E-Commerce

Retail sales grew modestly from the month before in April, but a shift in the timing of Easter appeared to be behind a slight year-over-year decline, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions, released today by the National Retail Federation (NRF). Total retail sales, excluding automobiles and gasoline, were up 0.26 percent seasonally…

Even though moms will be celebrated in a few weeks, the time is right for e-commerce businesses to start planning for a successful Father’s Day selling experience. The holiday presents a prime opportunity for online businesses to produce new sales and increase customer retention. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), three-quarters of consumers celebrated…

In the crowded and rapidly changing world of e-commerce, understanding the importance of loyal customers is key to achieving sustainable growth and long-term success. VIP customers significantly impact a business’ bottom line, often contributing a substantial portion of total revenue. For context, these are the customers who continue to buy from you over and over…

As part of the Benchmark Report: 2024 Digital Gift Card Leaders, U.S. Edition, a comprehensive report produced by NAPCO Research in conjunction with Blackhawk Network, 100 U.S. merchants’ e-commerce gift card programs were evaluated, including the purchaser and recipient experience for both digital and physical cards of the brands’ own gift card, based upon 135…

The holiday season has always been a tricky time for retailers, and this year will be no different. With the inflation rate fluctuating between 3 percent and 4 percent, consumer spending behaviors have become increasingly unpredictable. How can retailers forecast the right products and channels to stock their shelves effectively in Q4? To stay agile…

.

For the seventh consecutive year, NAPCO Research and Blackhawk Network have partnered to produce an industry-leading report on U.S. merchants’ gift card programs. The 2024 assessment included a review of retailers’ e-commerce gift card offerings (desktop, mobile web, mobile app, device agnostic), including the purchaser and recipient experience for both digital and physical cards of…

Retail sales grew at a steady pace in March in part due to wage gains and easing inflation for goods, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor report, powered by Affinity Solutions, released on Monday by the National Retail Federation (NRF). According to the Retail Monitor report, total retail sales were up 2.72 percent unadjusted year-over-year…

Despite artificial intelligence's growing potential, many retailers currently struggle to embrace it and act on the insights it delivers. Often, this comes down to them not taking a strategic approach and deploying disjointed tools that are difficult to use or scale. New approaches are needed if AI is to truly benefit merchants and customers alike.…

While at Shoptalk in Las Vegas last month, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviewed Liza Lefkowski, vice president of proprietary brands and retail at Wayfair, an e-commerce furniture and home goods company. During their conversation, Lefkowski discusses her role within the company, the cross-channel behaviors she's seeing from Wayfair's customers, improving the customer experience through cross-channel touchpoints,…