Today on Total Retail

Back-to-school shopping helped many large retailers see a foot traffic spike, according to a new report from Placer.ai. The report, School Season Sparks Retail Growth, shows that weekly visits to major back-to-school retail categories, including superstores, department stores, and other apparel retailers, enjoyed strong year-over-year (YoY) visit boosts through July and August 2024. During the…

Why do consumers browse? What makes them pause and consider? What makes them buy? This is the retail puzzle Walmart, Target, Costco, Amazon.com (to name a few!!) work so hard to solve. The puzzle remains equally complicated in online digital storefronts and brick-and-mortar stores spread across the world. How can you anticipate and articulate the…

Customer expectations are at an all-time high. The facilitation of near-instant gratification has led to reduced consumer patience and more frequent temper tantrums. Though no-wait resolution is a common expectation from customers seeking support, delivering abuse to contact center agents shouldn't be the default response to an imperfect interaction. Unfortunately, a recent study found that…

Last month, S&P Global Intelligence reported a “historic surge” in bankruptcies, with businesses closing at the fastest pace since 2020. Few were affected by this surge more than retail small businesses. While American consumers will eventually move on to new favored establishments, that isn’t an option for local store owners, many of whom skipped holidays,…

Shopping has never been easier. Purchasing a new pair of sandals, plane tickets or even your groceries from home — or anywhere, for that matter — is simply convenient. Meanwhile, it’s up to online retailers to catch shoppers’ attention. Not an easy job considering the competitive environment in which e-commerce businesses are now operating in.…

Costco Wholesale's membership increase took effect on Sunday as its annual membership fees increased to $65 from $60 for its Gold Star plan and to $130 from $120 for its Executive plan. While Wall Street analysts have long pushed for Costco to increase membership fees, the latest increase marks the first time the company has upped…

In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, where brands need to regularly adapt their strategy to remain relevant and thrive, every decision counts. Yet I've seen too many brands make a critical mistake: treating one of their largest P&L items — shipping — as merely a cost center. This mistake is costing them a lot. Brands…

Nearly one in five retail transactions occur online, with that figure rising each year. While retailers have adapted their strategies to reflect this consumer behavior, there’s one massive issue that they’re grappling with, especially given the rise in artificial intelligence: e-commerce fraud. Today’s fraudsters have more opportunity than ever to commit crime, using identity as…

For many retailers, including Big Lots, store closures and restructuring are not just unfortunate outcomes but necessary strategies to maintain profitability and relevance. Store closures are often part of a broader strategy to realign resources and focus on more profitable locations. Retailers can identify underperforming locations and strategically close them to optimize their footprint by…

The back-to-school shopping season is one of the most lucrative opportunities for retailers annually. Even in tighter economic conditions, with planning and flexibility, savvy businesses can see solid returns. According to the National Retail Federation’s Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz, this year’s back-to-school shopping season should see record sales numbers. While challenging economic indicators like inflation…