Google's Project Wing drone bet hits stiff headwinds

The drone delivery effort's future is in doubt following the departure of two of its leaders, financial and staffing cuts and the end of a potential delivery partnership with Starbucks.

By Dan O'Shea • Nov. 8, 2016

J. Crew boots bridal business amid sales struggles

Bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses are marked down up to 70% off as the retailer pivots toward activewear and e-commerce.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 7, 2016

Explore the Trendline➔

Inside retail supply chains

Companies looking to trim expenses and streamline operations during a crutial year for supply chain management. 

By Retail Dive staff

Hudson's Bay unveils robotic fulfillment system

The new system can fill e-commerce orders three times faster than other distribution center robotic systems, HBC said.

By Dan O'Shea • Nov. 6, 2016

Postmates raises $141M to fuel overseas expansion, booze delivery plans

The new round leaves the on-demand delivery startup at a valuation of about $600 million, the same as it was after a previous financing round.

By Dan O'Shea • Nov. 1, 2016

Amazon delivers cheaper, limited version of Prime to China

The new service doesn't include digital content streaming and offers free shipping only on foreign products that meet a certain price threshold.

By Dan O'Shea • Oct. 30, 2016

UPS expecting record holiday deliveries as e-commerce continues to drive revenue

The shipping company is on pace to deliver more than 700 million packages between Black Friday and New Year’s Eve, up 14% from the same period in 2015. 

By Dan O'Shea • Oct. 27, 2016

Wal-Mart tests dispensing machine for in-store pickup

The machine contains many items of different sizes that have been ordered online by customers, and upon arriving at the store, customers input a numeric code to retrieve their package.

By Dan O'Shea • Oct. 27, 2016

Target ramps up holiday exclusives, deals to combat Wal-Mart

Highlights include Wondershop, a store-in-store with over 2,000 seasonal items for shoppers' tree-trimming needs, including a one-of-a-kind Bullseye ornament.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 26, 2016

Best Buy repeats free holiday shipping

Shipping costs are consistently cited by holiday shoppers as an annoyance that sends them to stores or to rival retailers.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 25, 2016

Returns: Meeting customer expectations and inventory challenges

In a competitive omnichannel environment, retailers are racing to keep up with customer expectations. Returns are greater for online retailers, placing a premium on an effective returns process and policy.

Oct. 25, 2016

Sears refutes claims that toy vendor cut off Kmart

The embattled retailer has “always paid our vendors for orders we have placed," CFO Jason Hollar said in a blog post.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 24, 2016

Alibaba CEO: Pure-play e-commerce faces 'tremendous challenges'

China’s largest e-commerce firm is taking steps to upgrade its retail businesses and targeting efficiency gains across product manufacturing, distribution and service.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 13, 2016

Amazon boosts holiday hiring by 20% to 120,000

Like last year, the e-commerce giant plans to hire many more seasonal workers than its brick-and-mortar rivals. 

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 13, 2016

Costco, Nordstrom, UPS join researchers to tackle last mile delivery

The University of Washington-led Urban Freight Lab will study same-day delivery costs and other issues impacting retailers, shippers and communities.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 13, 2016

Report: Amazon limiting fulfillment services for new Marketplace sellers

The move is a sign that Amazon is struggling to accommodate the swell of merchandise sent to its warehouses and fulfillment centers ahead of the holidays.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 12, 2016

Delivery drivers sue Amazon over contractor status

Three drivers in the retailer’s “Amazon Flex” program say their work requirements mean they should be compensated as employees.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 7, 2016

How Hurricane Matthew is impacting retail — and how retailers are responding

The most dangerous storm to hit the Atlantic Coast in years is bearing down fast. From emergency supply shortages to logistical disruptions, the ripple effect is already being felt.

By Jason Ankeny • Oct. 6, 2016

Wal-Mart doubling e-commerce warehouses, stake in JD.com

The brick-and-mortar behemoth is doubling its web-focused warehouses to 10 by the end of this year and installing automated product sorting and item tracking technologies.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 6, 2016

Social eCommerce Gathers Steam

Small and midsized businesses that can’t afford mass media advertising stand to benefit by building active, e-commerce-enabled social media sites.

Oct. 4, 2016

Survey: Consumers reward premium packaging, same day delivery

As consumer expectations shift, distributors offering premium packaging and delivery services may see a competitive advantage.

By Edwin Lopez • Oct. 3, 2016

FedEx, UPS invest in regional, technology-filled hubs; hiring remains flat

Companies are investing more in capital and labor to meet consumer demands. A FedEx spokesman said there is no link between the technology spend and its flat hiring.

By Edwin Lopez • Oct. 3, 2016

Feds: Package delivery drone regulations still years away

A Federal Aviation Administration advisor is starting to define technical standards, but it will be closer to 2020 before they actually impact delivery drones.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 29, 2016

Report: Amazon to take on FedEx, UPS with ambitious plans to enter shipping business

The e-commerce giant has built a fulfillment and delivery infrastructure to serve its own needs, but it has bigger plans than just that, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 28, 2016

Maximizing holiday sales with endless aisle

As the busy holiday season gets closer, many big box retailers and major e-tailers are looking at drop ship as an alternative to offering faster, cheaper delivery options.

Sept. 27, 2016

UPS, CyPhy launch drone delivery test program

The companies completed their first test flight late last week, staging a mock delivery of medicine to a remote island about three miles off the Atlantic coast. 

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 25, 2016