Amazon to eliminate Product Ads

The marketplace suggests using Sponsored Products and text ads instead. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 13, 2015

Why shopping apps are struggling to break out

While apps are a great way to build loyalty, retailers are still limited by the small amount of apps a consumer will actually use regularly on their phones. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 12, 2015

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

Are online marketplaces a retailer's friend or foe? 8 experts weigh in

While selling on competitors' online marketplaces can help retailers reach a broader market of potential buyers, there are still many risks involved. 

By Kelsey Lindsey • Aug. 12, 2015

Legacy retailers borrowing online retailers' inventory strategies

Target and Macy's are learning from once purely-online retailers' new stores, which use technology to reduce in-store inventories. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 12, 2015

IPO filings reveal Neiman Marcus's omnichannel ambitions and strategy

The department store chain is focused on expanding its digital presence.

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 11, 2015

Google Express gets new leadership amid e-commerce push

New general manager Brian Elliott led development of the search giant's "Buy" button. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 10, 2015

Twitter taps Shopify to bring 'Buy' button to more marketers

The e-commerce platform works with more than 100,000 retailers. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 6, 2015

As Etsy shares plunge, sellers' shift to Amazon 'likely'

Etsy's stock fell below its IPO price despite better-than-expected Q2 results, and it faces fundamental problems that won’t be easy to solve.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 6, 2015

Birchbox is boosting competitors' sales—for now

Subscribers of the online beauty service spend an average 5% more at Sephora. Could physical stores help Birchbox lasso these deflected sales?

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 5, 2015

Marketers don't have time to manage digital: Survey

Almost half of marketers surveyed by Zmags said that rich media content was “most critical” to getting customers’ attention.

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 5, 2015

Amazon pulls the plug on liberal Prime account sharing

Prime membership sharing was once was a valuable way to spread the word about membership perks. But now the retail giant has a shrinking pool of Americans from which to gain new members.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 4, 2015

Snapdeal snags $500M in venture capital from Alibaba, others

Snapdeal will likely continue to develop its network of sites with the new funding. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 3, 2015

Instagram click-to-buy feature on the way

The Facebook unit will introduce new ad formats in the months ahead, according to an investors' call last week. 

By Ian P. Murphy • Aug. 3, 2015

Profitero: On average, Jet handily bests Amazon & Wal-Mart on price

Although Jet touts some of the lowest prices on the web, price may no longer be the essential differentiator in e-commerce.

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 3, 2015

Yahoo buys social shopping site Polyvore

Flush with cash after Alibaba’s IPO last year, Yahoo is looking to buy its way out of some of the doldrums it finds itself in.  

By Daphne Howland • Aug. 3, 2015

Everlane debuts new app featuring one-click buying

The app was developed after the online retailer noticed that plenty of shoppers were browsing on its mobile website, but not converting. 

By Ian P. Murphy • July 31, 2015

Shopify beats estimates in first quarter

The storefront software firm saw growth in both client base and revenues. 

By Ian P. Murphy • July 31, 2015

Amazon and Vogue craft exclusive deal around seminal September issue

The e-commerce giant is partnering with Condé Nast to reach upscale fashion buyers. 

By Ian P. Murphy • July 30, 2015

Yozio raises $7M to beef up in-app attribution

The company is helping retailers track and source click-throughs, downloads, and sales in mobile apps. 

By Ian P. Murphy • July 29, 2015

Selling 'emotion': What online retailers can learn from brick-and-mortar

E-commerce retailers may be blithely unaware of some of the subtle advantages physical stores enjoy. 

By Daphne Howland • July 28, 2015

Amazon's Prime Day could kick up July retail sales

Many have ridiculed Amazon’s Black-Friday-in-July event, but it could be a major uplift for this month's retail sales report.

By Daphne Howland • July 28, 2015

Wal-Mart boosts online fulfillment footprint

The retailer opened a new fulfillment center in Pennsylvania with the goal of being able to deliver online orders to 95% of the U.S. population in two days or less. 

By Ian P. Murphy • July 27, 2015

New measure tests retailers' web and mobile performance

Dynatrace tests site speeds in a variety of online environments. 

By Ian P. Murphy • July 24, 2015

Neiman Marcus and consignment retailer The RealReal team up

While the resale market will be but a niche area for Neiman Marcus, this is the kind of creativity that a department store retailer needs these days.

By Daphne Howland • July 24, 2015

Where will payment hackers go post-EMV?

One benefit of more secure credit cards will be less fraud at POS systems. But hackers aren't just going to quit, and there will be a whole new problem to solve on the security front.

By Daphne Howland • July 23, 2015