Wal-Mart takes on Amazon's Prime Day with rival sale

Wal-Mart's online chief, Fernando Madeira, threw plenty of shade at Amazon in a blog post announcing the sale. 

By Daphne Howland • July 13, 2015

Alibaba eyes growing Internet use in rural China

The use of mobile devices is growing in rural China, where there are fewer physical stores.

By Daphne Howland • July 13, 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

Toys 'R' Us to refocus merchandise, e-commerce

The retailer is taking its e-commerce operations in house.

By Daphne Howland • July 10, 2015

Yes, men do like to shop for clothes — on the web

Style-conscious male consumers are skipping the mall and turning to web-only retailers for apparel. 

By Ian P. Murphy • July 9, 2015

Pinterest's first partners facilitate mobile pinning

Polyvore and IFTTT will help Pinterest build content and engagement. 

By Ian P. Murphy • July 9, 2015

Newcomer SnagShout trades discounts for Amazon reviews

Users of the website enjoy discounts of 30% to 90%, but it's hard to know how useful such incentivized reviews are for merchants.

By Daphne Howland • July 9, 2015

Amazon to take on Black Friday with new 'Prime Day'

Amazon promised that the one-day sales event will be "filled with more deals than Black Friday."

By Daphne Howland • July 6, 2015

Why the Internet of Things won't be about the 'things'

Smart devices will unleash a wave of new customer data, according to James McQuivey, vice president of research and principal analyst at Forrester Research.

By Ian P. Murphy • July 2, 2015

Pinterest's 'Buy it' buttons go live

Although only available on iOS for now, retailers like Macy’s and Nordstrom will use the tool to reach Pinterest's growing user base. 

By Ian P. Murphy • July 1, 2015

Apple loses appeal of e-book antitrust ruling

The deal between publishers and Apple that landed the tech giant in antitrust court was born out of a fear of Amazon’s hardcore commitment to low book prices.

By Daphne Howland • July 1, 2015

Amazon announces its 'biggest international launch' in Mexico

More than 110 million people live in Mexico, but e-commerce in the country is still in its early stages. 

By Daphne Howland • July 1, 2015

Wal-Mart exec moves to Yoox as CIO

Alex Alexander is credited with leading the development of such omnichannel innovations as “click and collect” in the U.K.

By Daphne Howland • July 1, 2015

Alibaba is no Amazon, at least in the US

As it lets go of its marketplace 11 Main, it seems that Alibaba is not the scary behemoth that many U.S. retailers thought it was.

By Daphne Howland • June 29, 2015

Online price-tracking startup Indix raises $15M

The company supplies price-tracking software to e-commerce companies. 

By Ian P. Murphy • June 29, 2015

Curbside looks to expand after $25M funding round

The buy online, drive-by pickup service will expand to New York City and other markets.

By Ian P. Murphy • June 29, 2015

J.C. Penney's new app helps shoppers find designer-inspired wares

Users can take a photo of a pricey designer item, and the app will locate something at J.C. Penney that might scratch the itch.

By Daphne Howland • June 29, 2015

Amazon Prime posts massive conversion stats: study

Members convert on Amazon.com 74% of the time, Millward Brown says. 

By Ian P. Murphy • June 26, 2015

Amazon alums debut personal shopping app

Mona personalizes search results with data mined from consumers' email.

By Ian P. Murphy • June 25, 2015

BaubleBar latest e-retailer to open physical stores

The popular, affordable jewelry retailer has experimented with pop-ups and sales in Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Anthropologie.

By Daphne Howland • June 25, 2015

Online video: The next best thing to in-store shopping?

96% of shoppers find videos helpful when making purchase decisions online, and 80% say that having a video to show how a product or service works is important.

By Ian P. Murphy • June 24, 2015

Tom Ford ready-to-wear lands online via Net-a-Porter

Like many upscale fashion brands, Tom Ford has only sold accessories, makeup, and eyewear online, leaving ready-to-wear sales to brick-and-mortar. Until now.

By Daphne Howland • June 24, 2015

ShopStyle creates path for e-commerce on Snapchat

It’s not exactly a “buy” button, but the program could work for fashion-minded Snapchatters who have some extra cash.

By Daphne Howland • June 24, 2015

Alibaba to sell US unit 11 Main to OpenSky

The move, first reported by TechCrunch, comes just a year after the site was launched.

By Daphne Howland • June 23, 2015

Barneys now selling via Instagram

Shoppers can now click images on the social network app to buy at the retailer's site. 

By Ian P. Murphy • June 23, 2015

Amazon installs new machine-learning reviews system

The system will vet customer reviews to favor verified reviewers and recent content. 

By Ian P. Murphy • June 22, 2015