Retail Sales Up 0.6% in August, Fifth Straight Month of Gains

| Mike O'Brien

Retail sales, adding in gasoline, restaurants and automotive, rose 0.56% in August vs. an adjusted 0.5% in July, the Commerce Department reported, the fifth consecutive month of modest gains after a period of retreat. Excluding those categories, retail sales rose 0.6% last month, adjusted for seasonal variations, down from 1.47% in July, as rising fuel prices impacted spending in other areas. Compared to August 2022, it was up just 1%.

Hits of the Week 8-25-23

| David Hurwitz

Still uncertain about GenAI’s ability to enhance visual ecommerce experiences? Can it meet rising customer expectations and drive business results? Join our webinar on Wed, Aug. 30 at 2p ET … Continue Reading →

Your 2024 Back-to-School Campaign Planning: Too Soon? Nope

| Karla Crawford Kerr

The back-to-school shopping rush is hectic for retailers, ranking just behind the holiday season on the marketing calendar. But now that kids in grades K-12 have returned to class and college students are heading back to campus, it’s time to start planning your back-to-school 2024 marketing campaign. Too soon? Not if you want to make the most of a huge opportunity.

Hits of the Week 8-18-23

| David Hurwitz

ICYMI: Amazon has been quietly growing the volume of boxless orders, or "ships in own container," representing 11% of items shipped in 2022. It's seen as a sea change in … Continue Reading →

Getting Smart About Automated Intralogistics

| Smitha Raphael

Savvy shippers are introducing automated intralogistics to deliver an enhanced customer experience to gain competitive advantage. They’re also streamlining their business and making warehouse operations as profitable as possible. A multi-agent orchestration platform that is device and technology agnostic switches things up, bringing more uniformity to your fulfillment operations.

O+F Advisor 8/16/23

| David Hurwitz

ICYMI: Recommerce platform Trove has raised $30 million in a Series E round, bringing its total haul to more than $150 million as integrates its software with major 3PLs, eyes … Continue Reading →