Riding the e-Commerce Wave

How to avoid the deluge and ride today’s online retail trends all the way to higher profits.

By Steven Power • Oct. 20, 2015

Facebook's M hints at a new type of digital shopping

Top uses of the new virtual assistant in testing include asking it for shopping help. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Oct. 20, 2015

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

Report: Carousel ads engage consumers more than static ads

As digital media becomes a bigger advertising platform for brands, the ROI from emerging ad vehicles moves into the spotlight.

By Barbara Thau • Oct. 20, 2015

UPS targets marketplace sellers with new fee

The shipper will now assess a 2.5% surcharge on third-party shipments. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Oct. 19, 2015

Report: App usage sinks after initial installation

Brands turn to reengagement metrics to measure an app’s value and fight low re-usage. 

By Barbara Thau • Oct. 19, 2015

Amazon sues more than 1000 over fake reviews

Positive reviews that are inauthentic erode customer trust in the long run, and Amazon is demonstrating zero tolerance for the practice.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 19, 2015

Alibaba fighting to stay off US blacklist for counterfeits

Groups are telling the U.S. Trade Representative that Alibaba is making little effort to address reports of fake merchandise on its sites.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 19, 2015

Wal-Mart takes aim at Amazon by open-sourcing cloud code

The retailer's open-source OneOps software promises greater data portability to users. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Oct. 16, 2015

Ikea CEO admits company was late to e-commerce

The Swedish retailer wants to quintuple its e-commerce business in five years.  

By Ian P. Murphy • Oct. 15, 2015

Etsy under pressure as it faces new competition

The moves Etsy is making to keep its paths to profitability open (and please its investors) are also the ones scaring its investors away.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 13, 2015

Facebook testing shopping section in e-commerce push

The social media site also announced quick-loading “Canvas” ads aimed to solve a couple basic problems of mobile shopping.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 13, 2015

Jet grounds annual membership model—Now what?

After making it clear before launch that $50-a-year membership fees would be the only source of profits, the brand-new retailer swept away that model last week. 

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 9, 2015

Shop.org 2015: Forget 'bright and shiny' tech—retailers still need to master the fundamentals

Retailers are focused on revamping their organizations for the digital age, which could drive major changes to often-sluggish legacy systems.

By Kelsey Lindsey • Oct. 8, 2015

Gilt Groupe cutting 45 jobs as CMO and international chief leave

Gilt has seen its once-dazzling fortunes decline, along with those of the flash-sales concept in general.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 8, 2015

Amazon expands college pickup services

Though still nascent, Amazon’s growing college program is a significant challenge to Barnes & Noble Education.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 8, 2015

Amazon marketplace debuts with strict handmade credo

Now a direct competitor with Etsy, Amazon offers a place for those interested in buying and selling only handcrafted goods.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 8, 2015

Jet overturns business model, drops $50 membership fee

The move abandons a key feature of the retailer’s approach.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 7, 2015

Report: Amazon wins 44% of shoppers' online searches, easily beating Google

E-commerce marketers may think that search engines are their biggest impediment to personalization, but more people than ever are using Amazon to research products.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 6, 2015

Pinterest expands buyable pins to more e-commerce platforms

Several big name retailers, including Wayfair and Bloomingdale’s, are now added to the program. 

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 6, 2015

Study: Mobile accounts for 52% of e-commerce traffic

But while mobile now originates more traffic, it still doesn't close sales.

By Ian P. Murphy • Oct. 6, 2015

Is a 'turf war' coming in the online luxury space?

Luxury brands hope to boost slow sales by competing in e-commerce.

By Ian P. Murphy • Oct. 6, 2015

More US shoppers will shop in stores than online this holiday season: poll

The situation is reversed in the UK, where digital channels lure more shoppers. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Oct. 5, 2015

Amazon bans Apple TV and Google's Chromecast from marketplace

The move may be the first salvo in a coming turf war between Amazon, Apple and Google. 

By Davide Savenije • Oct. 2, 2015

Email is key to Bonobos' marketing strategy

The men's retailer segments and targets up to five messages per day to customers. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Oct. 2, 2015

Newegg site temporarily taken down by extortionist attack

Although the attempt tied up the company’s servers for a good five hours, the hackers got nowhere in the end.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 2, 2015