Retail Dive | June 6, 2022 Conversational commerce — in which retailers deploy text and/or voice messaging in service of meeting consumers’ shopping and customer-service needs — is the next era of e-commerce. According to HubSpot, 71% of people are willing to use messaging apps to get customer assistance. “The consumer behavior of messaging brands is here to stay,” said Ryan Mannion, Area Vice President of Strategic Retail Accounts at LivePerson. “A few of the top five big-bo

May 25, 2022 At 50 years old, Nike is charting a path into the future that starts with its past. The company is adopting the motto, “We are never done,” to celebrate the occasion and resurrecting Spike Lee’s Mars Blackmon character for a campaign in which Blackmon gets a talking to from a new character, Zimmie, about all of the young athletes changing their respective games, including Nike-sponsored Chloe Kim and Naomi Osaka. “The past was great and all, but the future’s on d

Insider Intelligence | April 15,2022 With digital grocery buyers accounting for more than half of the US population, signaling a landmark year in 2021, retailers are rushing to respond: Amazon Fresh will open dozens of new brick-and-mortar stores across the country over the next few years. Ultrafast grocery startups, promising drop-offs in as short as 15 minutes, are pushing past substantial losses in an already competitive marketplace and exploring new revenue streams. And m

Target | May 17,2022 At Target, they're all about helping families discover the joy of everyday life. So it’s only fitting that Target is teaming up with actress, New York Times bestseller and social media phenomenon Tabitha Brown, whose wise words and day-brightening positivity have been lifting spirits day after day. Say hello there to Tabitha Brown for Target — featuring four limited-time-only collections that will launch over the next year, spanning apparel, swim and acce

Retail Dive | May 18,2022 You don’t have to go to the mall anymore to get your ears pierced. While teenagers in the past may have gotten theirs pierced at the mall, the service seems to be one that a number of big-box retailers think holds promise. Claire’s continues to offer the service with its certified piercing specialists. Although, unlike the ’80s, this time around you can book your appointment online. In March, Five Below announced an ear piercing pilot program, wherei

Insider | May 9,2022 Ikea will spend $3 billion to open new downtown locations in cities across North America and Europe and retrofit existing stores to fulfill online orders. The furniture retailer is best known for massive stores in suburbs and outside cities, where customers can find products to outfit an entire house. Now, Ikea is adapting to the changing retail landscape, the chain said in a press release. Ikea will focus on opening new stores and revamping existing ones

Retail Dive | May 3,2022 Snap’s focus on AR engagement appears to be working for consumers and brands. More than 250 million users have used AR shopping Lenses over 5 billion times since January 2021. For example, after Zenni Optical created a set of AR Lenses for its eyewear, users have tried on the lenses more than 60 million times, resulting in a 42% increase in return on ad spending compared to without the Lenses, the company said. Snap has been bringing in other business

Retail Wire | April 26,2022 Meta, formerly known as Facebook, will be opening its first physical store in May. The tech giant will open the Meta Store on May 9 in Burlingame, CA, according to a release on the company website. The store will focus on allowing customers to test out Meta-developed hardware such as Ray-Ban Stories (Ray-Ban’s smart glasses created in conjunction with Meta), the standalone video calling hardware Portal and the immersive VR headset Oculus Quest 2. I

National Retail Federation | April 21,2022 WASHINGTON DC – Mother’s Day spending is expected to total $31.7 billion this year, up $3.6 billion from 2021’s record spending, according to the annual consumer survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. Approximately 84 percent of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate Mother’s Day. “Consumers are eager to find memorable ways to honor their mothers and other important women in their liv

Retail Dive | April 19,2022 Though Instagram rose to prominence as a photo-sharing app, the social platform has pivoted to emphasize its potential in other areas. Last July, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said the platform would turn its attention toward videos, shopping, creators and messaging. With the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzing the rapid rise of e-commerce, Mosseri noted in a video announcement that it plans to "lean into that trend" by rolling out more social shopping

