Frictionless payment, 2018 style: It’s all about social

The speed of payment is changing the retail marketplace. These innovations will be key to answering demand.

By Kevin Brown • May 7, 2018

Indochino expands with new wave of showrooms

The Canadian menswear company began in 2015 as a pure-play e-commerce brand and is now set to grow its store footprint by a third.

By Daphne Howland • May 7, 2018

Explore the Trendline➔

What's shaping the e-commerce landscape?

From pivots in digital strategies to challenges retailers must overcome with reverse logistics, here are some of the forces shaping online retail.

By Retail Dive staff

Mobile’s share of online sales slipped last year

Forrester spots an unexpected downward trend in mobile sales as a percentage of all online sales.

By Dan O'Shea • May 6, 2018

Walmart reportedly beats Amazon to Flipkart with $15B bid

Google parent Alphabet may also join in, taking a 75% stake in India's major homegrown e-commerce retailer.

By Daphne Howland • May 4, 2018

Amazon turns to body imaging to perfect apparel fit

Meanwhile, the e-commerce giant's private activewear labels are beginning to outpace other brands sold on its site, according to L2.

By Daphne Howland • May 4, 2018

As Vow To Be Chic shutters, Zola raises $100M more

Rent the Runway swooped in on the news, offering the startup's customers 50% off bridal packages amid turmoil in the wedding apparel space.

By Daphne Howland • May 4, 2018

Online spending passes $100B for the first time

A new Adobe report based on quarterly data shows that e-commerce and mobile commerce are still surging, and winter isn't the only season for holiday-driven shopping.

By Dan O'Shea • May 3, 2018

Amazon launches new private-label pet brand Wag

The retail giant, eight years after its marketplace debut, also released its first report on the small- and medium-sized businesses selling there.

By Daphne Howland • May 3, 2018

Report: Amazon will incentivize retailers to adopt payment system

The move, first reported by Bloomberg, fits into a broader strategy that demonstrates the e-commerce giant's commitment to boost use of Amazon Pay.

By Robert Williams • May 3, 2018

Digital sales up 15%, but social media impact stalls

Online sales continued double-digit growth in the first quarter with mobile driving 60% of traffic, reports Salesforce.

By Dan Alaimo • May 3, 2018

Walmart favored over Amazon in fight for Flipkart

There's a tussle among investors to decide whether Amazon or Walmart will acquire the Indian e-commerce giant, as Amazon reportedly makes a bid. 

By Daphne Howland • May 2, 2018

Wayfair finds profits elusive as Q1 loss widens

The company's Way Day was a blockbuster, though, as it quadrupled not just sales, but also the number of unique visitors on April 25.

By Daphne Howland • May 2, 2018

Amazon launches Prime book subscription for kids

The latest membership perk comes as Amazon is raising the Prime membership fee to $119.

By Daphne Howland • May 2, 2018

Alexa exec leaves Amazon for 'a serious break'

Charlie Kindel, the executive most responsible for Alexa’s success, has left the fast pace of Amazon, citing a need to "catch my breath."

By Dan Alaimo • May 2, 2018

Amazon to hire thousands of tech workers

Dwarfing the hundreds laid off from corporate earlier this year, Amazon plans to hire 200 in a Minneapolis tech office, 2,000 in Boston and fill 3,000 jobs in Vancouver, mainly with technologists.

By Dan Alaimo • May 1, 2018

MM.LaFleur makes pop-up showroom permanent

The New York City location will now be a permanent hub for styling appointments, such as manicures and makeup.

By Daphne Howland • May 1, 2018

Chico's to sell apparel via Amazon

The brand has been faltering amid slowing traffic to malls, but sending its older demographic of baby boomers to Amazon could be a boon for both.

By Daphne Howland • April 30, 2018

Amazon's ad business jumps in Q1, becomes 'multi-billion dollar' program

Ad sales growth appears to be accelerating, with the company's "other" revenues up 72% for the quarter. 

By Erica Sweeney • April 30, 2018

Google Assistant outperforms Alexa, Cortana and Siri, again

Will the gains in accuracy be the key to introducing more intelligent assistants?

By Alex Hickey • April 30, 2018

Amazon bringing memory, natural conversation capabilities to Alexa

By reducing friction in interactions, the new features will allow the assistant to better engage with users.

By Dan O'Shea • April 27, 2018

Walmart Labs on tech hiring binge in California, Arkansas

The retailer is trading traditional roles for highly skilled technical positions as it ramps up the R&D operations of Walmart Labs.

By Dan Alaimo • April 27, 2018

Amazon hiking US Prime fee to $119

The e-commerce giant is proving to be a tech and entertainment company with a retail arm more than a retailer, as it reports a Q1 sales increase of 43% to $51 billion.

By Daphne Howland • April 26, 2018

Amazon releases kid-focused Echo Dot, special Alexa version

The e-commerce giant adds another device to its growing line of "kid edition" tech, this time an Echo Dot with parental controls and special content.

By Dan O'Shea • April 26, 2018

Ebay fuels revenue growth but disappoints analysts

The marketplace reported its best revenue growth in more than four years on Wednesday, but can it keep the momentum going?

By Daphne Howland • April 26, 2018

Forrester: Share of online fashion spending outpaces overall digital sales

The share of fashion spending transacted over the web (20%) outpaced online spending in retail overall (13%), according to the report.

By Daphne Howland • April 26, 2018