Amazon, Target extend 'free shipping day' as Christmas approaches

Online sales have surged this holiday season and 94% have taken advantage of free-shipping offers. 

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 18, 2017

What nobody wants for Christmas: An Amazon-Walmart price war

The world's biggest retailer is closing the gap with Amazon in online prices and the technologies that control them. Can anyone keep up?

By Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 15, 2017

Explore the Trendline➔

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

Costco's strong Q1 earnings prove it's still Amazon-proof

The club retailer posted higher-than-expected earnings while e-commerce sales jumped 42.1% in the first quarter of 2018.

By Jeff Wells • Dec. 15, 2017

75% of holiday tech shoppers bought online

Most of the research for consumer electronics purchases also took place online, too, according to a study by GfK.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 15, 2017

Online sellers could face $32B in returned goods this year

As e-commerce grows, so does the burden of reverse logistics.

By Jennifer McKevitt • Dec. 15, 2017

Sears to sell DieHard on Amazon

The troubled department store chain is deepening ties with the e-commerce giant by peddling its famous battery line on the website. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 14, 2017

Retail partners targeted by email phishing attacks

As retailers are migrating apps to the cloud, they could face more security threats, a study by Netskope finds — especially where they interface with third-party partners.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 14, 2017

Peapod rolls out text-to-order tool

The online grocer's new "Chat-to-Cart" feature also lets shoppers add items with emojis and share their list with family members. 

By Jeff Wells • Dec. 14, 2017

Amazon expands same-day delivery for holiday procrastinators

The retailer will deliver holiday orders in 8,000 cities as late as 11:59 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and non-Prime customers can opt for a free trial in a bid to grow Prime. 

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2017

Boxed aims to ease online bulk ordering with AR, chatbot tech

The online wholesaler is the latest to tap mobile for tech that allows customers to see if products fit in their homes before ordering.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 13, 2017

How Best Buy is winning against all odds

The electronics retailer is opening a new chapter in how to compete by taking advantage of opportunities everywhere. Even, sometimes, at Amazon.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 13, 2017

Take that Amazon: Target buys Shipt for $550M

The acquisition comes with a new goal of bringing same-day delivery services to half of Target stores by early next year.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 13, 2017

ThredUp launches a 'Goody Box'

As a second-hand apparel retailer, ThredUp's hands are tied when it comes to an actual subscription service, but these curated boxes aim to get a stream of steady orders.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 13, 2017

David Yurman unwraps holiday gifting bot

Yet another luxury brand is going the chatbot route. This one, on Facebook Messenger, offers a plethora of gift guides.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 12, 2017

Amazon has more private labels than previously thought

L2 researchers have identified 41 private brands — seven more than flagged by Morgan Stanley analysts, according to a new report.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 12, 2017

Google, Facebook win big as online ad revenue jumps

After holding steady earlier in the year at around 25% growth, online ad spending jumped to 29.6% in the third quarter, according to Forrester.

By David Kirkpatrick • Dec. 12, 2017

J.C. Penney launches 'Big and Tall' subscription box

In collaboration with Bombfell, the discount department store is looking to pique interest in men's apparel with a cheaper Stitch Fix-like concept.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 12, 2017

Is Amazon losing its low-price edge?

Some deals weren't that different from a month before Black Friday, and while Amazon handily beat rivals on many items, it didn't always have the best price, research shows.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 12, 2017

More users are outsourcing shopping to voice tech

An SAP survey finds the chances are growing that more holiday gifts this season will be purchased with the help of virtual assistants like Amazon's Alexa.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 10, 2017

Pottery Barn inks online deal with Leesa Sleep

The move comes weeks after Williams Sonoma sibling West Elm partnered with the mattress startup to sell its products in more than 80 stores and online.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 8, 2017

The cost of fraudulent transactions is rising

For every dollar lost to fraud this year, retailers have suffered $2.77 in overall losses, up from $2.40 a year ago, according to a new report.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 8, 2017

Online holiday spend could break $100B

That number, courtesy of Adobe, could be hundreds of millions higher if not for technical issues, Shoppimon found.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 8, 2017

Walmart strikes a ‘Tasty’ deal with BuzzFeed

The partnership with the recipe app allows the retailer to sell kitchenware and appliances on the network's video pages, challenging Amazon's string of deals with recipe sites.  

By Jeff Wells • Dec. 8, 2017

Wired: 7 retail tech startups to watch

Stowga, a marketplace for warehouse space, Localisto and MishiPay are among the promising technology companies.

By Dan O'Shea , Cara Salpini • Dec. 7, 2017

UPS swamped with shipments, warns of delays

Retailers may need to offer buy online, pick up in store options to avoid blame for delayed deliveries.

By Jennifer McKevitt • Dec. 7, 2017