Retail Dive | April 12,2022 After two years of virtual meetings, Shoptalk U.S.'s attendance this year hit a historic high for its first in-person gathering since the pandemic began, with more modest attendance expectations for its twin event in London in just a few weeks. With more than 10,000 attendees and more than 600 sponsors and exhibitors, "Retail's Big Reunion" in Las Vegas hosted more than 275 panelists and executives from companies like Macy's, Uber, Pacsun and Walgr

Walmart | April 11,2022 Walmart has never shied away from setting big, ambitious goals, whether it’s setting our sight on 100% renewable energy or their commitment to sustainable packaging, including a goal to achieve 100% recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable packaging by 2025. Innovation is essential to achieving Walmart's goals and their customers’ growing expectation to buy sustainable/sustainably packaged products. Cue the Circular Connector: Launching today,

Retail Dive | March 30,2022 As Instacart faces slowing growth, increasing competition and retailers becoming less reliant on its marketplace for online sales, the company is evolving its business strategy and trying to sell grocers on a suite of services that will help them navigate the costly, complex e-commerce landscape. According to the company's announcement, Instacart is making available to retailers the full range of tools that have helped fuel its marketplace's rise o

PRNewswire | March 8,2022 This Women's History Month and beyond, Foot Locker is bringing its consumers brands that are created, curated and elevated for the unapologetic style of today's woman. The retailer is rewriting the rules for workplace attire as women are no longer confined to outdated dress norms that have dominated our societal clothing standards for decades. To challenge these outdated norms of workplace attire, Foot Locker has partnered with notable celebrity styl

Walmart | March 7,2022 Walmart and British retailer Space NK are teaming up to bring prestige beauty products to Walmart.com and nearly 250 Walmart stores nationwide this summer. The unique collaboration, called BEAUTYSPACENK, leverages Walmart’s size and scale with the iconic British personal care and beauty company’s assortment of high-quality beauty brands and products. Customers will now have a convenient way to shop both beauty staples and prestige specialty items during

Retail Dive | March 7, 2022 Crate and Barrel on Thursday launched its first private label cookware collection dubbed The Kitchen by Crate. With consumers spending more time — and cooking more meals — at home, Crate and Barrel is looking to capitalize on the heightened demand with the launch of its first cookware private label. The collection features nearly 200 items, including bakeware, cutting boards, silicone utensils and storage containers, and ranges in price from $9.95

Target | March 7,2022 The American poet Maya Angelou once said, “If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.” — and Target agrees wholeheartedly. That’s why as Target wraps up their 2019-2021 diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) goals, they're taking a moment to recognize just how far they’ve come — and look ahead to what they’ll accomplish together with their next set of goals. Celebrating progress: Looking at those accomplishments, Target

Retail Dive | February 24, 2022 To discover "the next big names in beauty," Walmart is launching a startup accelerator program with the aim of debuting the brands on Walmart's shelves. The experience includes a virtual classroom series, access to a brand management consultant, training on Walmart's ad platform Walmart Connect, and mentorship and networking opportunities. The company's goal is to launch all participating brands at its stores, though that opportunity is not gua

Retail Wire | February 28, 2022 Banana Republic, which was once known for its dressy workwear options, is adapting to a world where the office — and apparel — is changing. Banana Republic announced in September that it was revamping its brand identity to focus on "democratic, approachable and inclusive luxury," by creating new product stories for its physical stores and digital channels, and refreshing its product design and fabrics. "Call it post-genre fashion. Or call it po

Target | February 28, 2022 When Ulta Beauty at Target launched last August, Target knew the dynamic partnership was something special. Guests can’t get enough of the incredible prestige assortment and one-of-a-kind shopping experience — not to mention the joy of two amazing rewards programs. The beauty destination continues to perform, driving increased traffic, awareness and loyalty. And today, Target is excited to share there’s even more to love as they plan to add more tha