Target: Our site didn't 'crash' on Cyber Monday

The retailer said Monday that difficulties shopping on its site were due to tactical metering meant to keep traffic flowing, but many customers weren’t exactly appeased by the distinction.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 1, 2015

Retailers' inventories whipped by various forces

Overstocks, out-of-stocks, and returns, made worse by West Coast delays, omnichannel efforts, and the weather, could cost retailers a whopping $1.75 trillion.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 1, 2015

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

Target site crashes Cyber Monday, while slow Wal-Mart site impedes some Black Friday doorbusters

Target seemed free and clear of website issues until Monday morning's Cyber Monday sales event.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 30, 2015

Neiman Marcus website down for much of Black Friday weekend

Other retail sites saw crashes or significant slowdowns over the weekend, but nothing close to Neiman Marcus’ hours-long blackout.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 30, 2015

Target's high inventory levels intentional, not a bug

Inventory is up 4%, the result of new strategies to keep key items in stock and meet omnichannel needs, the retailer says.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 25, 2015

5 mistakes from Black Friday past—and how retailers can avoid them

The enormous opportunity that is Black Friday comes laden with potential pitfalls that retailers have experienced all too often. 

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 24, 2015

Reuters: Wal-Mart failed to expand workforce even as it opened more stores

The condition of Wal-Mart stores may be due to a failure to hire enough workers. The fix, plus the retailer’s higher wages, could be expensive.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 23, 2015

Amazon, Google speed up holiday deliveries in more markets

Prime Now and Google Express have expanded to new markets including San Diego. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Nov. 23, 2015

Holiday prep includes same-day delivery push for many top retailers

There will be a lot of ways to get last-minute gifts to the front door—at least in New York City.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 19, 2015

Retailers are scrambling to fulfill online sales

Fast growth in e-commerce means new warehouses for many big chains. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Nov. 18, 2015

Star Wars has the retail Force this year

“The Force Awakens” merchandise is expected to bring in some $2 billion the last four months of 2015.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 17, 2015

Inventory glut may force retail holiday discounts

Many retailers have cited backlogs at West Coast ports as one of the causes of inventory buildup, but there are other reasons for upcoming holiday discounts.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 12, 2015

New 'Tally' robot designed to rapidly take stock of store shelves

Using high-res images, units can perform stock functions 25 times faster than humans. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Nov. 12, 2015

How Amazon does the holidays: No Santa, but plenty of deals

There may be no store Santa to meet or even store shelves to decorate, but Amazon appears to be more than ready for the holidays.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 11, 2015

Survey says customers more pleased with Wal-Mart stores

But the retailer has farther to go as it heads into the busy—and competitive—holiday season, especially if it really wants to attract wealthier shoppers.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 11, 2015

Target, workers groups worked together to regulate on-call scheduling

While the Minneapolis City Council ultimately dropped the initiative to regulate worker schedules in the face of business opposition, Target had been working with labor advocates on a potential compromise, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 10, 2015

Can Amazon do brick-and-mortar?

The biggest question surrounding Amazon’s venture into brick-and-mortar retail is, “Why?”

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 9, 2015

Report: West Coast ports approaching normal import levels

U.S. West Coast ports have handled more than half of the imports coming in for the first time in a year.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 6, 2015

The top reason Amazon Prime members pony up? Free shipping

The number of Amazon Prime members who say they prize the free shipping option is far outpacing those that are drawn by other perks.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 6, 2015

How retailers can slay the shipment surge this holiday season

Here are five tips to navigate the uptick in holiday shipments amid the era of digital shopping. 

By Barbara Thau • Nov. 5, 2015

L Brands CEO: Brick-and-mortar is 'way bigger' than the Internet

Leslie H. Wexner said Tuesday that the money spent to upgrade and grow Victoria’s Secret physical stores is paying off. 

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 5, 2015

Can delivery startups maintain their momentum?

A test by a New York Times blogger finds that a 30% markup is common when ordering through the likes of Instacart and Postmates, a vulnerability in a space where companies have yet to report profits.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 5, 2015

Study: In-store pickup fails for 50% of consumers

Retailers struggle to satisfy customers while maintaining margins, a study from JDA Software Group, Inc. finds.  

By Ian P. Murphy • Nov. 4, 2015

How Wal-Mart plans to win the holiday season

Wal-Mart is employing Santa, unleashing new features to its mobile app, and going all out with holiday cheer to get people into stores as early and often as possible this season.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 4, 2015

Levi's taps into massive amounts of store data with Intel tech

The cloud service delivers omnichannel insights from activity at its San Francisco flagship store. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Nov. 4, 2015