Report: Amazon beefs up Alexa efforts as competition grows

The company has hired more engineers to work on Alexa-related projects and has appointed a new executive to head the efforts.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 5, 2017

Amazon reportedly expanding Prime Now to Canada

The e-commerce giant plans to expand the delivery service to Vancouver and Toronto — the same cities with Whole Foods locations.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 5, 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

Macy's, Best Buy expand same-day delivery ahead of holidays

Both retailers are nearly doubling the number of cities that will offer same-day delivery, a critical service in the race to catch up to Amazon.

By Corinne Ruff • Sept. 1, 2017

Casper Mattress opening pop-ups in 15 US cities

The mattress startup has a partnership with West Elm and Target to showcase its wares, but the company will open its own doors in October.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 1, 2017

Levi Strauss’ chatbot helps jeans buyers find the right fit

Chatbots are becoming more common, but the new Virtual Stylist could be the next generation of the technology.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 1, 2017

Moody's: Amazon still far from ruling retail

Analysts question the e-commerce giant's dominance over all retail and that much-cited estimate of 85 million U.S. Prime members.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 31, 2017

Amazon leads mobile site performance in July

Mobile site performance is a big factor in winning the mobile shopper — and despite heavy Prime Day traffic, Amazon bested everyone else as Walgreens fell. 

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 31, 2017

Costco muscles past the competition

The warehouse retailer shrugs off Amazon's challenge, but some analysts aren't satisfied with its plodding pace of e-commerce growth. 

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 31, 2017

PayPal boosts POS presence with cash-back credit card

We may start seeing the name PayPal more often at in-store payment terminals, as the company releases a new cash-back credit card.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 31, 2017

Payless is the first of its peers to exit bankruptcy. Now what?

The discount shoe seller filed for Chapter 11 prepared and is now a smaller, healthier retailer. But it still has to win customers in a chaotic retail world.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 30, 2017

Report: Target opts out of Amazon cloud services

By moving away from the e-commerce giant's lucrative cloud service business, retailers seem to be trying to undermine Amazon's main source of support.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 30, 2017

Ford, Domino’s pilot driverless vehicles for pizza delivery

Are driverless delivery vehicles the future of pizza delivery? Residents of Ann Arbor, MI, are about to answer that question.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 30, 2017

Grocery is driving e-commerce success at Walmart

A new study shows 26% of the retail giant’s e-commerce sales came from food and beverages in Q2, a sign that its efforts in the online marketplace are paying off.  

By Sandy Skrovan • Aug. 30, 2017

Walmart Canada launches online marketplace

With the move, the site doubles its online product assortment, with plans to quadruple the number of products for sale online by the end of this year.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 30, 2017

Millennials more likely to have a subscription service

A new study shows that the generation is more likely to subscribe to almost everything, including shave clubs, beauty boxes and meal kits.

By Cara Salpini • Aug. 29, 2017

Report: Uniqlo looking for a digital transformation

The Japanese retailer is adopting an increasingly common stance as it aims for a digital and technological makeover.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 29, 2017

Amazon primed to win holiday season

Roughly 75% of holiday shoppers (and a whopping 90% of Amazon Prime members) expect to buy gifts from the e-commerce giant this season, according to a recent report.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 29, 2017

American Apparel's new site echoes founder Dov Charney

The brand is now owned by Canadian basics wholesaler Gildan Activewear, but its website re-launch retains Charney’s aesthetic as well as his commitment to sweatshop-free manufacturing.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 29, 2017

Is Nordstrom the next acquisition target for Walmart or Amazon?

The two retail giants have something to gain from taking over Warby Parker, Lowe’s or Ulta Beauty — but the Seattle-based department store with a strong off-price division is a strong contender, according to data-fueled speculation from Foursquare.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 28, 2017

Walmart, Target, Toys R Us bet big on ‘Star Wars’ Force Friday

The big-box retailer's build-up to the release of the next Star Wars movie begins this weekend and marks the third year in a row of such events.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 28, 2017

Nordstrom expands mobile reservation service

The feature is just another way for the department store to extend its famous customer service to consumers' phones, and 43 more stores. 

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 28, 2017

Amazon expands influencer program

It's not clear yet how effective the move will be, but if the e-commerce giant gets it right, Amazon could be the next HSN, according to one analyst.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 28, 2017

Groupon reaffirms dynamic pricing strategy

The company renewed a partnership with Boomerang Commerce to continue price optimization efforts.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 25, 2017

Amazon's Whole Foods takeover immediately cuts prices, grows Prime

After the deal goes into effect Monday, prices will drop on grocery staples and Whole Foods’ private-label brands will be available to Prime members.

By Jeff Wells, Corinne Ruff • Aug. 25, 2017

75% of omnishoppers search in-store, buy online

A survey also found that consumer electronics omnishoppers spend an average of 22% more online than single-channel shoppers.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 24, 2017