New research exposes a gap in retailer-brand partnerships — and how to fix it

How both retailers and brands can get more out of their co-ops with data.

By Sarah Travis and Julie Eddleman • Jan. 14, 2020

Court rules Walmart must pay drivers $54.6M for layover, break time

The drivers filed a class-action suit seeking back pay for time spent in layover, on break or in inspections.

By Matt Leonard • Jan. 9, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

The state of retail returns

Retailers of all sizes are streamlining operations so customers can have a smooth return experience. 

By Retail Dive staff

'Tis the season to return things. But it doesn't have to be

E-commerce product returns have a harmful impact on the environment and business margins. ThreeKit President Joachim Klein asks why retailers aren't trying harder to prevent them.

By Joachim Klein • Jan. 3, 2020

UPS predicts 1.9M returns on Jan. 2

Returns are forecast to be up 26% over last year, with the logistics provider anticipating that National Returns Day will mark its seventh consecutive record.

By Kaarin Moore • Dec. 27, 2019

Does anyone benefit from Amazon's shipping restrictions on third-party sellers?

The e-commerce giant announced in mid-December that sellers can no longer use FedEx Ground or Home to fulfill Prime orders.

By Caroline Jansen • Dec. 27, 2019

2019 holiday returns could reach $41.6B

Optimizing the returns process is especially important for categories like apparel, where the value of goods depreciates quickly, a CBRE report finds.

By Matt Leonard • Dec. 23, 2019

Fastest retailers fulfill orders in fewer than 2 days

A recent test on Cyber Monday found 64% of retailers were able to deliver an entire order within one week.

By Lisa Rowan • Dec. 20, 2019

Amazon expands its free return policy

The e-commerce giant will accept label- and box-free returns on select items at more than 5,800 locations, reducing the number of pickups for drivers.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 19, 2019

Consumers' common return reason? Wrong color, size or fit

One-third of consumers don't find the returns process to be easy, leaving room for improvement from retailers, a Narvar report found.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 18, 2019

Amazon bans third-party sellers from using FedEx Ground to ship Prime orders

The e-commerce giant cited a "decline in performance" across FedEx Ground and Home services, blaming the carrier for delivery delays this peak season, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

By Morgan Forde • Dec. 17, 2019

Walgreens, Kroger form group purchasing organization

The "Retail Procurement Alliance," aims to better position the two retailers against larger competitors by giving them greater buying power.

By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 16, 2019

Amazon Logistics parcel volume will surpass UPS and FedEx by 2022

Morgan Stanley estimates Amazon is delivering roughly 46% of the items ordered through its U.S. site today — a total of 2.5 billion parcels in 2019. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 16, 2019

Package deal: What holiday delivery can tell us about the future of retail

Cyber Monday was the biggest shopping day on record in the United States. But someone has to deliver all those products. 

By Kaarin Moore • Dec. 16, 2019

Trump cancels Dec. 15 China tariffs

The cancellation of tariffs on $120 billion worth of goods was anticipated, given its timing close to the holiday season and the large number of consumer products the list targeted.

By Shefali Kapadia • Dec. 13, 2019

Big cities, rural areas could experience high holiday package delays

About 9% of deliveries nationwide are projected to be late, according to a LateShipment.com report, with that figure spiking to 16.5% in some areas.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Dec. 11, 2019

Ikea teams up with tech company to reduce reverse logistics waste

The retailer will partner with Optoro to use data analytics and machine-learning algorithms to route returned and excess inventory to optimal locations. 

By Morgan Forde • Dec. 11, 2019

Walmart launches autonomous delivery in Houston

Through a partnership with Nuro, the retailer will deliver groceries to a select group of shoppers in the coming months before expanding to the public. 

By Krishna Thakker • Dec. 10, 2019

Amazon adds 200K workers, expands fleet for first peak season with one-day shipping

The buildup includes seasonal workers who will help with fulfillment, sortation and delivery during the holidays.

By Matt Leonard • Dec. 4, 2019

Flexible work moves from fad to fundamental — even in retail

Flexible work has been called “the way of the future,” and increasingly, workers see it as an essential characteristic of a job rather than a nice extra.

Dec. 4, 2019

These 4 charts explain Amazon's fulfillment speed

The e-commerce giant's speed is key to how it plans to compete with large retailers. These charts help explain its investment.

By Matt Leonard • Dec. 2, 2019

Best Buy launches e-commerce pickup in 175 New York UPS, CVS locations

About 99% of the retailer's customers live in a ZIP code where next-day delivery is available — up from 80% last quarter, CEO Corrie Barry said.

By Morgan Forde • Dec. 2, 2019

Returnly announces instant exchanges for Shopify Plus

The service allows customers to select a new item before shipping back a return.

By Lisa Rowan • Dec. 2, 2019

FedEx expects to move more than 33M packages on Cyber Monday alone

In addition to record package volumes on Dec. 2, the courier expects to more than double its daily average package volumes for the following two Mondays.

By Morgan Forde • Nov. 25, 2019

Study: Holiday shopping led by BOPIS

Concern over package theft and delayed delivery are among the factors driving consumers to the service, according to a CommerceHub survey.

By Lisa Rowan • Nov. 22, 2019

7-Eleven’s delivery app now handles Alexa, Google Assistant orders

New convenience-minded features arrive months after the chain debuted delivery hot spots, mobile checkout and AR loyalty tie-ins.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 20, 2019