Retail Therapy: The world's ugliest shoes, a suit to die for and Bill Murray's new golfwear line

In this week's Retail Therapy, we have an eco-friendly designer suit for the afterlife, shoes that are uglier than Crocs and a lifestyle brand for the "Caddyshack" crowd.

By Corinne Ruff • Sept. 23, 2016

Nike's self-lacing shoe coming Cyber Monday, exclusive to loyalty members

HyperAdapt 1.0 owners press a button near the tongue of the shoe to tighten the laces and another button to loosen them.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 21, 2016

Explore the Trendline➔

How artificial intelligence is shaping retail

More retailers are leaning on AI as a tool, tapping into the tech to improve customer service and support supply chain functions.

By Retail Dive staff

Burberry bots promote ready-to-buy designs

London’s Fashion Week marks the first time the luxury brand is making new styles immediately available for purchase, joining a growing trend.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 20, 2016

Speed to Market: Meeting Customer Expectations for "Last Mile" Delivery

The UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper™ study for 2016 revealed that customers are more patient with online delivery than one might think — but their patience is not endless, and it’s growing shorter. 

Sept. 20, 2016

Study: Half of consumers will complete holiday shopping by Thanksgiving

More than a quarter of respondents said they’ll be doing most of their holiday shopping even before Nov. 1 — up eight percentage points from 2015.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 20, 2016

H&M nixes plus sizes in NYC stores

The retailer is making room for home goods, beauty and sportswear, but it may be leaving money on the table by neglecting the growing special-size category.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 20, 2016

Retail Therapy: Bon Jovi, no teleprompters and how Target won meeting of the year

Rainbow dreadlocks, Philly Jesus and flying burrito drones. This, and more, in this week's Retail Therapy.

By Corinne Ruff • Sept. 15, 2016

Study: Digital interactions dictate majority of in-store spending

Merchants should tailor their approaches to different customers and categories, according to Deloitte’s latest study on the digital influence in retail.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 15, 2016

US household income rises for first time since 2007

Median household income grew by an inflation-adjusted 5.2%, the first annual increase since 2007 — a development that bodes well for retailers.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 14, 2016

MasterCard: 88% of cards have EMV chips, 2M merchant locations chip-active

According to a survey MasterCard commissioned from Braun Research, 87% of U.S. consumers commonly use chip cards, up from 49% last year.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 12, 2016

Retail Therapy: Kanye West's hot mess and what it's really like to work at Target

In this week's Retail Therapy, Kanye feels the heat at New York Fashion Week and a Target employee achieves internet fame for a running diary of his first week on the job.  

By Corinne Ruff • Sept. 8, 2016

Gap CEO blames struggles on dearth of fashion dictates

CEO Art Peck also told analysts at Goldman Sachs' annual retail conference that Macy’s store closures could bode well for Gap store rents.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 8, 2016

The Future of In-Store Kiosks: 3 Ways Endless Aisle Blends Full-Serve and Self-Serve

With advances in endless aisle technology, retailers can now offer a more three dimensional experience to customers than a simple self-serve checkout can achieve.  

Sept. 6, 2016

JC Penney launching plus-size designer collection

The new line, designed by "Project Runway" winner Ashley Nell Tipton, is set to hit the racks next week.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 2, 2016

Retail Therapy: For $585, these sneakers come with rips and tears included

Do-it-yourself brunch at Ikea, monkey business at Wal-Mart and more retail oddities in this week's Retail Therapy. 

By Corinne Ruff • Sept. 1, 2016

Report: Food, entertainment filling retail void in US malls

There’s more evidence that shopping centers are increasingly morphing into entertainment venues in response to consumers' preference for experiences over stuff.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 31, 2016

LoweBot is ready to roll at Lowe's stores

The home improvement chain will deploy the retail service robot at 11 stores throughout the San Francisco Bay area over the next seven months.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 30, 2016

5 trends reshaping back-to-school shopping in 2016

Back-to-school shopping season comes around like clockwork, but that doesn’t mean it’s predictable. Change is the only constant.

By Jason Ankeny • Aug. 29, 2016

Retail Therapy: James Harden's signature sneakers foul out on social media

The NBA star was roasted for designing a shoe that would look cooler at a chess tournament than on the basketball court.

By Corinne Ruff • Aug. 26, 2016

Best Buy expands Oculus Rift virtual reality demos to 500 stores

The electronics retailer previously offered limited quantities of the $599 VR headset at Intel Experience shop-in-shops in 48 stores nationwide.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 25, 2016

Student debt is retail's 'elephant in the room'

Moody’s retail analyst Charlie O’Shea said the effect of crushing student debt is comparable to a recession for retailers. 

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 23, 2016

Report: Outlet mall traffic rises to two-year high

More than a quarter of U.S. shoppers headed to an outlet mall last month, according to Cowen Consumer Tracker Survey data.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 23, 2016

Dick's Sporting Goods buys Affinity for youth sports venture

The sports management software will bolster Dick's Team Sports HQ platform, which supports youth sports leagues with online registration and team/league websites among other services.  

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 21, 2016

Retail Therapy: Kanye pop-up stores and Justin Bieber's Forever 21 line

While Kanye West is going after global retail domination, Justin Bieber is launching a clothing line ... with his face on the T-shirts.

By Corinne Ruff • Aug. 18, 2016

Led by Adidas, athleisure brands are generating a lot of social chatter

Engagement Labs' TotalSocial rankings of online and offline social conversations show athleisure brands are sparking a lot of online conversation and offline word-of-mouth.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 17, 2016