Online holiday sales increased 4.9% YoY, reaching $222.1 billion for the period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023, according to Adobe Analytics. November’s sales total of $123.5 billion topped December’s $98.6 billion, fueled by strong Cyber Week sales of $38 billion. Consumers responded to steep discounts in key ecommerce categories, including electronics, where discounts…
In recent years, alcohol ecommerce surged throughout the U.S. as 27 states made legislative reforms to permanently allow or substantially extend some type of alcohol delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2023 and 2027, ecommerce alcohol sales revenue in the U.S. is forecast to continuously increase by nearly 21%, with 2027 total revenue expected to…
The long-term success of your wholesale operations lies in your ability to adapt, evolve, and optimize your processes. As the bridge that connects manufacturers and retailers, wholesale businesses like yours play a critical role in the supply chain. Despite this, it can be challenging to ensure the efficiency of all aspects of your wholesale operations….
All of the products sold by The Body Shop have officially been certified as having 100% vegan formulations by The Vegan Society. This marks a major milestone for the socially conscious beauty retailer, which was founded in 1989 with the goal of making cruelty-free beauty more common and accessible. In 2021, The Body Shop set…
UK supermarket chain Asda is fortifying its digital foundation both for the present and the future. The company has appointed Morrisons executive Matt Kelleher as its first Chief Digital Officer and plans to double the number of workshops it hosts this year in partnership with Girls in Data, an organization that encourages girls to consider…
Pitney Bowes and PackageHub have debuted a no-box, no-label returns drop-off network at nearly 1,000 locations nationwide, with the promise of hundreds more launching soon. These new returns locations augment the existing network of 30,000 postal locations where Pitney Bowes currently offers no-label returns. Online retailers that currently use the Pitney Bowes return service and…
Long viewed as a necessary evil, the retail returns process is emerging as an unexpected avenue for growth and customer engagement. In the rapidly expanding ecommerce market, projected to reach $3 billion in 2023, a significant 20% to 30% of online purchases end up being returned. This substantial return rate highlights a vital opportunity for…
On the heels of its 40th anniversary, Mango Fashion Group has revealed plans to open 500 new stores in key markets, including Canada, France, the UK and U.S., through 2026. India, Italy and Spain are the other store “homes” planned for the coming years. Mango reaffirmed its focus on physical retail in its 2024-2026 Strategy…
Ikea Retail (Ingka Group) has seen “game-changing” results since employing artificial intelligence-powered demand sensing technology. Over the past three years, the retailer has worked closely with Inter Ikea Group (a group of companies that work to connect Ikea franchisees with appropriate suppliers) as well as Blue Yonder to support the implementation and scale-up of this…
Costco workers in Norfolk, Va. have voted to join the Teamsters Local 822, with the union calling this its first organizing victory at the wholesale retailer in two decades. The 238-worker group will join more than 18,000 Teamsters at Costco nationwide. Successful unionization efforts in the retail industry have been relatively rare, but they may…
