It's been established that consumers aren't crazy about chatbots for customer service needs. But according to a new study, consumers aren't enamored with any other customer service channel either.

Buy online, pick up in-store is seen as the solution for consumers who don’t want to wait for their package, but according to an OrderDynamics survey, 30.3% of retailers in select countries can confirm an order for pickup—more or less in the same timeframe as standard shipping—in two or more days.

Price is one of the most important factors for shoppers, so it's paramount that retailers get it right.

Ecommerce-wise, sometimes it seems like everything old is new again. Traditional retail features like layaway and installment plans have been adapted for online shopping and are growing in popularity—especially among younger consumers.

Even though supermarkets have upped their digital commerce offerings over the past few years and online grocery shopping has been on the rise, a good number of US consumers just aren't that interested in having groceries delivered.

News this week of Sears filing for bankruptcy protection wasn't exactly a shock to anyone. According to a new Adthena study that looked into how digital commerce competition affected Sears, the retailer fared poorly compared with its counterparts.

Consumer sentiment indicates that shoppers are feeling flush this holiday season. More are confident about the economy and plan to up their gift spending this year. According to a September 2018 Field Agent study, US holiday shoppers said they would spend more in all holiday categories, including gifts, groceries for meals and decorations.

A positive US macroeconomic backdrop points to strong growth across every retail channel, but retailers should pay attention to seven key trends that will determine their ultimate success for the 2018 holiday season.

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands—encompassing everything from startups like Billie offering women's razor subscriptions to Casper, the once online-only mattress company that has products now being sold at Target—have been growing in popularity for a variety of reasons.

Omnichannel retailing means meeting shoppers' expectations in their channel of choice, digital or physical. That is forcing many retailers to break out of their routines and experiment with new models. And it’s not just brick-and-mortar sellers that are being pressed to change.

Are consumers eating out more frequently or are they preparing more meals at home? According to new NPD Group data, over 80% of meals were prepared and eaten at home in 2017. US consumers dined out 185 times last year, down from the 2000 peak when that figure was 216.

Every week on eMarketer’s “Behind the Numbers” podcast, we take a few minutes to discuss some of the most intriguing headlines of the past seven days. This week, some of the topics we’re talking about include Walmart's entry to New York City and a new way to buy concert tickets.

Amazon will claim nearly half of US retail ecommerce sales in 2018. Sales will be driven by Amazon’s marketplace, which will account for 68.0% of business.

So far, China and the US have matched each other tit-for-tat in the growing trade war. Both countries have imposed tariffs on $50 billion worth of goods, with the US threatening an additional $200 billion and China another $60 billion on 5,207 products.

The latest round of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration could come as soon as this week. The retail industry might not feel the full impact of these measures until 2019, but additional fees on goods from China will undoubtedly affect US trade, especially if China follows through with threats of retaliating tariffs.

Grocery apps are some of the fastest-growing apps in the US, according to eMarketer’s latest app usage forecast. This year, 18.0 million US adults will use a grocery app at least once a month, up 49.6% over last year.

Retailers have been implementing in-store tech and omnichannel options to meet the perceived demands of the modern shopper. A recent RIS News survey found many US internet users are interested in shopping options like "grab and go" technology, while fewer were keen on virtual reality or robots.

Retail ecommerce sales in India will increase 31.0% to reach $32.70 billion in 2018. Investment from Alibaba, Amazon and Walmart into the ecommerce market is fueling rapid growth.

Retail ecommerce sales in India will increase 31.0% to reach $32.70 billion in 2018. Investment from Alibaba, Amazon and Walmart into the ecommerce market is fueling rapid growth.