Today on Total Retail

Amazon.com opened its first brick-and-mortal apparel store on Wednesday, leveraging technology to set itself apart as it tries to grow its physical presence. Called Amazon Style, the new store, located in California, features machine learning technology to help customers find clothes and personalize recommendations as well as interactive dressing rooms. The store stocks men's and…

Direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) strategies are very effective across different brands and companies. And yet, to find long-term success, these stakeholders must be aware of the many obstacles and how to overcome them. What is D-to-C? In this rapidly evolving market where e-commerce has significantly changed consumer buying habits, many have turned to D-to-C strategies. Instead of…

E-commerce sales have been on the upswing as a share of total sales since before 2000, and in the last decade, social platforms have played an increasing role. Then 2020 happened, driving an unprecedented spike in online sales. This year so far, we’re seeing social media mature as a force that drives e-commerce, in addition…

While unusual to many consumers, the Metaverse Fashion Week, known as Decentraland, offered a glimpse into the future. For retail, the metaverse presents the optimal middle ground between the ease and convenience of online shopping and the immersive and tangible enjoyment of physical shopping. The metaverse can be seen as a third layer, a new market or…

Bots are besieging e-commerce sites. They cost businesses millions of dollars. Research shows that bots attacked almost three-quarters of e-commerce websites and 83 percent of e-commerce mobile apps last year. Bots infiltrate almost every site by scraping content, buying up goods before anyone else, or using stolen passwords to take over accounts. Businesses continue to…

Walmart is expanding drone delivery across six states this year, making it possible for many more customers to get a box of diapers or dinner ingredients delivered in 30 minutes or less. Through an expansion with operator DroneUp, the big-box retailer said it will be able to reach 4 million households in parts of Arizona,…

Buying goods online is now easier than ever before — but customers expect a smooth shopping experience at every step. The e-commerce industry is growing at a rate of about 20 percent per year. In fact, it’s estimated that this year alone, it will account for $1.0 trillion in the United States. But how often…

Research indicates that 65 percent of retailers are more likely to sell to existing customers than to new customers, and it costs five times as much to attract new ones than to retain existing ones. It’s a clear challenge to keep and add customers to retail ecosystems. To e-commerce retailers, there are significant costs to…

It turns out the American consumer of 2022 isn’t all that complicated, at least according to Raydiant’s State of Consumer Behavior 2022 report. Shoppers today want bang for their buck, they expect a positive all-around experience when they enter your stores, and have just a few other requests that most retailers can easily honor —…

Are you ready to hear an uncomfortable truth? Today’s e-commerce search mechanisms are still firmly based on technical concepts developed over 20 years ago. They often leave consumers frustrated and unengaged, resulting in churn or missed sales opportunities. Facets and search bars are static mechanisms that reflect a technical search engine perspective. Recent personalization technology…