? For the last decade, the answer seemed to be it doesn’t. Consumers struggled to leverage these tools to shop, unless they were reordering a previous purchase. Conversational…

Target Launches Value-Priced Private Label Brand
February 19, 2024 at 4:00 pm

Target Corp. announced it has launched a new private label product line for price-conscious consumers called dealworthy. The assortment of 400 everyday basics will include apparel and accessories, essentials and beauty, as well as electronics and home items. Items will start at less than $1 and with most under $10, the prices are designed to…

Tiger Woods Announces Apparel Line With TaylorMade Golf
February 13, 2024 at 5:38 pm

On Tuesday, Tiger Woods announced a partnership with TaylorMade Golf to create a new lifestyle brand, Sun Day Red. According to the brand's website, the line "promises to bring a new and elevated standard to performance wear and luxury lifestyle fashion." Sun Day Red will be a completely stand-alone brand with a dedicated team of…

American Freight Introduces New Store Concept Focused on Value
February 12, 2024 at 6:05 pm

In episode 439 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Alissa Ahlman, chief merchandising officer, home segment at Franchise Group, Inc., a world-class franchising platform for a diverse collection of market-leading and emerging brands, including American Freight, a retail furniture chain. Listen in as Ahlman provides an overview of both companies (0:45), how the…

New Balance Launches 'Reconsidered,' its New Resale Platform
February 5, 2024 at 5:14 pm

New Balance has become the latest company to launch its own resale website, following the steps of more than 160 brands that have so far adopted resale. The sportswear and lifestyle brand will enable consumers to shop and sell pre-owned New Balance shoes via a dedicated website in the U.S, which is powered by Archive Resale,…

Generative AI and the Future of Product Development
February 1, 2024 at 9:26 am

Imagine you’re shopping for a new dress. You have a vision of your colorful, dream dress, but you haven’t been able to find it anywhere online or in-store. But what if you could create it yourself with the help of artificial intelligence (AI)? Generative AI is fundamentally reshaping the product development process, offering many unique…

From Overwhelmed to Empowered: Unlocking Consumer Confidence With Product Content
January 31, 2024 at 12:20 pm

Picture this: You need a new pair of running shoes so you visit a website to do a little research. Your screen fills with page after page of options. Before long, it’s information overload and you’re paralyzed by choice. You end up clicking on a pair from a brand you recognize. But that logo alone…

How ThriftBooks is Using AI to Scale its Business
January 25, 2024 at 11:12 am

While at NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show in New York City last week, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviewed Barbara Hagen, vice president of sales and marketing at ThriftBooks, an independent online used book seller, to discuss the company's use of artificial intelligence. Hagen provides a brief overview of the company and discusses its growth over its…

An Inside Look at a.k.a. Brands' Growth Strategy
January 22, 2024 at 2:05 pm

In episode 436 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Ciarán Long, interim CEO and chief financial officer of a.k.a. Brands, a brand accelerator of next-generation fashion brands, including Princess Polly, Culture Kings, Petal + Pup, and MNML. Listen in as Long gives an overview of the company (0:40), discusses the a.k.a. Brands' portfolio's…