Retail & Ecommerce

In a study of select countries, adults favored in-store over online shopping everywhere except China. There, 54% would rather shop digitally and only 16% preferred physical stores, while the rest had no opinion.

Digital-native retailers struggle to turn a profit: Rockets of Awesome and Warby Parker demonstrate the challenges upstarts face when they attempt to pivot from fast-paced growth to profitability.

Retailers take last-mile fulfillment into their own hands: Companies like Costco and Amazon are building their own logistics networks, to the detriment of FedEx and UPS.

The issuer plans to attract more SMEs and younger consumers while upping its tech capabilities ahead of a credit card inflection point.

Consumer trust in eco-friendly claims is wavering: That’s driving large retailers such as Amazon, Target, and Starbucks to find new ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of their efforts.

As another ship runs aground, retailers rethink their inventory strategies: A year after the Ever Given clogged the Suez Canal, the Ever Forward’s predicament shows the global supply chain is as vulnerable as ever.

The rapid grocery delivery market is finally beginning to consolidate: A rash of M&A activity puts a handful of companies on the path to profitability.

Fast-fashion retailers had a strong 2021: Both H&M and Zara parent Inditex saw significant sales growth in 2021, but conflict in Ukraine could dim their prospects.

Walgreens and other major brands joined Mastercard Installments, further sharpening Mastercard’s edge in the BNPL space.

Instagram’s role in the metaverse will involve NFTs and the creator economy: At SXSW, Zuckerberg hinted at long-term metaverse plans and upcoming NFT features.

Why Williams-Sonoma is on track to close 25% of its stores: With higher operating margins online, the retailer rethinks the role of stores as it seeks to shift consumers’ spending online.

Walmart isn’t concerned about the tight labor market: The largest employer in the US plans to hire over 50,000 store and supply workers and another 5,000 technology staff.

Join our analyst Andrew Lipsman, "Behind the Numbers" host Marcus Johnson, and Colgate-Palmolive's ecommerce director of growth strategy and planning Todd Hassenfelt to hear about Andrew’s recent visit to a "Just Walk Out" Amazon Fresh grocery store and the in-store digital retail media opportunity for brands selling at Amazon Fresh.

Beijing’s zero-COVID policy wreaks havoc on the global supply chain: Lockdowns in Shenzhen and Dongguan make it harder and more expensive for retailers like Amazon and Walmart to deliver goods to overseas shoppers.

Uber Eats addresses rising costs with a temporary fuel surcharge: The move aims to ease the burden of high gas prices on delivery drivers, which could help it retain them.