Corporate Responsibility Programs

Consumers aren’t just looking for discounts this holiday season; they're also looking for retailers to design their products and their business around responsible initiatives. Such are the findings of Accenture’s 13th Annual Holiday Survey, which notes that half of consumers would rather sacrifice expediency than cause harm to the environment. These consumers would pick up…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Kristina Stidham and Ashley Chiaradio discuss Shoptalk’s announcement that its 2020 conference will feature an all-women speaker lineup for both track sessions and main stage keynotes. This is a groundbreaking move that's the first of its kind for a retail event, as conferences traditionally struggle to…

Zappos has created a new platform for customers who are looking for purpose-driven products, the shoe and clothing retailer announced in a press release Tuesday. The platform, Goods for Good, is a curated experience that features items from over 150 brands, all of which promote meaningful causes, and categorizes the products in five categories: recycled, organic, sustainably…

Best Buy has launched a $2.5 million endowed scholarship at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management to help fund four years of college for up to 10 students a year, starting next fall. It's one of the company's largest gifts in higher education. The scholarship is targeted to students who have gone through…

Burton will be joining millions of students and workers across the world participating in the Global Climate Strike on Fri., Sept. 20, according to a press release sent to Total Retail. To support the marches that will take place, Burton will close all its offices and stores for 24 hours so employees worldwide can join nearby marches meant to…

When it comes to the apparel industry, there's a “gap” in how much water is used in their manufacturing processes and how much water could be saved. According to an article in Bloomberg, Gap Inc. CEO Art Peck is pushing for his company to reduce water waste and look for ways to reduce water usage.…

Zappos.com, the online shoe and clothing retailer, and its parent company, Amazon.com, are teaming up with legendary basketball player Shaquille O'Neal for a charitable back-to-school initiative, Shaq-to-School. This is the second consecutive year Zappos and Shaq have partnered on this initiative, but Amazon is new to the program. All three players will deliver school supplies for…

Hundreds of engineers, product managers, and visual artists employed at the online housewares giant Wayfair streamed out of their sleek offices and into Copley Square in Boston on Wednesday, gathering with hundreds more to protest the company’s sale of furniture to the operators of facilities that detain migrant children along the southern border. The protesters spread…

In episode 197 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Charles Lee, founder and CEO of eTruism, a nonprofit online marketplace that converts excess inventories into cash that can be used to make a social impact. Listen in as they discuss eTruism's business model and how it benefits multiple parties in the supply…

If we learned anything from past retail trends, it’s that the store is still the most important part of the retail experience. Interest in the brick-and-mortar store is everywhere. Target’s CEO has said that the company's stores are its single biggest competitive advantage. Retailers must continue to keep their focus on the store by ensuring…