Alibaba's 10th annual Singles Day generated $30.8 billion in sales, a 27 percent increase over last year and a record for the day. During Singles Day, which is also called the Double 11 shopping festival because it falls on Nov. 11, Alibaba offered discounts across its e-commerce sites such as Tmall. According to Alibaba, sales hit $1 billion after…
Melissa Campanelli
Amazon.com is dropping its first-ever printed holiday toy catalog to millions of customers starting this month, according to a report on CNBC. The catalog features 70 pages of cozily-clad kids surrounded by toys such as action figures, board games and Barbies, as well as high-end items such as Bose audio gear and PlayStations. The book…
In episode 170 of Total Retail Talks, Melissa Campanelli, editor-in-chief of Total Retail, interviews Oisin Hanrahan, co-founder and CEO of Handy, a platform for connecting individuals looking for household services with top-quality, pre-screened independent service professionals. Listen in as they discuss the importance of retail partnerships, recorded live at this year's Shop.org conference in Las…
Amazon.com said today it would offer free shipping with no purchase minimum this holiday season for the first time. The U.S.-only promotion, effective from Nov. 5, waives the $25 minimum that customers outside Amazon's loyalty club Prime must pay for free shipping for orders that will arrive in time for the Christmas holiday. Amazon cut…
Target shoppers will be able to avoid long checkout lines this holiday season thanks to a new mobile checkout service. The retailer's store associates will be equipped with mobile devices that can complete shoppers’ checkout processes from anywhere in its stores. The new service, which Target is calling "Skip-the-Line," was launched this week at all company…
CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health, is testing a membership program called CarePass to members in Boston that offers additional benefits to the company's ExtraCare Rewards Program. The new loyalty program is being compared to Amazon.com's Amazon Prime. CVS will charge CarePass members $5 monthly or $48 for a full year, which includes free one-day or…
For our Inner Circle Q&A this week, the folks at Custora, one of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle: On the Road, San Francisco sponsors, interviewed Renee Lopes Halvorsen, senior director of marketing and e-commerce for Marine Layer, a Custora client. A San Francisco-based company, Marine Layer is known for making “absurdly soft clothes (that are stylish too).”
Blue Apron has partnered with Jet.com for the online meal kit provider to sell its product on Jet.com’s online and mobile platforms. The dinners will initially be available to shoppers in New York City, as well as Jersey City and Hoboken in New Jersey. Shoppers will be able to get Blue Apron's meal kits through same-day or next-day delivery via Jet’s City…
Sam's Club, the Walmart-owned retailer, is opening a new store in Dallas next week that will act as a testbed for cutting-edge technology. Jamie Iannone, SamsClub.com CEO and executive vice president of membership and technology, said in a blog post that the new club store will be a mobile-first shopping experience powered by the new Sam’s Club Now…
Moody’s Investor Services said Thursday that its outlook for the U.S. retail industry has turned positive for the first time since July 2015, with the strong economy giving 2018 a boost and acceleration expected in 2019. In the report, U.S. Retail: Going positive as investments start bearing fruit and economy boosts growth, Moody’s said retailers…
Total Retail is excited to present its eighth annual ranking of the 100 fastest-growing publicly traded retailers. This year’s list, as in years past, is based on companies’ year-over-year net sales growth, comparing the 2017 fiscal year to the 2016 fiscal year. For the first time in the eight years that Total Retail has complied…
The proposed increase in shipping and mailing fees at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) could cost Amazon.com more than $1 billion in 2019, according to a Credit Suisse report. "As we roll forward the sensitivity analysis to 2019, we arrive at a potential incremental shipping expense range of $400 million to $1.1 billion, with the assumption that 40…
Qurate Retail Group (QRG) announced several initiatives designed to better position its HSN and QVC U.S. businesses for long-term growth. Most important is the formation of an integrated business unit called QXH, which Qurate said will ensure an aligned approach to the U.S. market. As part of the transformation, Qurate will eliminate 350 positions by the…
Walmart announced last week that it has acquired lingerie and sleepwear retailer Bare Necessities for an undisclosed amount. Bare Necessities will join the Walmart U.S. e-commerce portfolio. Founded in 1998, Bare Necessities offers more than 100,000 SKUs from more than 160 brands, including an extensive assortment of bras, swimwear, shapewear and sleepwear. Intimates is a category that…
DSW Inc. announced on Wednesday that it has acquired the operations of Camuto Group, a footwear and accessory designer and developer responsible for the Vince Camuto brand and the footwear licenses for Jessica Simpson and Lucky Brand. In addition, DSW is teaming with brand development, marketing and entertainment company Authentic Brands Group (ABG) to acquire several intellectual…
