USDA recruiting retailers to test online food stamps transactions

Officials plan to select up to five retailers in three states to participate in the program, which is likely to begin next summer.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 15, 2016

Will Lands' End sink or swim on Amazon?

Struggling Lands’ End has agreed to sell selected apparel via Amazon. Eight retail experts share their perspectives on the potential risks and rewards.

By Jason Ankeny • Sept. 15, 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

Forrester: Robots will eliminate 6% of all US jobs by 2021

The ongoing evolution of artificial intelligence, machine learning and related technologies is expected to directly impact retail employment trends as well as segments like banking and healthcare.  

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 14, 2016

BigCommerce adds support for Apple Pay transactions

Apple Pay eliminates manual entry of payment and shipping details when shopping on supported mobile or desktop devices.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 13, 2016

Fanatics, NFL's Rams kick off on-demand delivery partnership with Uber

Los Angeles Rams fans can order Rams merchandise, signed memorabilia and game day food via the UberEATS LA tab of the Uber app.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 12, 2016

Office Depot, Pocket Points to reward students for staying off phones

The Pocket Points program gives college students discounts on school supplies if they steer clear of their mobile devices during class time.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 11, 2016

Facebook fashion bot promotes Tommy Hilfiger's Gigi Hadid line

The bot allows users to type questions or select pre-made queries, shop for clothing and access behind-the-scenes content from the collection’s runway show.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 11, 2016

Report: Amazon handily trumps Jet on price, assortment

The e-commerce startup has slipped in comparison to its larger rival since a similar study conducted last year.

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 9, 2016

Amazon to make Prime Now tailgate deliveries to 49ers' stadium

Prime subscribers can order deliveries directly to the Levi's Stadium parking lot in the hours preceding San Francisco 49ers home games this football season.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 8, 2016

Google's new Shop the Look connects fashion bloggers, retail shoppers

The new feature pulls images of outfits that have been posted on social media by fashion bloggers into Google search results, along with relevant links for purchasing.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 7, 2016

Amazon expands smartphone lockscreen ad program

Customers can tap their discounted Android smartphone to learn more about a deal or product recommendation, or unlock the device to dismiss it.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 6, 2016

Lands' End to sell apparel on Amazon

The struggling outdoor brand will limit what it sells to certain items, but is selling on Amazon a prudent move for apparel retailers?

By Daphne Howland • Sept. 6, 2016

Report: Amazon lands one of eBay's top AI execs

Hassan Sawaf set up eBay's cognitive computing group and led its efforts to enable context translations for shoppers searching in foreign languages.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 5, 2016

Trade groups: Alibaba still not doing enough to police counterfeits

While acknowledging that Alibaba has taken some steps to reduce sales of bootleg merchandise, such as outlawing blurred product images, trade organizations contend the measures aren't working.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 1, 2016

How back-to-school shopping season puts omnichannel strategies to the test

With the new school year looming, consumers are using smartphones for an increasing number of key shopping functions. Retailers need to do their homework.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 1, 2016

Ibotta lands Jet, Groupon for mobile shopping rewards launch

Shoppers start their shopping journey in the Ibotta app, where they unlock special offers, then go directly to partners' native apps to make their purchases.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 31, 2016

Wayfair snaps up Snapchat-like startup Trumpit

Trumpit's mobile messaging app could be plugged into to Wayfair's customer support efforts to allow shoppers to exchange photos and videos with staffers.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 30, 2016

Amazon charges sellers 'brand gating' fee to curb counterfeits

Third-party Marketplace sellers are now required to pay a one-time, nonrefundable charge of up to $1,500 per brand, and surprise, they're not happy about it.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 30, 2016

5 trends reshaping back-to-school shopping in 2016

Back-to-school shopping season comes around like clockwork, but that doesn’t mean it’s predictable. Change is the only constant.

By Jason Ankeny • Aug. 29, 2016

Amazon Marketplace sellers rail against 'unwarranted' suspensions

Sellers say they want fair warning, a chance to defend themselves to a human Amazon representative and an overall less arbitrary process.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 29, 2016

Staples adds back-to-school shopping help to iOS app

Parents can send a photo of their child's shopping list to a Staples associate, who fills their online cart for them.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 25, 2016

Amazon includes Chicago in brick-and-mortar bookstore plans

The store will be located in Southport Corridor, one of the city's most fashionable neighborhoods.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 25, 2016

Report: New national sales tax plan set to clarify online retail rules

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte is poised to introduce a new legal framework for cross-border tax sales following years of debate on the issue.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 24, 2016

Global e-commerce logistics market rolling toward $781B by 2024

Among factors stirring market growth, the number of cross-border e-commerce websites is expected to continue to explode.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 24, 2016

Amazon expands drive-up grocery to Seattle

Permit documents indicate the e-commerce giant is branching out beyond the experiment it started in the Bay Area.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 24, 2016