Report: Returns are now a routine part of shopping

Returns are up, with online shoppers in particular using their homes as fitting rooms and ordering many items they don't intend to buy. 

By Daphne Howland • June 6, 2017

Yroo launches mobile app for in-store price comparisons

The app marks the company’s first expansion of search services to mobile and includes a barcode scanner to help consumers compare prices on the go.

By Dan O'Shea • June 6, 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

Amazon launches discounted Prime for government assistance participants

The move could be seen as a challenge to Walmart, whose customer base is generally older and less wealthy than Amazon Prime members.

By Daphne Howland • June 6, 2017

Amazon enables app-based shopping on Fire TV

The app allows shoppers to search for items by typing in text, with the ability to filter search results by department and use many of the shopping functions inherent to the Amazon website.

By Dan O'Shea • June 5, 2017

A.T. Kearney: India now top country in the world for retail investment

Shopping via smartphone will account for the majority of online retail sales in developing countries in the coming years, according to the firm's Global Retail Development Index.

By Dan O'Shea • June 4, 2017

Hollar fuels expansion with consumables from 7 brands

The mobile commerce dollar store plans to grow its SKU count by 500% by the end of the year to reach an estimated 18,000 SKUs.

By Dan O'Shea • June 4, 2017

Wal-Mart store workers now delivering packages

The brick-and-mortar giant is leveraging stores and making the task voluntary for workers to make more money.

By Daphne Howland • June 2, 2017

Macy's expands CTO role amid e-commerce push

As the struggling department store chain shutters physical locations at a rapid pace, e-commerce has become an even more important path to growth.

By Daphne Howland • June 2, 2017

Monica + Andy opens second brick-and-mortar store

Once a pure-play e-commerce retailer, the children's clothing seller now has two brick-and-mortar stores, the latest in New York City.

By Dan O'Shea • June 1, 2017

Report: E-commerce fraud declining overall, but not for department stores

Overall e-commerce fraud decreased almost 35% from the start of 2016 to the beginning of 2017 across several industries, thanks in part to machine learning.

By Dan O'Shea • June 1, 2017

Toying with STEM: Marketing educational toys, kits isn't all fun and games

As Amazon and other retailers push into the STEM toy market with subscription services, growth opportunities and challenges abound.

By Dan O'Shea • June 1, 2017

Mary Meeker: Store closures could break a 20-year record, reach 7K this year

Technology is a firmly established driver of commerce and marketing, making Mary Meeker’s report essential viewing for retailers, regardless of sales channel.

By Daphne Howland • June 1, 2017

Best Buy revamps smartphone shopping in-store, online

In response to mobile industry trends toward unlocked devices and prepaid service plans, the company is rolling out a redesign of its shopping experiences.

By Dan O'Shea • May 31, 2017

Why Wal-Mart is betting big on e-commerce acquisitions

The brick-and-mortar giant has been gobbling up online retail startups at a record pace. Is it a path to e-commerce success or an existential crisis?

By Daphne Howland • May 31, 2017

Fitch: E-commerce fulfillment, retail locations are converging

Shopping centers have long been evaluated on demographic measures like population density and income, and e-commerce distribution centers should be similarly considered, according to Fitch Ratings. 

By Daphne Howland • May 31, 2017

Report: Amazon Prime's 'Style Code' live fashion show canceled

The program launched about a year ago as the digital answer to home shopping television, but its social media accounts have been suspended and employees were given notice.

By Daphne Howland • May 31, 2017

Dunkin’ Donuts integrates Masterpass with mobile app, loyalty program

In its latest mobile commerce move, the company is enabling Mastercard's digital payment service to be used to refuel customers' virtual loyalty cards.

By Dan O'Shea • May 30, 2017

Georgia Tech incubator launches retail-focused program

A $1 million gift will help the university's long-standing incubator turn its attention toward cultivating retail technology startups.

By Dan O'Shea • May 30, 2017

BJ's Wholesale primes omnichannel push with new CIO, CDO

The company tapped two retail technology veterans to fill high-level jobs focused on e-commerce and omnichannel strategy just weeks after it was reportedly considering a sale.

By Dan O'Shea • May 30, 2017

Home Depot, Lowe’s flex omnichannel strength

Home improvement retailers are proving to be ahead of the game in executing omnichannel strategies, enabling shoppers to easily pick up online orders in stores, among other things.

By Dan O'Shea • May 30, 2017

AmazonFresh Pickup goes live in Seattle

A test launched in March, offering the service to employees, has apparently showed enough promise for Amazon to open the concept to its loyal Prime customers.

By Daphne Howland • May 26, 2017

Report: Target to stuff $75M into Casper funding round

Casper has broken into the mattress industry with simplified pricing and e-commerce fulfillment, while Target is beefing up its retail partnership by participating in the company's latest funding round.

By Daphne Howland • May 26, 2017

Report: Alibaba doubles down on Chinese food startup, leads $1B funding round

The Chinese e-commerce juggernaut's investment in Ele.me may be part of a long-term strategy to boost its Alipay usage.

By Dan O'Shea • May 25, 2017

Bulletin draws seed funding to play host to startup retailers

The company raked in $2.2 million to construct more flexible rental spaces that allow e-commerce companies to rent on a month-to-month basis.

By Dan O'Shea • May 24, 2017

Ikea’s smart lights plug into voice assistant market

In a move to broaden the appeal of its new Tradfri smart lighting system, Ikea will let Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri control its devices.

By Dan O'Shea • May 24, 2017