Under Armour said Thursday its restructuring program will now cost more than it previously expected: it plans to cut about 400 jobs, or about 3 percent of its global workforce, by March. Under Armour said it now sees costs in the range of $200 million to $220 million tied to the restructuring effort, up from a…
Joe Keenan
This is an excerpt from an interview conducted with best friends Jeanne Foley and Diana Ganz, co-founders of The Groomsman Suit, an online retailer that sells affordable groomsmen suits that cost less than a rental tuxedo. Foley and Ganz were recognized by Total Retail as entrepreneurs that are disrupting the traditional retail industry. For the…
Amazon.com has launched a new portal it’s calling Storefronts to celebrate small and midsize merchants that sell on its platform. The retailer is starting this first in the U.S., focussing on some 20,000 merchants “from all 50 states.” There are roughly 300,000 small businesses from the U.S. selling on Amazon today. Storefronts will highlight different merchants…
In a session at last week’s Shop.org conference in Las Vegas, Tony Flanery-Rye, senior director of growth analytics for eBay, and Andrea Wasserman, vice president, retail experience at Verizon, discussed how their respective companies are using analytics to help them inform marketing decisions. When asked to describe his role at eBay, Flanery-Rye said he counts…
In episode 163 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Customer Relationship Management Conference (CRMC) in Chicago, Kent Zimmerman, vice president of digital at Shoe Carnival, discusses how the family footwear retailer is using customer data to personalize marketing communications, particularly email, helping to drive conversions and, ultimately, loyalty.
Jet.com, the e-commerce site Walmart acquired in 2016 for $3 billion, is relaunching itself with an upgraded look and assortment, as well as a stronger focus on serving the needs of shoppers in urban metros. The site’s updated product catalog now features an assortment that’s more relevant to city shoppers’ interests across categories like grocery,…
Walgreens Boots Alliance said it will buy Fred's patient prescription files and related pharmacy inventory for $165 million. The companies said Monday that the files will come from 185 Fred’s stores located across 10 Southeastern states and continue the Memphis-based discount retailer's effort to engineer its latest attempt at a financial turnaround. The exit from the pharmacy business by…
By implementing a self-service artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot solution, TechStyle Fashion Group (parent company of JustFab, Fabletics, ShoeDazzle) saved more than $1 million and was able to reduce the overall number of calls to its contact centers for transactional and traditionally self-service issues. In addition, the chatbot’s proactive, context-inclusive handoff of more complex chat sessions to live agents…
In episode 162 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Customer Relationship Management Conference (CRMC) in Chicago, Kate O'Shaughnessy Jung, director of loyalty, mobile and partnerships, and Tony Zubek, manager, credit, loyalty and mobile, both of Express, discuss how the fashion retailer has revamped its loyalty program though the use of customer data.
Walmart announced earlier this week a new last-mile delivery pilot program, called Spark Delivery, which focuses on fulfilling customers’ online grocery orders. The retailer is working with delivery logistics platform Bringg, a company that offers an Uber- or Amazon-like level of visibility to retailers’ delivery operations. Also similar to Uber, Walmart’s Spark delivery program relies on…
Visa and a consortium of key industry organizations recently produced a report that provides an in-depth look at the opportunities and challenges small and midsize business (SMBs) face in an increasingly digital world. Digital Transformation of SMBs: The Future of Commerce, offers a snapshot into how SMBs can generate online sales and move to more technology-focused…
Kroger is taking another major step to position itself ahead of competitors when it comes to e-commerce in the grocery industry. The company recently signed an agreement with the University of Cincinnati to operate an innovation lab at the college’s 1819 Innovation Hub. The goal of the partnership is to help Kroger continue to develop the…
In episode 161 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Customer Relationship Management Conference (CRMC) in Chicago, Scott Emmons, head of innovation lab, Neiman Marcus, details how the upscale department store chain is leveraging technology across sales channels to improve customers’ experiences, ultimately resulting in increased loyalty to the brand.
Wedding retailer David’s Bridal has acquired Blueprint Registry, a Seattle startup that aims to simplify the gift registry process. In a press release, David’s Bridal called the deal an asset acquisition, though all 13 of Blueprint Registry’s employees will remain on board. Blueprint Registry Co-Founder Nevin Shetty told GeekWire that the company will remain independent, but it will…
In episode 160 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Customer Relationship Management Conference (CRMC) in Chicago, Jonathan Wardman, vice president, customer platforms, and Danelle Williams, senior director, global loyalty platform, both of Hilton Worldwide, discuss the hotel chain's loyalty program, Hilton Honors, and how data and technology are being used to future-proof its continued…
