Retail Therapy: The 8 funniest holiday retail moments of 2017

Whether retailers totally missed the mark or made a hilariously on-brand marketing move, here are our favorite happenings from the holiday season.

By Cara Salpini • Dec. 22, 2017

ProFlowers enters chatbot frenzy with one-click buy button

​Most chatbots have suffered to deliver conversions, but one-click buying could be the answer to reducing friction and closing sales on Messenger.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 21, 2017

Explore the Trendline➔

The latest in experiential retail

From new store concepts to accessibility efforts, retailers are constantly shifting their approach to better cater to shopper needs.

By Retail Dive staff

How Toys R Us is letting Target and Amazon steal Christmas

The bankrupt toy seller is losing the pricing game and reportedly readying another round of store closures. Toys R Us is facing its biggest challenge yet.

By Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 21, 2017

12 news stories that shaped retail in 2017

From The Limited's bankruptcy to Terry Lundgren's Macy's retirement announcement, here's a look back at the biggest news events from the last 12 months.

By Corinne Ruff • Dec. 20, 2017

Levi’s debuts shoppable video for holiday gift inspiration

The brand merges an interactive digital experience with e-commerce to appeal to millennial and Gen Z consumers.

By David Kirkpatrick • Dec. 20, 2017

Amazon integrates video ad sales across its owned platforms, including Twitch

Marketers can buy ads across every Amazon-owned property where video ads appear, from Twitch to IMDb and Fire TV.

By David Kirkpatrick • Dec. 20, 2017

Walmart, Target among retailers dropping Mario Batali products

Retailers are trying to avoid the fallout from those accused of sexual misconduct as the culture change ushered in by the #MeToo movement keeps on rolling. 

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 18, 2017

How the GOP tax overhaul could affect retail

Congress is expected to pass tax legislation this week. Here's a cheat sheet for what it means for retailers, grocers and other businesses.

By Corinne Ruff • Dec. 18, 2017

Benebit aims to shake up fragmented loyalty environment

The startup plans to convert loyalty and rewards points across multiple retailers into a unified system of fiat currency using blockchain technology.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 18, 2017

Starbucks unveils first in-store AR experience at Shanghai Roastery

The coffee chain, which has long been a leader in mobile technology, is betting a collaboration with Chinese powerhouse Alibaba will brew customer engagement.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 17, 2017

What nobody wants for Christmas: An Amazon-Walmart price war

The world's biggest retailer is closing the gap with Amazon in online prices and the technologies that control them. Can anyone keep up?

By Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 15, 2017

Nearly half of marketers don't know where their ads are shown online

Programmatic strategies make tracking difficult and raise brand safety concerns, though only 46% of respondents said they'd consider returning to direct publisher relationships, a study by SNCR finds.

By David Kirkpatrick • Dec. 15, 2017

Signet Jewelers losing customers over sexual harassment claims

The fallout has allowed rival Pandora to move ahead in certain brand awareness metrics, according to YouGov research.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 15, 2017

Retailers are understaffing stores — and losing sales

Store staffing is more important than ever yet one of the biggest expenses for retailers, and MIT researchers say they have developed a platform to achieve optimal staffing levels.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2017

Boxed aims to ease online bulk ordering with AR, chatbot tech

The online wholesaler is the latest to tap mobile for tech that allows customers to see if products fit in their homes before ordering.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 13, 2017

4 steps to successful personalization

How to use data to truly personalize the consumer experience – without being intrusive.

By Kevin Brown • Dec. 13, 2017

NYX cosmetics rolling out VR experience

The beauty brand, owned by L'Oreal, is using Samsung virtual reality tech to create makeup tutorials for in-store customers, led by famous beauty vloggers.

By Cara Salpini • Dec. 12, 2017

David Yurman unwraps holiday gifting bot

Yet another luxury brand is going the chatbot route. This one, on Facebook Messenger, offers a plethora of gift guides.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 12, 2017

Google, Facebook win big as online ad revenue jumps

After holding steady earlier in the year at around 25% growth, online ad spending jumped to 29.6% in the third quarter, according to Forrester.

By David Kirkpatrick • Dec. 12, 2017

Walmart, Target and others begin final online holiday push

Major retailers are making their final plays in a season where nearly everyone is trying to gain ground online. 

By Daphne Howland , Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 11, 2017

More users are outsourcing shopping to voice tech

An SAP survey finds the chances are growing that more holiday gifts this season will be purchased with the help of virtual assistants like Amazon's Alexa.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 10, 2017

Restoration Hardware chasing upscale, luxury sales

The company is letting Amazon and Wayfair duke it out for middle-of-the-road furniture sales, and still prefers its print catalog to social media marketing.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 8, 2017

Ikea, Sonos bring speakers closer to home

The Swedish furniture retailer has partnered with the wireless speaker manufacturer to create a smart home sound experience.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 8, 2017

Retail Therapy: May the force be with Columbia's outerwear

The new "Empire Strikes Back" jacket collection lets fans sport the fashion of a Jedi without having to fight for the rebellion.

By Cara Salpini • Dec. 7, 2017

Walmart drops 'stores' from legal name

While most consumers won’t notice the change, it signifies a big shift in how the retail giant views itself as an omnichannel operator.

By Daphne Howland • Dec. 7, 2017