The Future of In-Store Kiosks: 3 Ways Endless Aisle Blends Full-Serve and Self-Serve

With advances in endless aisle technology, retailers can now offer a more three dimensional experience to customers than a simple self-serve checkout can achieve.  

Sept. 6, 2016

UPS plans shipping rate hikes after holiday shopping season

Ground and air shipping prices are increasing by an average of 4.9%, starting the day after Christmas.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 5, 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

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

Wal-Mart starts early layaway for 'Star Wars'-driven holiday season

Analysts suggest the layaway program, which allows shoppers to buy products by paying in installments, could account for as much as 15% of holiday revenues at Wal-Mart stores in poorer areas of the U.S.

By Dan O'Shea • Sept. 1, 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

Alibaba-backed Indian payments juggernaut Paytm raises $60M

The new funding, made at a full valuation of more than $4.8 billion, reportedly is connected to an ongoing funding round that may total about $300 million.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 31, 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

LoweBot is ready to roll at Lowe's stores

The home improvement chain will deploy the retail service robot at 11 stores throughout the San Francisco Bay area over the next seven months.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 30, 2016

Experian: Personalization hikes retail email open rates 27%

Targeting email subscribers based on their social media interests can yield high engagement, Experian Marketing Services notes.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 28, 2016

FAA's first drone rules now in effect

Officials still have not decided on rules for many commercial drone flight applications, such as automated package delivery outside of a pilot's line of sight.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 28, 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

Why more and more retailers are outsourcing their IT

In outsourcing, retailers can experiment with a multitude of technologies to reinvent their businesses for the omnichannel era.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 25, 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

Wayfair enters virtual reality fray with Patio Playground

The app allows a customer wearing an Oculus Rift headset to virtually navigate a lakeside scene and select different outdoor products to create their ideal backyard setting.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 23, 2016

Survey: 19% of consumers would avoid a retailer after security breach

Another 33% of consumers said they wouldn't shop at a breached retailer for at least three months out of fear their personal data could be compromised.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 23, 2016

Costco customers erroneously receive Citi account closure notices

Citi, which provides the Costco Visa card, reportedly sent emails by mistake containing the partial card numbers of other Costco customers.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 22, 2016

Amazon draws scrutiny over tech-related tax practices

Amazon is facing scrutiny for reportedly valuing its technology assets far higher in Europe to gain tax advantages.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 22, 2016

Amazon delivers Hyundai test drives to Prime members

The Prime Now, Drive Now on-demand test drive program spotlights the 2017 Hyundai Elantra.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 21, 2016

Dick's Sporting Goods buys Affinity for youth sports venture

The sports management software will bolster Dick's Team Sports HQ platform, which supports youth sports leagues with online registration and team/league websites among other services.  

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 21, 2016

Analyst: Retail job base shrinking due to online worker productivity

Because of e-commerce efficiency gains, there are about 1.2 million fewer retail jobs overall than there otherwise would be, an industry analyst suggests.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 18, 2016

Apple takes the 'store' out of retail locations

Apple is removing the word "store" from its retail locations as it looks to rebrand them as community spaces offering entertainment and special events, along with tech support.

By Dan O'Shea • Aug. 18, 2016

How flash sales sites are winning retail's mobile app wars

Upstarts like Groupon and Rue La La may have lost a chunk of their cultural cachet, but their mobile apps are still generating user attention — and retention.

By Jason Ankeny • Aug. 18, 2016