Where people work and live has changed—for the long haul: Retailers and restaurants that cater to downtown office workers need to adjust to the new normal.
Sick of disappointing retail news? So are we. Just like we’re sick of paying $6 for a carton of eggs. Some good news: US employers added 30,000 retail jobs in January, offering a big boost after a sluggish second half of 2022, when retail jobs fell for three consecutive months from September to November and were stagnant in December. Here are some more positive indicators.
Retailers are adapting to the changing market by focusing on digital tactics that drive demand for in-store shopping to meet evolving customer needs and expectations. Here’s what you need to know.
It wants to lower the amount credit card issuers can charge in late fees—which would hurt a key source of issuers’ revenues.
Amazon seems poised to beat its lowered expectations: While the retail giant predicted its slowest-ever holiday season growth, analysts expect the retail giant’s Q4 sales still rose 6% YoY.
Amazon’s revenues rose 9% in Q4: While the company’s highly profitable retail media business continued its upward trend line, ecommerce sales fell 2% YoY.
Returns have always been expensive for retailers, but right now they’re at an all-time high. “We’re seeing a lot of the fast-fashion retailers like Zara and others like J.Crew, and Abercrombie & Fitch starting to charge return shipping for online orders,” said our analyst Sky Canaves. But there’s more to it than charging. Here are six strategies for reducing returns.
It’s applying for state regulatory licenses—but it still needs to deal with other hurdles standing in the way.
Some 58% of Association of National Advertisers (ANA) marketers used retail media networks last year, according to a report from the ANA. In the next year, expect to see more movement from marketers outside of consumer packaged goods as brands look to take advantage of the recession-friendly ad space.
Travelers may want to let loose on vacation, but they want their premium travel credit cards to be locked down tight. The most in-demand feature of these cards is free identity theft insurance, with 53% of prospective users in the US saying it was “extremely valuable” to them, according to our “US Premium Travel Credit Card Emerging Features Benchmark 2022” report.
Grocers are less willing to put up with price hikes as inflation eases: Whole Foods is the latest retailer to ask suppliers to lower prices to relieve pressure on consumers.
Intel, Groupon, Workday announce layoffs: The historic bloodletting in Big Tech isn’t letting up anytime soon. While laid-off workers are left to evaluate their options, some companies are eager for Silicon Valley talent.
Discovery—not influencers—is what separates TikTok and Amazon’s ecommerce businesses: The retail giant is trying to replicate TikTok’s success via its “Inspire” video feed.
Despite slower spending growth, both companies managed to pull in more customers—positioning them well in the long term.
The next phase of direct-to-consumer (D2C) retail won’t be defined by a singular distribution strategy, but rather by the goal of making a real connection with customers. To get to the next level, D2Cs must use their physical presence, partnerships, marketing dollars, and customer data.
Buy with Prime launch could be a turning point for Shopify: The ecommerce platform raised prices and diversified its retailer appeal to protect revenues, but could still take a hit should merchants flock to its biggest rival.
The cloud can help retailers manage their inventories, create smart pricing strategies, and improve the employee experience. The cloud can even make it easier for retailers to increase personalization.
Mobile’s share of ecommerce keeps growing: But ease of use and checkout speed remain barriers to sales, which could be a problem for Walmart’s Text to Shop feature.
The card network’s volume grew 7% YoY in its fiscal Q1. Falling fintech valuations might help fuel long-term growth for Visa.
The Chinese economy shows signs of life: While that’s good news for retailers after flat growth last year, many are adopting conservative strategies to protect their bottom lines.