E-Commerce

Many in the retail industry were surprised when online startup Jet.com, billed as a potential competitor to Amazon.com for e-commerce supremacy, was sold to Wal-Mart last August for $3.3 billion. The pairing of a cutting-edge digital brand like Jet and a legacy brick-and-mortar retailer like Wal-Mart didn't seem to be the perfect match. Yet seven…

Amazon.com has acquired another online retailer. Reports say Amazon has agreed in principle to buy Dubai-based Souq.com, one of the best-known names in the Middle East's online shopping market. Souq.com sells consumer electronics, fashion, household items and other goods, and on its website claims to be the largest e-commerce site to the Arab world. Since its founding…

Le Tote, an Internet fashion rental service, covers all of its bases with a simple, textbook direct mail piece.

Le Tote, an internet fashion rental service, covers all of its bases with a simple, textbook direct mail piece. Mailer Name: Le Tote Date Mailed: February 2016 The five-year-old startup was founded by Rakesh Tondon (now CEO) and Brett Northart (now president). From the beginning, Le Tote has employed an interesting business model: rent before […]

Wal-Mart has launched a new internal venture — Store No. 8 — meant to create new online business. Store No. 8 will help Wal-Mart build new startups within the company, fostering relationships with entrepreneurs, particularly those in the fields of artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and other emerging technologies. This will, in turn, help the retailer…

This week, eBay announced that it will begin offering guaranteed three-day delivery in the U.S. on more than 20 million items this summer. Millions of those eligible items will also come with free shipping, and shoppers will be able to filter items by one- and two-day delivery. eBay said it hopes the summer launch of…

Bebe Stores Inc. is planning to shut down its stores and become an online-only brand, according to sources close to the situation. The company is trying to close the locations without filing for bankruptcy, however, Chapter 11 may be required if enough landlords aren't willing to negotiate. Bebe has 170 stores in its fleet, including…

We’ve all heard talk about the pending death of brick-and-mortar in the digital age. We’re certainly seeing declines in an overpopulated retail marketplace as consumers grow more comfortable shopping online. In fact, in the fourth quarter of 2016, about 9.5 percent of all retail sales were transacted online. However, rather than experiencing a full-fledged extinction…

Changing consumer behavior has made it difficult for retailers to predict whether shoppers will or won’t complete a purchase, especially when it comes to big-ticket items. FuturePay’s newest study, The Big Ticket: What’s Stopping Shoppers?, aims to clear things up with an in-depth look at the online shopping habits and payment preferences of 1,500 U.S.…

Hudson’s Bay Company is reportedly in talks to acquire struggling Neiman Marcus in a deal that would turn several of the biggest luxury rivals into siblings. Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus would all be owned by the same company if this deal goes through. Neiman Marcus, which said earlier this week that…