Today on Total Retail

President Donald Trump said Friday that as part of the U.S.-China trade deal Washington will not charge Beijing with any new tariffs and slightly reduce existing tariffs. He also said that “phase two” talks with China will begin immediately. The Office of the United States Trade Representative confirmed that the U.S. will be maintaining 25 percent tariffs on…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss the resignation of luggage brand Away’s CEO, Steph Korey, amid allegations of employee mistreatment. We analyze the critical role leadership plays in a company’s success, and present a few takeaways that retailers can learn from the Away incident. First, be open…

Over the past few years we've witnessed customer experience undergo a complete digital transformation. The modern consumer is more demanding than ever, and technological advancements are coming thick and fast. Creating a coherent strategy can seem overwhelming, particularly when you consider that 83 percent of consumers have higher digital care expectations today than they did just…

Despite events happening around the world, from trade disputes to looming legislation with global impacts, we're entering an era of unparalleled growth. According to PPRO research, worldwide cross-border e-commerce grew by 4 percent last year to a current value of $412 billion. To take advantage of this global opportunity, U.S. merchants need to accommodate the very…

It’s no surprise that in order to remain competitive, retail brands need to deliver a top-notch unified commerce experience — especially as they expand their reach and adopt new sales channels. One way retailers have tried to improve the e-commerce experience is via digital storefronts, which use APIs to connect smaller retailers with established retail marketplaces…

Grocery store Kroger and drug store Walgreens are teaming up. In an effort to cut supplier costs, the two companies want to start buying merchandise together, CNBC reported. The chain retailers will call this partnership the Retail Procurement Alliance, and will have them identifying overlap in products that they both are receiving so they can…

Making offers. Those finnicky little things marketers do in order to generate an order. Free this, bogo that, buy now and we will back up a semi-truck with all kind of freemiums to your home or office. All kidding aside, the offer you make is designed for one purpose: to reduce the friction between “should I…

Where are you doing your holiday shopping this year? With so many people connected in today’s world, it shouldn’t be a shock when the answer to that question is “online, of course!” In fact, PwC’s 2019 Holiday Outlook report predicts that more than half of U.S. consumers will do a majority of their shopping online…

As we enter the home stretch of the holiday season, should small to midsize businesses (SMBs) even try to compete with one-to-two-day delivery times? According to a new study from ShipStation, there’s still hope to win shoppers over — even if retailers can’t afford speedy deliveries (and it doesn’t require a Christmas miracle). Shipping Cost Outweighs Everything,…

“Innovate or die!” is a mantra known to many industries, but is particularly relevant to today’s retailers. Recent headlines seem to highlight those that have failed to embrace innovation and have suffered the consequences — store closures, lost customers, bankruptcy filings. The truth is, however, that many have enthusiastically embraced the call for digital transformation,…