Most back-to-school shoppers shifting spend back to stores

Over 70% of parents plan to shop more at physical stores than online, due to the touch-and-feel nature of clothing and better in-store experiences, a Morning Consult study found.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 17, 2018

Alexa-Cortana voice integration speaks its first words

In an increasingly competitive space, the two tech giants just took a big step toward bolstering their competitive positions with an Alexa-Cortana collaboration.

By Dan Alaimo • Aug. 16, 2018

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What's shaping the e-commerce landscape?

From pivots in digital strategies to challenges retailers must overcome with reverse logistics, here are some of the forces shaping online retail.

By Retail Dive staff

Kohl's brings Amazon returns to 21 more stores

The unlikely partnership has turned out to be a boon for Kohl's, and makes the expensive problem of online returns much more efficient for Amazon.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 16, 2018

Wayfair draws up interior design services

The new services challenge similar offerings from The Home Depot and Target, and could help the furniture retailer fuel more sales as profits remain elusive.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 16, 2018

Subscriptions demonstrate momentum — but also pitfalls

A surprising number of people signing up for beauty, clothing and meal kit subscriptions feel guilty about it, so there's a lot of pressure on retailers to demonstrate their value. 

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 16, 2018

EBay releases Image Search API to developers

The online marketplace committed to focus on technology in 2018, and its latest news shows progress on creating and releasing more APIs for the developer community.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 15, 2018

Sam's Club to retrofit closed store into e-commerce fulfillment center

The retailer plans to convert a total of 12 shuttered stores into online distribution hubs, as it continues to expect e-commerce sales growth.

By Shefali Kapadia • Aug. 15, 2018

Has e-commerce changed back-to-school shopping?

The second-largest shopping season of the year requires retailers to adapt their logistics and fulfillment strategies.

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Aug. 15, 2018

87% of shoppers now begin product searches online

Brick-and-mortar can survive and thrive as marketplaces grow, but retailers must respond to the imperatives of the new shopper-first digital world, according to a new report.

By Dan Alaimo • Aug. 15, 2018

H&M powers up new website, mobile app

The apparel company made good on its pledge to intensify e-commerce efforts, unveiling a new website and mobile app.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 14, 2018

Most shoppers abandon their purchase if checkout is too hard

A recent study by Splitit found that over 87% of online customers are willing to drop their cart if it's too difficult to purchase, and 55% would never return.

By Jacqueline Renfrow • Aug. 13, 2018

10 Amazon myths examined

The e-commerce giant has a reputation as the retail bogeyman, but which tales are true and which ones are exaggerated?

By Corinne Ruff , Ben Unglesbee , Laura Heller , Cara Salpini • Updated Aug. 15, 2018

Walmart easing marketplace returns

More Amazon marketplace sellers hope to diversify by selling through Walmart, and making returns cheaper could stoke that.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 10, 2018

Party City to test sales on Amazon

The retailer is timing the pilot ahead of Halloween, when it garners 25% of its sales, and expects to expand throughout the year.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 10, 2018

Bark hoping for a bite at Urban Outfitters

The pet supplies retailer inks its second partnership with a national brick-and-mortar retailer, a year after tying up with Target.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 9, 2018

Wayfair unleashes mixed-reality shopping

The online furniture retailer takes home design one step further with a program that virtually moves furniture into consumer homes.

By Jacqueline Renfrow • Aug. 9, 2018

The Information: Only 2% of Alexa users reportedly purchase off the devices

The publication cited "two people briefed on the company's internal figures" for the statistic, and also claimed that of those 2%, 90% didn't make a second purchase.

By Dan Alaimo • Aug. 8, 2018

Walmart is now selling Gobble meal kits on its website

The retailer has added the 15-minute, one-pan offerings to an assortment that includes both online and in-store options.

By Patti Zarling • Aug. 7, 2018

Etsy banks on price hikes for continued growth

Gross merchandise sales jumped 20% over last year as the marketplace begins to turn things around under CEO Josh Silverman 

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 7, 2018

Nordstrom poaches Tesco exec to fill CTO spot

After 18 months without a CTO, Edmond Mesrobian will step in to help drive the department store retailer's technology ambitions.

By Dan Alaimo • Aug. 7, 2018

Walmart to pilot Alphabot robotics for grocery pickup

The robots will operate in a 20,000-square-foot supercenter addition that will serve as a mini-warehouse of grocery products and an order pickup point.

By Dan Alaimo • Aug. 6, 2018

Algorithms feeding unsustainable price cuts online

Machines are noting, matching and beating online prices, but they're not paying attention to the consequences, according to new Profitero research.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 6, 2018

How Poshmark’s sellers made $1B off the ‘social mall’

The mobile marketplace is performing well in apparel, but could the temptation to expand make it just another Etsy?

By Cara Salpini • Aug. 6, 2018

Starbucks, Alibaba scheme to expand coffee delivery in China

The coffee giant is working with one of the world's biggest e-commerce companies again, this time on a broad strategy to enhance its market position in China.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 3, 2018

Amazon, NRF forge new group to lobby around USPS

The e-commerce giant's participation in the coalition suggests it is appreciative of USPS, despite speculation that it's trying to gain control of the whole delivery network.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 3, 2018