Nordstrom institutes $25 Trunk Club 'try on' fee

The department store retailer bought the e-retailer two years ago for $350 million, but Trunk Club has yet to yield a profit, leading to stingier measures.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 4, 2016

Amazon bans incentivized product reviews

The e-commerce giant will still support incentivized reviews facilitated through its Vine program, which is designed to provide information on products ahead of a sufficient number of reviews or feedback provided by users.

By Daphne Howland • Oct. 4, 2016

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

Why Casper got into bed with West Elm

The mattress phenomenon and the home furnishings retailer are hoping their partnership has all the makings of a sleeper hit.

By Lara Ewen • Oct. 4, 2016

WalmartLabs open sources platform that powers Walmart.com

The retailer's research and development unit hopes other developers will adopt and improve the Electrode application platform.

By Dan O'Shea • Oct. 3, 2016

Shopify acquires partner Boltmade to boost Shopify Plus offering

Shopify Plus is a platform for "high growth" customers, with premium features like dedicated account management personnel and customizable checkout processes.

By Dan O'Shea • Oct. 3, 2016

Mr. Porter rolls out shoppable Apple TV app

Viewers can shop products featured in videos compiled from the past five years of the luxury clothing brand's online magazine.

By Dan O'Shea • Oct. 2, 2016

Target taps AddStructure to pilot Amazon Alexa voice search rival

Natural language processing startup AddStructure was one of 10 startups chosen in June to participate in the retailer's Target + TechStars accelerator program.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 28, 2016

Report: Wal-Mart in talks to invest in India's leading e-tailer Flipkart

India is a promising e-commerce playing field, but the competition is fierce and challenges are rife.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 28, 2016

Lowe's, Microsoft expand HoloLens AR pilot to more stores

The technology also offers new capabilities, including use of Microsoft's Cortana Intelligence Suite to analyze a customer's specific taste in decor and provide recommendations from a Pinterest board of relevant ideas.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 27, 2016

Survey: 55% of shoppers turn to Amazon to begin product search

Major internet search engines and rival retailers experience sharp declines as starting points for consumer product searches, according to new research.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 27, 2016

Wayfair targets millennials with new wedding registry

The online retailer is using its data-driven approach to take advantage of one time when millennials are actually focused on accumulating things — making a new home after marriage.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 27, 2016

Why September is prime time to acquire mobile shoppers for the holidays

Back-to-school shopping season just ended, and the holidays are on the horizon. This quiet period is the perfect time for retailers to make noise on mobile.

By Jason Ankeny • Sept. 27, 2016

Cowen: Amazon Prime threatens Costco, Sam's Club membership models

By the end of the year, the e-commerce giant’s membership program could reach half of U.S. households, according to new research.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 27, 2016

Best Buy's Ignite initiative spotlights startups in stores, online

A store in Silicon Valley already features a dedicated Ignite space with products from the program, including a selection of crowdfunded gadgets.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 26, 2016

Online grocer FreshDirect snags $189M in funding round

The grocery delivery space is highly competitive and fraught with logistical challenges, but investors believe FreshDirect can fulfill its potential.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 26, 2016

Target chief digital officer exits abruptly

Jason Goldberger is leaving the retailer just four months after accepting the newly-created position.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 26, 2016

Macy's makeover continues with beGlammed beauty services deal

The partnership enables customers to book at-home grooming and makeup services through the retailer’s website.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 25, 2016

Handmade at Amazon expands into five European countries

The Etsy rival offers shoppers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the U.K. access to more than 30,000 items from European artisans.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 22, 2016

Report: Amazon pricing algorithm works against non-Prime shoppers

Research from ProPublica finds that non-Prime shoppers must be on their toes to find the best deals themselves once shipping costs are factored in.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 21, 2016

Etsy snares AI startup Blackbird Technologies

Blackbird's machine learning solutions analyze user behavior, unstructured data and other variables to suggest relevant and personalized product search recommendations.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 20, 2016

Amazon adds chatbot expertise by hiring Angel.ai co-founder

Angel.ai, an artificial intelligence startup that develops chatbots and natural language processing technology, last year raised about $8 million in Series A funding.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 20, 2016

Costco, Sam's Club target businesses via new express delivery offerings

Costco Business Center in San Diego will start offering two-hour grocery delivery, while Sam's Club is offering next-day delivery in the Dallas, Tulsa and Miami markets. 

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 19, 2016

BigCommerce unveils Facebook advertising, shopping tools

The new additions allow BigCommerce merchant partners to more easily launch and measure cross-device advertising campaigns through Facebook dynamic ads.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 19, 2016

NPD: Echo device owners spend more on Amazon

Owners of the hands-free speaker spend about 10% more on Amazon than they did before purchasing the device.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 18, 2016

Moody's: Wal-Mart, Best Buy proving brick-and-mortar can thrive in e-commerce

Online sales will account for over 20% of total retail sales in seven years, more than double the 9% they represent today, according to a new report from Moody’s Investor Service.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 16, 2016