A customer divided: The love/hate relationship with Walmart

The retail giant polarizes consumers in a way that Amazon doesn't, writes WD Partner's Lee Peterson.

By Lee Peterson • Nov. 8, 2018

Why catalogs still have a hold on holiday marketing

Many retailers have turned into fourth-quarter catalogers to cash in on the season's sentimentality, while shoppers are crossing "irrelevant email marketing" off their lists this year.

By Cara Salpini • Nov. 2, 2018

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How artificial intelligence is shaping retail

More retailers are leaning on AI as a tool, tapping into the tech to improve customer service and support supply chain functions.

By Retail Dive staff

Retail Therapy: For these jeans, third time is definitely not the charm

"The more the merrier" shouldn't apply to waistbands, especially when it means layering blue jeans under acid-wash blue jeans under white jeans.

By Cara Salpini • Nov. 2, 2018

Holiday spending set to rise 5.8%, FTI says

The holiday shopping forecast shows a rosy outlook as FTI Consulting expects 4% year-over-year sales growth in stores and 15.5% growth online. 

By Dan O'Shea • Nov. 1, 2018

Is coworking the department store of the future?

Startup Re:store provides an alternative space that combines co-working with retail, but its staying power hasn't been tested. Eight experts weigh in on the concept. 

By Kaarin Moore • Oct. 31, 2018

Study: One-third of discretionary income is now spent online

Amazon and e-commerce have grown, but physical stores remain an essential part of consumers’ shopping experience, according to a report from BigCommerce.

By Dan Alaimo • Oct. 30, 2018

Consumers to spend $96B on tech for the holidays

Sales of tech gifts will rise 3.4% this holiday season, as 66% of U.S. adults plan to buy them. Voice and video tech top consumer wishlists.

By Dan Alaimo • Oct. 29, 2018

Monetate, Bazaarvoice aim to turn holiday shoppers into year-round customers

The personalization platform will use Bazaarvoice’s shopper profiles to help brands create product recommendations post-holiday.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 29, 2018

Levi’s, Disney test Snapchat social commerce

Shoppers at the jean maker's store in Orlando can "try on" a limited-edition Mickey Mouse hat using an AR lens and order through the image-messaging app.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 29, 2018

What Gen Z wants for Christmas

It's a long list — and one that includes not just online and mobile shopping, but also in-store experiences and the ability to engage meaningfully with retailers on social.

By Cara Salpini • Oct. 26, 2018

What 3 charts about Black Fridays past signal about the holiday's future

For the first time last year, Amazon grabbed more market share than Walmart overall during the two weeks after Black Friday.

By Corinne Ruff • Oct. 26, 2018

Retail Therapy: Target is dreaming of a cheesy Christmas

For some people, the holidays means pine trees and string lights, but at Target, it means cheese advent calendars — because how can you be merry if there's no dairy?

By Cara Salpini • Oct. 26, 2018

Reporter's Notebook: Amazon's 4-star store is four walls and a bunch of random stuff

Retail Dive's Corinne Ruff took a peek inside the e-commerce giant's latest brick-and-mortar experience and came away wondering, is it really that unique?

By Corinne Ruff • Oct. 26, 2018

Moody's boosts retail outlook to 'positive' for the first time in 3 years

Other analysts have some concerns about retailers' reality next year, however.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 26, 2018

5 top women transforming retail

From Sephora to Away, these female executives are spurring the industry to higher levels of innovation and performance. 

By Kaarin Moore • Oct. 25, 2018

Outdoor retailers put down roots in used goods

The North Face Renewed is one of the most recent refurbished goods programs to try to make new life out of used products, but the secondary market is taking off — and not just outdoors.

By Cara Salpini • Oct. 24, 2018

Teens increasingly turning to Lululemon, Adidas

Nike is falling in teenagers' estimation, losing 3% mindshare, while Vans and even Crocs are grabbing their attention, according to a Piper Jaffray study.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 23, 2018

Brandless is struggling to retain shoppers

According to data compiled by Recode, just 11% of consumers who ordered from the online grocery and home goods seller last fall did so a year later.

By Jeff Wells • Oct. 22, 2018

Smart speaker adoption has nearly doubled in a year

Voice-enabled smart speakers like Alexa Echo and Google Home are seeing rapid adoption, according to a consumer survey from Visa and PYMNTS.

By Dan O'Shea • Oct. 22, 2018

Retailers dreaming of a green Christmas without Toys R Us

Everyone in retail, it seems, is playing in the toy game this year after the country's biggest toy store liquidated. But will there really be any surprises about who wins?

By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 19, 2018

Retail Therapy: Balenciaga's generous, charity-giving $850 fanny pack

The 90s accessory might have the World Food Programme's logo on the front, but the majority of that cash is going back into Balenciaga's overpriced wallet.

By Cara Salpini • Oct. 19, 2018

More holiday consumers plan to shop both online and in stores

Plans for shopping online have increased among consumers this year, but brick-and-mortar retailers are also getting a bigger piece of the pie, both online and off.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 18, 2018

September retail sales fall short

Retail strength is fragmented across categories, but overall the economy's strength bodes well as the holidays near.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 16, 2018

Just how much upside is there for J.C. Penney in Sears' bankruptcy?

With the bankruptcy of one of its biggest competitors, there is both upside and risk as J.C. Penney's own turnaround slogs on and new leadership takes over.

By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 16, 2018

What you need to know about subscriptions

Cancel rates are high, depending on the category, and many retailers are still figuring out the reverse logistics complexities. Are box services a lasting model for the industry?

By Corinne Ruff • Oct. 16, 2018