Alibaba, offline giant Bailian team up on far-reaching retail tech initiative

The companies will leverage big data capabilities to boost integration between offline stores, merchandise, logistics and payment tools to improve efficiency and enhance consumer experience.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 20, 2017

IBM, Visa partner to embed payment capabilities into Watson-enabled IoT devices

More than 6,000 companies with Watson-driven Internet of Things architectures can integrate payments across product lines using Visa Token Service technology.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 20, 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

Google Assistant now lets consumers shop retailers through Google Home

Owners of the interactive speaker may now shop via voice at Costco, Whole Foods Market, Walgreens, PetSmart and Bed Bath & Beyond, among others.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 16, 2017

ReplyYes lands $6.5M to further m-commerce platform for lifestyle brands

The startup has also inked an exclusive agreement with Universal Music Group to create music, tickets and merchandise shopping opportunities for UMG artists and their fans worldwide.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 16, 2017

Marketplace startup StockX draws celebrity-laden $6M funding round

Mark Wahlberg, Eminem, Steve Case, Scooter Braun, DJ Skee and Ron Conway have invested in the self-described online “stock market of things.”

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 15, 2017

Wal-Mart lands online outdoor retailer Moosejaw for $51M

The world’s largest retailer continues gobbling up online merchants in its ongoing quest to resuscitate its flagging e-commerce efforts.

By Jason Ankeny • Feb. 15, 2017

Etsy to roll out craft supplies marketplace to sell to merchants

The crafts site aims to launch the new marketplace with at least 8 million craft supplies products available, compared to around 33,000 at many big-box retailers.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 14, 2017

Swych Giftbot handles person-to-person e-gifting requests for chat users

Beta testing is open on both the Apple iOS and Google Android platforms for users of Facebook Messenger, Skype and Apple’s Siri.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 14, 2017

Wal-Mart coordinating e-commerce, brick-and-mortar supply operations

The world's largest retailer is making moves to boost efficiency and consistency across channels.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 14, 2017

Adobe: Prices on consumer goods surge past pre-holiday levels

The firm’s Digital Price Index showed that prices in December jumped 0.6% from November, a significant departure from last year when they remained flat.    

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 14, 2017

ComScore: Holiday spending topped $80B, driven by mobile commerce growth

Shopping via smartphones and tablets reached $17.1 billion over the last two months of 2016, corresponding to about 21% of total holiday digital spending, up from 17% in 2015.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 13, 2017

What retailers need to know about cybersecurity

Annual global costs tied to destruction of data, intellectual property theft, lost productivity and fraud are on pace to reach $6 trillion by 2021. Here's how retailers can avoid becoming a statistic.

By Jason Ankeny • Feb. 13, 2017

Pinterest deepens retail integrations with new visual search tech

A second new feature, "Shop the Look," lets users track down and purchase items they've seen in Pins. 

By David Kirkpatrick and Peter Adams • Feb. 10, 2017

Amazon reportedly plans private label lingerie expansion

The e-commerce giant, already the largest online apparel retailer, is taking advantage of major disruptions in the intimates market.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 10, 2017

Shopify won't shut down Breitbart News storefront, citing free speech rights

The e-commerce platform's co-founder said it would continue to host the Breitbart store in support of the organization's right to free speech, even though Shopfify doesn’t align politically or ideologically with the controversial media site.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 9, 2017

Mastercard rolls out experiential record store, virtual engagement for Grammys

The promotion, highlighted by the hashtag #ThankTheFans, requires a $1 Masterpass purchase to unlock special offers.

By David Kirkpatrick • Feb. 8, 2017

Amazon Payments users hit 33M, transactions nearly double

Customers in more than 170 countries used the payment processing platform in 2016, with transaction volume peaking on Cyber Monday.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 7, 2017

FedEx targets SMB sellers — and Amazon — with inventory storage and fulfillment service

Businesses using the new FedEx Fulfillment e-commerce platform will be able to store their products at the shipper's warehouses.

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 7, 2017

Saving the sale: New ideas for averting cart abandonment

Retailers lose trillions of dollars each year to the scourge of abandoned online shopping carts. But new weapons are helping merchants turn lost sales into wins.  

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 7, 2017

Propulse debuts AI-based shopper recommendation platform

The startup's Purchase Path Neural Network platform analyzes thousands of product image variables to determine what the shopper is looking for.  

By Dan O'Shea • Feb. 2, 2017

Amazon building $1.5B Prime Air cargo hub near Cincinnati

The Hebron, KY facility will create more than 2,000 jobs dedicated to loading, unloading and sorting packages.

By Daphne Howland • Feb. 1, 2017

NRF: Mobile initiatives top of mind for retailers in 2017

More than half of retailers say mobile initiatives are among their top three priorities in 2017, following a year in which mobile sales accounted for about 30% of online sales and 47% of online traffic.

By Dan O'Shea • Jan. 31, 2017

Newegg online showcase sells products from Indiegogo-funded entrepreneurs

The retailer is planning to launch a page on its e-commerce site dedicated to showcasing products financed via crowdfunding campaigns.

By Dan O'Shea • Jan. 31, 2017

Wal-Mart scraps Prime-like ShippingPass membership

The retail giant opened up its free two-day shipping to all customers and lowered its minimum, while promising not to raise prices.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 31, 2017

Why the marketplace revolution keeps gaining momentum

Digital marketplaces offer retailers and vendors a way to expand their selection and their reach. But the rewards come with major risks.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 31, 2017