Retail Therapy: Bon Jovi, no teleprompters and how Target won meeting of the year

Rainbow dreadlocks, Philly Jesus and flying burrito drones. This, and more, in this week's Retail Therapy.

By Corinne Ruff • Sept. 15, 2016

Study: Digital interactions dictate majority of in-store spending

Merchants should tailor their approaches to different customers and categories, according to Deloitte’s latest study on the digital influence in retail.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 15, 2016

Explore the Trendline➔

Gen Z and the next-generation consumer

If there's anything retailers want more than financial stability right now, it's to understand Gen Z. 

By Retail Dive staff

US household income rises for first time since 2007

Median household income grew by an inflation-adjusted 5.2%, the first annual increase since 2007 — a development that bodes well for retailers.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 14, 2016

MasterCard: 88% of cards have EMV chips, 2M merchant locations chip-active

According to a survey MasterCard commissioned from Braun Research, 87% of U.S. consumers commonly use chip cards, up from 49% last year.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 12, 2016

Retail Therapy: Kanye West's hot mess and what it's really like to work at Target

In this week's Retail Therapy, Kanye feels the heat at New York Fashion Week and a Target employee achieves internet fame for a running diary of his first week on the job.  

By Corinne Ruff • Sept. 8, 2016

Gap CEO blames struggles on dearth of fashion dictates

CEO Art Peck also told analysts at Goldman Sachs' annual retail conference that Macy’s store closures could bode well for Gap store rents.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 8, 2016

The Future of In-Store Kiosks: 3 Ways Endless Aisle Blends Full-Serve and Self-Serve

With advances in endless aisle technology, retailers can now offer a more three dimensional experience to customers than a simple self-serve checkout can achieve.  

Sept. 6, 2016

JC Penney launching plus-size designer collection

The new line, designed by "Project Runway" winner Ashley Nell Tipton, is set to hit the racks next week.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 2, 2016

Retail Therapy: For $585, these sneakers come with rips and tears included

Do-it-yourself brunch at Ikea, monkey business at Wal-Mart and more retail oddities in this week's Retail Therapy. 

By Corinne Ruff • Sept. 1, 2016

Report: Food, entertainment filling retail void in US malls

There’s more evidence that shopping centers are increasingly morphing into entertainment venues in response to consumers' preference for experiences over stuff.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 31, 2016

LoweBot is ready to roll at Lowe's stores

The home improvement chain will deploy the retail service robot at 11 stores throughout the San Francisco Bay area over the next seven months.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 30, 2016

5 trends reshaping back-to-school shopping in 2016

Back-to-school shopping season comes around like clockwork, but that doesn’t mean it’s predictable. Change is the only constant.

By Jason Ankeny • Aug. 29, 2016

Retail Therapy: James Harden's signature sneakers foul out on social media

The NBA star was roasted for designing a shoe that would look cooler at a chess tournament than on the basketball court.

By Corinne Ruff • Aug. 26, 2016

Best Buy expands Oculus Rift virtual reality demos to 500 stores

The electronics retailer previously offered limited quantities of the $599 VR headset at Intel Experience shop-in-shops in 48 stores nationwide.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 25, 2016

Student debt is retail's 'elephant in the room'

Moody’s retail analyst Charlie O’Shea said the effect of crushing student debt is comparable to a recession for retailers. 

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 23, 2016

Report: Outlet mall traffic rises to two-year high

More than a quarter of U.S. shoppers headed to an outlet mall last month, according to Cowen Consumer Tracker Survey data.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 23, 2016

Dick's Sporting Goods buys Affinity for youth sports venture

The sports management software will bolster Dick's Team Sports HQ platform, which supports youth sports leagues with online registration and team/league websites among other services.  

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 21, 2016

Retail Therapy: Kanye pop-up stores and Justin Bieber's Forever 21 line

While Kanye West is going after global retail domination, Justin Bieber is launching a clothing line ... with his face on the T-shirts.

By Corinne Ruff • Aug. 18, 2016

Led by Adidas, athleisure brands are generating a lot of social chatter

Engagement Labs' TotalSocial rankings of online and offline social conversations show athleisure brands are sparking a lot of online conversation and offline word-of-mouth.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 17, 2016

Ford plans self-driving cars for commercial applications like package delivery

The auto giant sees a near-term future for driverless cars in ride-hailing or parcel delivery — and the latter application could have a major impact on retail, if it comes to fruition. 

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 16, 2016

Report: Bolstered by tech needs, back-to-school spending to increase by 33%

Technology is increasingly on the shopping list during back-to-school, with 92% of parents saying their kids need devices for school this year.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 16, 2016

Report: Groupon, One Kings Lane top retail mobile app rankings

As consumers increasingly shop on mobile, sticky apps have become a sort of Holy Grail for retailers. 

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 15, 2016

Report: Home improvement retailers immune to the 'Amazon effect'

Many homeowners see home improvement spending as an investment and prefer to browse products in-store.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 15, 2016

Retail Therapy: The Olympics are here. Ralph Lauren, whose team are you on?

Fans on social media blasted the apparel retailer for designing Olympic uniforms that bear a striking similarity to the Russian flag.

By Corinne Ruff • Aug. 12, 2016

Study: 57% of back-to-school shoppers plan physical store purchases

A.T. Kearney found that back-to-school shoppers are spending more this year than last, and that most of them are open to using mobile devicces and promotions while they shop in-store.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 11, 2016