SAP hq feature

Composable Commerce Offering the Anti-MACH, Says SAP

| Mike O'Brien

Software giant SAP is jumping into the composable commerce ring, admittedly later to the game than smaller competitors but pitching it as providing greater flexibility, scalability and maturity than members of the growing MACH Alliance of headless, cloud, API and microservices-based vendors.

domestic imports containers feature

Domestic Imports Still Lagging Pre-Pandemic Levels

| Mike O'Brien

Domestic imports logged a 7.2% month-on-month increase in January, much higher than expected based on figures from the past six years, according to U.S. Census data as analyzed by global logistics and supply chain firm Descartes, yet still lagged behind pre-pandemic levels by a small margin. The NRF near-term outlook was less rosy.

returns feature

Returns Rates Match for Stores, Ecommerce

| Mike O'Brien

The rate of returns from retail purchases is expected to remain relatively flat this year compared to 2021, at 16.5%, with store and ecommerce returns roughly equal as the latter figure has improved, according to a report from the National Retail Federation and Apriss Retail.

apparel returns group fashion selfie feature

Can Selfies Help Reduce Apparel Returns?

| Mike O'Brien

Can selfies help solve the nagging problem of apparel returns? That’s the assertion of Nosto, provider of what it calls a commerce experience platform. Of consumers surveyed in the U.S. and UK, 61% said if brands posted photos and videos online of actual shoppers wearing their products, it would cut down on the number of returns.

back-to-school 2021 masked girl feature

Back-to-School Booms, Faces Supply Challenges

| Mike O'Brien

While record spending is anticipated for back-to-school season this year, consumers may experience shortages in certain areas due to high demand, reduced inventories and ongoing pandemic-related supply chain and distribution issues, as well as fewer discounts.

Black Friday mobile commerce feature

Holiday Ecommerce Up 18.8%; Retail Up 3.4%; Amazon Sets Records

| Douglas P. Clement

Ecommerce holiday sales rose 18.8% over 2018, driving 3.4% overall growth in seasonal retail, delivering a very merry season for merchants, according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse holiday report. Ecommerce growth was up slightly from an 18.4% gain in 2018, accounting for 14.6% of total retail, according to Mastercard.

cyber weekend

Ecommerce Sets Records Over Cyber Weekend, Stores See Slight Declines

| Douglas P. Clement

Total ecommerce sales hit $26.93 billion over Cyber Weekend, according to data from Adobe Analytics, as stores went in the opposite direction. Cyber Monday’s online spending reached a record $9.4 billion, up 19.7%, making it the largest online shopping day of all time in the U.S. Store sales dipped nearly 1%, according to RetailNext.

NRF Study Finds 75% of U.S. Consumers Expect Free Shipping

| Mike O'Brien

Free shipping for ecommerce orders is an increasingly high priority for U.S. consumers, who are also embracing buy online pickup in store, according to a new Consumer View report from the National Retail Federation. The report found that 75% of consumers expect free delivery even on orders under $50, up from 68% last year.

Back-to-School and College Spending Expected to Reach $82.8 Billion

| Daniela Forte

Total back-to-school spending for children in K-12 and college combined is projected to reach $82.8 billion this year, down from $83.6 billion in 2017, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, which was conducted with research partner Prosper Insights & Analytics. Here are the results from the survey and what it means for the back-to-school shopping season.