Rakuten Viber acquires mobile commerce partner

Rakuten Viber rolled out an Instant Shopping feature, a key technology developed by the year-old startup it now owns, Chatter Commerce.

By Dan O'Shea • July 23, 2017

Conduent earns facial recognition patent to measure shopper satisfaction

The technology, which identifies a person’s eyes from video camera footage to better understand facial expressions, is being patented just after reports surfaced that Walmart is seeking to patent similar tech.

By Dan O'Shea • July 23, 2017

Explore the Trendline➔

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

Study: Brick-and-mortar integral to BTS

And be patient when the kids come along to the store, most parents spend more when they do, according to the annual survey by ICSC.

By Daphne Howland • July 20, 2017

Retail Therapy: Swimsuit fashion dives off the deep end

With graphics of avocados and Guy Fieri’s face, these one-piece wonders will have you wishing their designs sank when fashion's standards did.

By Cara Salpini • July 20, 2017

Report: Walmart developing facial-recognition tech

The retailer is looking to the technology to monitor shopper dissatisfaction and improve the store experience. 

By Dan O'Shea • July 19, 2017

Survey: 25% of households use chatbots daily

A study from 3C Interactive paints a different picture of the chatbot trend from other recent studies, but that doesn’t necessarily mean chatbot usage is suddenly booming.

By Dan O'Shea • July 19, 2017

Target, Walmart outpace Amazon for back-to-college shoppers

Off-price retailers are increasingly favored by college kids and their parents, and department stores’ grades are slipping.

By Daphne Howland • July 19, 2017

TJX to open first 'HomeSense' store next month

In yet another challenge to department stores, the off-price darling aims to extend its treasure-hunt atmosphere to bigger-ticket items like furniture.

By Daphne Howland • July 19, 2017

Competition is stiff in $5B meal kit delivery market

Blue Apron’s subdued IPO has more to do with the intense competition in meal kit delivery, recently stoked by Amazon, than declining consumer interest.

By Daphne Howland • July 18, 2017

Forrester: 5.5B mobile users globally by 2022

Mobile is becoming impossible for retailers and brands to ignore, as mobile users are expected to number more than 5.5 billion worldwide in five years.

By Dan O'Shea • July 17, 2017

Why retailers are going all in on subscription services

Stitch Fix, Amazon Prime Wardrobe, Trunk Club, Rent the Runway and a growing list of subscription services streamline shopping for busy customers, but not every brand has the right formula.

By Lara Ewen • July 17, 2017

Study: 80% of Gen Z purchases influenced by social media

Over 80% of the younger generation says social media influences their shopping behavior, particularly on mobile.

By Cara Salpini • July 17, 2017

Famous Footwear parent taps retail veteran for men's brands

Caleres has tapped Malcolm Robinson as president of the new division.

By Daphne Howland • July 17, 2017

American Eagle sells denim hijab to reach a growing niche

The move demonstrates the potential of stylish Muslim women and girls as a profit center for retailers. 

By Daphne Howland • July 17, 2017

Amazon Echo/Alexa chief departs after nearly 2 decades at the company

Mike George, who has been with the company since 1998, is stepping down just as the smart assistant and its devices begin to see explosive growth.

By Dan O'Shea • July 16, 2017

College students boost back-to-school spending to $83.6B

That's the second-highest spending level on record with an earlier start to the shopping season, according to NRF's annual survey.

By Daphne Howland • July 14, 2017

J.C. Penney gets aggressive with new toy shops, expands assortment

The effort is an attempt to drive traffic to the department stores and poses a challenge to toy retailers like Toys "R" Us.

By Daphne Howland • July 14, 2017

Retail Therapy: These jeans will make you see double… waistbands

Shopbop's uniquely styled denim comes with seven pockets, two waistbands and one burning image we can't erase.

By Cara Salpini • July 13, 2017

Consumers bump up confidence in June

That should be good news for retailers, but it's not translating to much additional spending, analysts say.

By Daphne Howland • July 13, 2017

Back-to-school spending to remain flat at $27B

But families are spending more at mass merchants and off-price retailers, leaving department stores and specialty retailers behind.

By Daphne Howland • July 13, 2017

Can Backstage attract shoppers to Macy's mall stores?

As the department store pushes ahead on off-price concepts, experts say there's a fine line between attracting new shoppers and heading too down market.

By Laura Heller • July 12, 2017

Apple brings smart home experiences to stores

The company is priming customers with interactive demonstrations for the release later this year of its HomePod smart home hub.

By Dan O'Shea • July 12, 2017

On Prime Day, in Alexa we trust... sort of

Roughly 77% of Amazon customers who have ordered products through Alexa say they checked Amazon to make sure the order was placed correctly.

By Dan O'Shea • July 11, 2017

Report: Amazon set to wage war on Best Buy's Geek Squad

The e-commerce giant appears to be getting into the business of helping households plan and install tech products.

By Dan O'Shea • July 10, 2017

Shipments of self-checkout terminals hit record in 2016

Amid Amazon Go and the transition to line-less retail checkout process, self-checkout terminals continue to see greater demand.

By Dan O'Shea • July 9, 2017