E-Commerce
October 27, 2025 at 5:05 pm
In episode 493 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Liza Lefkowski, vice president and chief merchant of stores at Wayfair, Â a leading home and furniture retailer. The interview was recorded at Shoptalk Fall in Chicago last month. Lefkowski discusses Wayfair's strategy of using design, storytelling, and product curation to connect emotionally with customers…
October 22, 2025 at 3:30 pm
Kelly Pedersen, a partner in PwC's Global Retail Division, discusses findings from the consulting firm's 2025 Holiday Outlook report. With 80 percent of holiday shopping expected to be completed by Cyber Monday, Pedersen advises retailers to stock early and focus on personalized offers. In this video interview, recorded at Total Retail Tech last month in…
October 21, 2025 at 4:33 pm
While its systems are back online, yesterday's massive Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud services outage brought down thousands of high-profile apps, websites and online platforms with it. The outage on Monday prevented consumers from making purchases on certain apps and websites whose e-commerce platforms, backend infrastructure, or customer-facing tools rely heavily on AWS. For example,…
October 21, 2025 at 1:16 pm
Today, every customer interaction online is a make-or-break moment: a smooth, intuitive digital journey builds loyalty and revenue, while a frustrating one pushes customers straight to competitors. This has made the digital experience — and IT’s role in managing it — more crucial than ever for growth. So how do retailers make sure they’re getting…
October 15, 2025 at 12:05 pm
On Tuesday, Ulta Beauty launched its new Amazon.com-style marketplace feature, UB Marketplace. Originally announced in March 2025, the marketplace, which is integrated into Ulta Beauty’s e-commerce site, has over 100 brands that were previously not carried in-store or online. UB Marketplace is designed to respond to customer demand for new products and categories as trending…
October 14, 2025 at 1:08 pm
Walmart announced Tuesday that it has struck a deal with OpenAI to allow shoppers to make purchases directly through artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. With the move, the retail giant and largest U.S. grocer is trying to keep up with shifts in how consumers discover items to buy. Along with purchasing items they see on social media or…
October 13, 2025 at 1:23 pm
The Body Shop is making its return to the United States in October, after closing all doors in the market last year. The relaunch will see the British beauty business launch a dedicated online store and a digital storefront on Amazon. The Body Shop shuttered its U.S. operations after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in…
October 13, 2025 at 12:51 pm
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the online commerce experience. In just the last few years, generative AI tools have personalized shopping experiences, such as empowering chatbots to provide recommendations to consumer prompts. Now, agentic AI can even autonomously buy products on behalf of shoppers. Consumers are witnessing unparalleled service online. However, for retailers to provide…
October 9, 2025
Inaugural Report
October 8, 2025 at 2:42 pm
Initial reports from Amazon.com's Oct. 7 Prime Day Big Deals shows consumers are shifting their spending priorities amid tariffs and inflation concerns, focusing less on flashy tech and more on everyday essentials. The research, provided by Numerator and based on surveys from 780 verified Prime Day Big Deals buyers, reveals that nearly half (48 percent)…
