Report: US e-commerce sales rose 4.1% in Q1

While e-commerce growth continues to outpace overall retail sales, it still accounts for less than 10% of total sales, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

By Daphne Howland • May 17, 2017

Etsy faces more pressure as new investors buy in

The moves come two weeks after Josh Silverman took the CEO spot and hedge fund Black-and-White Capital, which owns 2% of Etsy’s shares, released letters highlighting critical issues.

By Daphne Howland • May 17, 2017

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

Pinterest expands visual search tech to ads

Extending the feature gives ads more relevancy by enabling them to show up adjacent to similar products sought in visual search.

By Dan O'Shea • May 16, 2017

Reflektion, Mad Mobile team to give retailers omnichannel view

The partnership will allow retailers who are joint clients of the firms to access data about customers' online activity while they're in stores.

By Dan O'Shea • May 16, 2017

Fashion Tech Lab aims to fund, innovate, connect with sustainability in mind

Digital entrepreneur Miroslava Duma is spearheading the startup accelerator, which is focused on investing in and developing sustainable technologies for the fashion industry.

By Dan O'Shea • May 15, 2017

Lowe's 'exosuit' gives employees a robotic boost

The home improvement retailer is piloting the use of robotic-enhanced suits that help employees lift and move products more efficiently to reduce fatigue.

By Dan O'Shea • May 15, 2017

Wayfair enables photo-based visual product search

Using the AI-enhanced feature, users can find products among its selection that are of a similar style to items they take pictures of with their mobile devices.

By Dan O'Shea • May 15, 2017

Made.com tests live-chat feature with showroom employees

The U.K.-based e-commerce retailer is leveraging its brick-and-mortar retail assets to help close online sales. 

By Dan O'Shea • May 14, 2017

Report: Flipkart closes in on $1B Snapdeal acquisition

If finalized, the deal would mark the biggest acquisition in the Indian e-commerce space and strengthen Flipkart’s position against Amazon's international push.

By Dan O'Shea • May 14, 2017

In challenge to Wayfair, Amazon, Target up the ante in furniture

Online furniture sales have emerged as a major growth area in e-commerce, rising 18% in 2015, second only to grocery, according to research from Barclays.

By Daphne Howland • May 12, 2017

Upstart Flexe takes aim at Amazon with next-day delivery

The new service allows e-commerce brands to control the end-to-end fulfillment process, from identifying ideal fulfillment center locations, to delivering product via integrations with major carriers.

By Dan O'Shea • May 11, 2017

LVMH to unveil multi-brand luxury e-commerce site

The site, dubbed 24Sevres.com for the retailer’s flagship address, will sell more than 150 high-end labels, including from outside the LVMH stable.

By Daphne Howland • May 11, 2017

DHL taps Alexa to deliver package status updates

The Amazon virtual assistant's new skill gives consumers a hands-free process to track their deliveries.  

By Dan O'Shea • May 10, 2017

Amazon, Nike, Nordstrom lead the way in social media, word-of-mouth chatter

Victoria’s Secret, Adidas and Under Armour also made the top 10 list of retail and apparel brands that sparked shopper conversations, according to Engagement Lab’s latest TotalSocial rankings.

By Dan O'Shea • May 10, 2017

Jet freshens grocery offerings with Story pop-up shop

Jet isn’t the first retailer to partner with Story, but it's a curious move given the retailer's money-saving e-commerce model.

By Daphne Howland • May 10, 2017

Toys 'R' Us overhauls website amid digital transformation

After bringing its e-commerce operations in-house just two years ago, the retailer is slowly rolling out a streamlined, more user-friendly and personalized approach.

By Daphne Howland • May 10, 2017

Amazon’s Echo Show allows Alexa to answer queries with visuals

The latest addition to the Echo family is the first to display video or images, which would allow consumers to see and browse before they buy on the device.

By Dan O'Shea • May 9, 2017

Staples names first chief information security officer

The office supplies retailer is continuing to bolster its technology department, which also recently added a chief technology officer position for the first time.

By Dan O'Shea • May 9, 2017

What Amazon's sales tax decision means for e-commerce businesses

Just because Amazon is now collecting everywhere doesn’t mean all third-party sellers need to follow suit, writes Scott Peterson at U.S. Tax Policy and Government Relations.

By Scott Peterson • May 9, 2017

Inside the Retail Dive Consumer Survey

In a six-part survey of shoppers, we examined the psyche of the American consumer and the evolving role of the brick-and-mortar store.

By Corinne Ruff • May 9, 2017

Amazon lowers free shipping minimum again, escalating price war with Wal-Mart

It’s the second time in three months the e-commerce giant sliced its free shipping threshold for non-Prime members — this time, below Wal-Mart's $35 minimum.   

By Daphne Howland • May 9, 2017

Voice-activated assistant market poised to boom — and Amazon has a huge lead

EMarketer projects Amazon’s Echo speaker will attract a 70.6% share of the voice-activated assistant device market, which is projected to grow 129% over last year.

By Dan O'Shea • May 8, 2017

Aldo overhauls digital marketing with focus on engagement

The shoe retailer is transforming its website and mobile interface with a focus on engaging marketing over transactions.

By Dan O'Shea • May 8, 2017

Target to pilot next-day delivery for loyalty members

Using Target Restock, REDcard holders will be able to visit a dedicated online experience to order household essentials and convenience products for home delivery.

By Dan O'Shea • May 8, 2017

Jeff Bezos: Artificial intelligence permeates Amazon’s business strategy

The founder and CEO of Amazon said machine learning tech has the potential to improve search results, product recommendations for customers and inventory management, among other things.

By Dan O'Shea • May 7, 2017