Derek O’Carroll

The behind-the-scenes battle going on between the two biggest e-commerce platforms in the U.S., Amazon.com and Shopify, could have significant implications for merchants. Amazon’s real customer is the end consumer, rather than the merchants that make up its Marketplace business. The e-commerce king keeps its eye on its most successful merchants and often introduces its…

Online retailers are facing a major crisis. Since COVID-19 hit, reduced headcount and social distancing practices within the walls of warehouses and distribution centers mean retail businesses are struggling to manage the stresses and strains of increased e-commerce demand, which is forecast to continue to soar. Grow Carefully While any increase in sales is good…

Since the onset of COVID-19, consumers appear to have re-assessed their priorities when they’re shopping online. Today, consumers are expecting higher levels of authenticity, seeking out brands they can trust will deliver on promises and that also align with their own values. In fact, 52 percent of respondents from Euromonitor’s Lifestyle Survey in 2020 agreed…

Price is no longer king, and brand name alone won’t get you very far with a consumer that now values trust above all else when selecting which retailers and brands to shop with online. Since March 2020, the sustained influx of retailers into the online shopping space has severely damaged the relationship between customer and…

Are online ratings and reviews important to your business? They should be, as the influence of online product reviews on consumers continues to grow. Recently, Brightpearl conducted a survey of consumers, which reveals just how much we now rely on online ratings and reviews. This shouldn't be a surprise. Most people relate strongly to the growing…

The race is on. In a bid to capture increased wallet spend, brands around the globe, over 57 percent of them in fact, are racing to launch direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) channels. This explosion marks a shift in the way products are sold, disrupting established industries and causing a fundamental change in brands’ relationships with consumers. But perhaps…

More and more brands are bypassing stores or retail partners for direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies in an effort to achieve greater profits, stronger customer relationships and improved loyalty. The DTC market is exploding. Eighty-seven percent of brands have plans to launch a DTC channel, with 23 percent aiming to do so within the next 12 months. Nike’s DTC…

Despite the success of early trailblazers such as Net-A-Porter and Farfetch, the luxury sector has lagged behind the rest of the fashion world when it comes to adapting to a digital future. The luxury sector’s hesitancy in embracing e-commerce is understandable. It's an area of retail that has relied on a sense of exclusivity, as…

A growing online shopping trend may be a great perk for consumers, but it could take a significant toll on unprepared retailers. I’m talking about try-before-you-buy (TBYB), a new shopping trend that enables customers to order multiple items before deciding what they want to keep. There's no up-front cost; shoppers simply pay for items they…

At the core of omnichannel strategy, retailers are positioned to better serve their customers, strengthen overall brand experience and provide a seamless shopping journey across all paths to purchase. This said, many small to midsize merchants continue to wonder if omnichannel is obtainable for their businesses. Fortunately, omnichannel is more accessible than ever to retailers…