Another eventful year is on tap for retailers as inflation forces consumers to prioritize basics, supply chain snarls continue, and customer loyalty wanes. Retailers that cut costs or add new revenue streams—and provide frictionless customer experiences—will prevail.

The share of online purchases that shoppers return keeps rising: That’s a growing challenge for retailers seeking to rein in costs without hindering the customer experience.

With Black Friday just a week and a half away, the holiday shopping season is upon us. And for every perfect gift that consumers cross off their lists, there’s bound to be one or two that miss the mark. Retailers are already preparing for the inevitable pile up of returns, which is good because those costs can swell quickly.

Temu bets low prices will be enough to attract shoppers: But the Pinduoduo-owned platform will have to improve the customer experience to turn initial interest into lasting gains

Walmart’s holiday messaging focuses on convenience and value: The retailer introduces three new returns options and price rollbacks in key categories.

Charging for returns is an easy way to lose customer loyalty: Retailers need to think of returns as an extension of the customer experience—and not just a cost to be managed.

This week, our Reimagining Retail podcast crew gave their predictions on what will drive the next phase of ecommerce growth, ranked from least “spicy” to four-alarm fire.

Macy’s, Nordstrom bet on smaller stores as shoppers move away from malls: Department stores are taking a localized approach to reach more consumers and speed up fulfillment.

Retailers embrace unconventional returns tactics: While some like Boohoo are charging fees to offset costs, other methods like UGC content and peer-to-peer returns are gaining steam.

Retailers struggle with online returns, but charging won’t help: Brands like Asos and Boohoo should focus on improving the customer experience to help mitigate the effects of inflation and bracketing.

Zara is charging UK customers £1.95 to return online orders: The fee may help preserve Zara’s margins, but it could come at a cost to brand loyalty.

Retailers need multiple approaches to curb the cost of returns: With online returns costing retailers 21% of their order value on average, retailers need several ways to lower associated fees.

On today's episode, we discuss how buy now, pay later (BNPL) adoption will continue to evolve and what's next for these services. We then talk about what retailers' first step into the metaverse should look like and what retailers should be doing with their avalanche of returns. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Sky Canaves.

Buyer's remorse intensified in 2021 as ecommerce adoption rose: High return rates are cutting into retailers’ margins and increasing inventory pressure.

As UK consumers settle on new ways of shopping and buying post-pandemic, retailers must keep pace and cater to these new habits.

US consumers generally hold a more positive attitude toward Amazon than to its closest ecommerce rival, Walmart.

These partnerships streamlined Amazon’s returns process

On today's episode, we discuss what the pandemic did to the time we spend on our smartphones, which mobile activities people do more of, and what app category has emerged as a dark horse. We then talk about how a product's first review can impact the rest, how retailers can get returns under control, and whether it's better to be more, or less, like Amazon. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Yory Wurmser.

The customer experience landscape has changed dramatically over the last year as pandemic-induced lockdowns and social distancing pushed many consumers to try new technologies and experiences, such as click and collect, proximity payments, and augmented reality.

Across brick and mortar and ecommerce, the customer experience landscape has changed dramatically—and permanently—during the pandemic.