Amazon sets July 12 for second Prime Day, pledges over 100k deals

In addition to Prime Day's July 12 return, Amazon will offer countdown deals for Prime members in the U.S. every day from July 5 through July 11.

By Daphne Howland • June 30, 2016

Amazon quietly launches its own private label foods

The items join other private label Amazon goods, from tech accessories to apparel, in a significant challenge to rivals and its own marketplace sellers.

By Daphne Howland • June 30, 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

Wal-Mart expands two-day shipping nationwide, offers free trial

Following a limited rollout, Wal-Mart's ShippingPass is launching across the U.S. just weeks before rival Amazon holds its next Prime Day sale event.

By Dan O'Shea • June 29, 2016

Amazon discounts Android phones in exchange for lockscreen ads

The pricing promotion is only available to Prime members. 

By Jason Ankeny • June 29, 2016

Report: Amazon Prime Day deals pale compared to Black Friday offers

Amazon Prime Day prices last summer were higher on average than during the company's Black Friday sales event.

By Dan O'Shea • June 28, 2016

Pinterest adds shopping cart, visual search in e-commerce push

About 30% of people who shop on Pinterest use search capabilities to find products of interest, while another 50% discover items through related pins or the site's homepage.

By Dan O'Shea • June 28, 2016

UPDATE: Amazon adds 50 brands to Dash buttons despite slow adoption

Dash buttons appear to have limited staying power with consumers: Fewer than half who bought a button since the March 2015 launch still use them to replenish goods.

By Daphne Howland • June 27, 2016

E-commerce growth driving investors to REITs

As e-commerce firms require more space for logistics and fulfillment, mutual funds are moving money into real estate investment trusts that own warehouse space.

By Dan O'Shea • June 26, 2016

Report: Brexit could put Amazon's U.K. growth on ice

Some market observers believe that the U.K. leaving the European Union will complicate expansion plans announced by Amazon earlier this year.

By Dan O'Shea • June 26, 2016

Amazon benefitting from growing web fashion sales

But just because sales are growing doesn’t mean profits are.

By Daphne Howland • June 24, 2016

Pinterest bags Tote for social media merchandising strategy

Pinterest acquires the talent behind the Tote m-commerce app as it continues to push toward new forms of social media monetization.

By Dan O'Shea • June 23, 2016

Amazon merchants preparing for huge Prime Day event

Amazon said 2015 Prime Day sales surpassed its Black Friday numbers the year before by 18%. 

By Daphne Howland • June 23, 2016

Instacart cuts cashier hours in NYC, assigns checkout chores to in-store shoppers

Instacart continues to make changes to its online grocery shopping model, but says it is not eliminating the cashier role from its services.

By Dan O'Shea • June 22, 2016

Localytics CEO: 'Retail is in a mobile engagement crisis'

Mobile is revolutionizing how consumers shop, but retailers are struggling to capitalize on the enormous opportunities the platform offers. Their missteps could alienate loyal customers, says Localytics chief Raj Aggarwal.

By Jason Ankeny • June 22, 2016

How the fractured customer journey is decimating the value of your marketing dollars

If you cannot see a single customer from a unified point of view, you won't know when that customer is ready to make a purchase, writes Revmatrix's Hemang Gadhia. 

By Hemang Gadhia • June 22, 2016

Modiface chatbot turns Facebook Messenger into lipstick sales tool

The chatbot now allows customers to try on lipstick using facial recognition technology. 

By Dan O'Shea • June 21, 2016

Product content helps Walmart identify new products to sell

For digital consumers, a product is only as good as the information associated with it. 

June 21, 2016

Amazon Prime Now expands to Paris, earns wrath of city officials

The mayor of Paris is lambasting the e-commerce giant for threatening the livelihood of local merchants, and not giving officials adequate notice of the launch.

By Dan O'Shea • June 20, 2016

UPDATE: Wal-Mart sells Chinese e-commerce site to Alibaba rival JD.com

A deal between JD.com and Wal-Mart China could help the retailers compete with Alibaba in the country's competitive e-commerce landscape.

By Daphne Howland • June 20, 2016

Goldman Sachs: Ralph Lauren, Nike best positioned to thrive online

E-commerce is on pace to grow 22% this year, Goldman Sachs analyst Heath Terry also told CNBC.

By Daphne Howland • June 20, 2016

Study: Prime members make up 60% of Amazon's GMV

Prime members are less than 20% of Amazon’s customer base, but they are younger, wealthier, stickier, and spend more.

By Daphne Howland • June 16, 2016

Instacart tries its hand at BOPIS with pickup-only option

The online grocery service is experimenting with in-store pickup options in tandem with partners including Whole Foods.

By Dan O'Shea • June 15, 2016

Report: Wal-Mart checking out robotic shopping cart

The shopping cart can navigate stores without being pushed by a customer and provides other customer support functions.

By Dan O'Shea • June 15, 2016

Birchbox scales back expansion as competition intensifies

The company started the subscription box trend in retail, but is now seeing a crop of rivals challenge its ambitions for growth. 

By Kelsey Lindsey • June 15, 2016

Retail sales rise 0.5% in May, boosted by e-commerce growth

Sporting goods and apparel sales increased last month, while department stores and home improvement sales declined.

By Daphne Howland • June 14, 2016