Fashion start-ups pass on big retailers to rally demand

Thanks to crowdfunding platforms, smaller apparel makers are using on-demand strategies to sell limited-run items, foregoing the need for some retail partnerships. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Sept. 3, 2015

Interior design site Laurel & Wolf wins additional funding

The startup delivers users personalized room makeovers from multiple designers, with the opportunity to buy from their favorite look. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Sept. 3, 2015

Explore the Trendline➔

How retailers are thinking about in-store experience

Complementary shop-in-shops, age-appropriate experiences and integrated technology are just a few ways retailers are reworking stores to suit shoppers.

By Retail Dive staff

Is CVS' tobacco-sales ban helping the US quit smoking?

Results of a study looking at tobacco sales commissioned by the drugstore retailer are debatable, but some advocates say they’re significant.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 3, 2015

10 trends shaping the future of retail

The biggest challenges for retailers in 2015: New technologies, changing shopping habits, and the threat of disruptive competitors. 

By Kelsey Lindsey • Sept. 2, 2015

Mobile to exceed desktop in ad spend this year

The category's share of advertising spending, predicted to make up more than half of all digital ad spend this year, will also surpass print. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Sept. 2, 2015

Are high heels the latest athleisure fashion victim?

As comfort becomes a priority for clothes outside the gym and in the office, sneakers are getting more fashionable.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 1, 2015

Forever 21 looks to downsize

Signs of life from other teen retailers aren't helping the retailer, which seems to have overextended itself in recent years. 

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 1, 2015

How millennials are shopping today

As this era’s defining generation insists on the best deals, retailers are still trying to stop competing on price. But there are ways—beyond sales—to help millennials feel good about what they buy.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 31, 2015

As back-to-school shoppers stick to physical stores, online marketing still key

According to a recent survey, many shoppers, and their kids, do a lot of their pre-purchase research on the web before they head to brick-and-mortars.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 31, 2015

Consumers using e-commerce to shop the world

International e-commerce is set to balloon, UPS says, and U.S. sites will benefit. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 31, 2015

Retail Therapy: Scott Walker's 'Kohl's Curve,' a prom trade show, and more

One Republican presidential candidate's economic policy was apparently inspired by the deals he found at the department store chain. 

By Kelsey Lindsey • Aug. 28, 2015

Luxury brands quietly begin to go green

Gucci and other luxury giants are slowly embracing sustainable practices to meet consumer demands for transparency.  

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 28, 2015

WSJ: Amazon scaling back Fire phone, other devices' development

It’s unlikely that Amazon will abandon its hardware-development unit entirely, as the “Internet of Things” and devices for the “connected home” are starting to appeal to the mainstream consumer. 

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 28, 2015

Wal-Mart to stop selling semi-automatic rifles due to poor sales

A Wal-Mart spokesperson made clear that "the decision was completely based on what customers are buying and what they want."

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 27, 2015

Amazon testing Prime Now restaurant delivery in Seattle

The experiment, available only to Amazon employees for now, brings Amazon into a very crowded food-delivery space.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 27, 2015

The rise of copyright infringement lawsuits—and what retailers can do about it

A new report from Lex Machina found that retailers are now one of the top groups of defendants in copyright infringement cases surrounding textile patterns.

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 26, 2015

Women prefer to buy in-store, but digital gaining ground

74% of women surveyed said they use digital technologies to identify and research items before visiting a brick-and-mortar location to buy.

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 26, 2015

Plus-size retailer Avenue Stores reportedly for sale

Plus-size retail is ripe and ready to grow. The area suffers from marketing and merchandising neglect, yet has many customers clamoring to buy. 

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 26, 2015

Apparel shoppers still gravitate to physical stores

Bricks-and-mortar stores use technology to capture data. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 21, 2015

Consumers prize value and experiences as spending picks up

As consumers become more relaxed about opening their wallets, the recent recession appears to be lingering in their minds — and their spending habits.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 21, 2015

Wal-Mart pharmacy business suffers under Affordable Care Act

While more people have health care coverage these days, they’re spending less on medications.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 20, 2015

Retailers are finding that 'sustainable' sells

As demand increases, more retailers are pointing consumers to ecofriendly and cause-conscious products in their stores. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 19, 2015

Mobile makes up 30% of US e-commerce sales

And according to Internet Retailer, that number is expected to grow twice as fast as general e-commerce sales. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 19, 2015

Survey: Marketplace sites own top of funnel

Consumers are more likely to initiate their shopping journey on a multiple-brand marketplace or their favorite website, according to the new survey. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 19, 2015

Report outlines four types of millennial consumer

Contrary to popular belief, not all of the 85 million-strong demographic are digital extroverts, the report says. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 18, 2015