Google mobile screen feature

Google Sees 50%+ Gain in “Popular Products” Results

| Mike O'Brien

Google saw a 50%-plus increase in search traffic in December to its “popular products” integrations, where shoppers can view and filter results with a variety of product details in an ecommerce-friendly carousel display, as it works to claw back the enormous flow of checkouts to dominant Amazon. Google is leveraging aggregated shopping feeds based on structured product data from merchants.

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eBay: Equal Protection Between Buyers, Sellers?

| Monica Eaton

eBay Managed Payments is now the method through which all transactions are processed on the platform. The aim was to grant sellers greater control over their online storefront. But what happens when buyers and sellers don’t see eye to eye? Does eBay’s Seller Protection platform protects all stakeholders evenly? What do sellers need to do to protect their business from illegitimate disputes? Read on.

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Walmart and the DTC Brand Unwind

| Mike O'Brien

The curious case of Walmart’s venture into creating a stable of hot startup DTC brands has come to a close, with the 2023 sales of Moosejaw, Bonobos and Eloquii in quick succession. So it’s a fitting time to take a look at the six-year-plus journey that began with the $3.3 billion acquisition of Jet.com. We look back and ruminate with Raj Konanahalli, a partner and managing director with AlixPartners.

Mobile Product Discovery: The Next Ecommerce Battleground

| Courtney Austermehle

Inflation may continue to impact overall ecommerce volume, but mobile shopping is here to stay, and mobile product discovery will be at the forefront. Yet nearly one-third of American adults will opt out of a mobile purchase due to an unsatisfactory shopping experience. Here are three ways to wow your customers at every step of the journey, and drive more ROI from the mobile experience.

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Selling Your Ecommerce Company? 14 Questions to Ask Buyers

| Chris Norwood

Choosing a buyer for your ecommerce company is one of the most important decisions you will make. During a transaction process, potential buyers will dig into the company, request data and ask questions about the business. But due diligence should be a two-way street. Use this time to ask your own questions and ensure you and the buyer are aligned on the points that matter to you.

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Carter’s Plans 1,000 New Stores as Online is Challenged

| Mike O'Brien

Children’s apparel retailer Carter’s plans to open 50 new stores this year, and at least 1,000 by 2027, seeing an opportunity as its SKU rationalization, price realization between selling periods and inventory management have improved the unit economics for retail, while the online-store mix shifts a bit toward brick and mortar. Executives said consumer confidence is down but not as bad as in 2022.

Circularity and Recommerce: ACT Paving the Way

| Ian McRae

American Circular Textiles Group (ACT) is a coalition seeking to establish U.S. leadership and policy in textile waste and circularity, with a focus on the waste hierarchy. Founding members include Rent the Runway, The Real Real, thredUP and Fashionphile. ACT director and founder talks about the momentum behind circularity in apparel, and how ACT is working to influence legislators and industry leaders.

bed bath & beyond storefront

Bed Bath & Beyond Files for Bankruptcy

| Mike O'Brien

Bed Bath & Beyond as expected filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection April 23 as its turnaround became untenable, loans were in default, debt far outstripped assets and buyers have yet to surface for its three retail brands. The company said in its filing it plans to maintain operations through the court proceedings thanks to a $240 million debtor-in-possession loan from Sixth Street.

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Generative AI Had Quite a Week

| Mike O'Brien

It was quite a week in the ever-expanding universe of generative AI, as the arms race among tech titans escalates, new solutions proliferate and more retailers jump in with both feet. From Elon Musk to Google, Amazon, Walmart and Levi Strauss, more companies are moving beyond the experimentation stage and planting a flag as a wide range of applications hit the market.

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Amazon Invites Retailers to Join Anti-Counterfeiting Group

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon is inviting other retailers to join an anti-counterfeiting cooperative, begun as a pilot program in 2021 to help stem the flood of illegitimate goods on its marketplace and across the industry, two weeks after filing three separate lawsuits against counterfeiters. The Anti-Counterfeiting Exchange (ACX) grew out of a 20211 pilot by a division of the Department of Homeland Security.