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When talking about retail, we're often left wondering, what's next? What are some of the technologies that will revolutionize the retail industry going forward? So, as far as what may be next for retail, after virtual reality technologies have established themselves, this is the next stage: haptic retail. Enabling online shoppers to not just see a product, but to touch it, feel it and truly evaluate it from every possible angle from the comfort of their own home.

Christmas is a time of giving but, as far as retailers are concerned, it isn't necessarily a time of giving away. Yet on Saturday, some U.K.-based retailers were aghast as their wares were suddenly being sold on Amazon.com for one penny. No, this wasn't an attempt by Amazon to wipe out a recalcitrant book publisher or diaper maker. Instead, it was an alleged glitch that affected some of those on Amazon's Marketplace who used the Repricer Express function.

The Harris Tweed Authority (HTA) has settled a dispute with Crate and Barrel over its labeling of a design of chairs. Euromarket Designs Inc. offered for sale a Harris Tweed Chair and Harris Herringbone Chair on its Crate and Barrel website. The products however weren't made from Harris Tweed, a fabric hand-woven on the Western Isles and protected by U.K. law. The HTA said it has secured a "monetary settlement" and assurances the items wouldn't be marketed as Harris Tweed.

American Apparel is suddenly facing a cash crunch. A key lender to the embattled clothing company on Thursday demanded repayment of a $10 million loan, threatening a liquidity crisis for the retailer on the heels of its ouster of CEO Dov Charney, The Post has learned. Lion Capital, a UK-based investment firm that has been friendly to Charney, denied a waiver on the default triggered by the executive's dismissal, forcing American Apparel to raise funds to pay it off - either b

There's now plenty of evidence to suggest buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) is a good investment. It helps shoppers overcome traditional objections to shopping online and converts them to omnichannel shoppers, who are nearly 21 percent more profitable than single-channel shoppers. Retailers have observed as much as a 33 percent lift in sales from in-store pick-up of online orders. BOPIS allows retailers to better connect online and offline sales, leading to improved ability to personalize marketing messages. As more shoppers adopt BOPIS, retailers will see additional benefits including inventory optimization and fewer returns.

Last week, Arcadia Group CEO Sir Philip Green announced that he had taken a 25 percent stake in Mysale.com, an Australian flash-sales site aiming to reach revenues of about $300 million this year. "[It's a] very, very interesting space. I like the business model, and the reverse season," Green told Women's Wear Daily. The site owns only