Brand Lessons for the New Retail World

| Aliza Pollack

With the last Christmas trees thrown to the curb, pine needles askew, let’s assume the retail industry is taking a breather and nursing a holiday hangover. Best not to break too long though as there are 10 more months to plan for and e-commerce to navigate.

Week in Review: JCPenney is Bringing Back Appliances

| MCM Staff

After more than 30 years, JCPenney decided to re-enter the appliance business when customer data showed that the vast majority of its shoppers own a home and are frequently searching for major appliance options on jcp.com.

Retail Trends 2016: Death Knell for Brick and Mortar, While Mobile Takes Off

| Peter Sheldon

With 2016 upon us, it’s a good time to look ahead a four key retail trends gathering momentum in the new year, what drastic changes the industry will see and what cool new technologies shoppers will be able to take advantage of at scale (keep reading, we won’t mention drones!).

Week in Review: The Omnichannel Conundrum

| MCM Staff

Pureplay ecommerce retailers are disadvantaged by the high cost of marketing and shipping, making their business model challenging and ultimately unsustainable in the long-term, according to a report released this week by L2.

Retail Payment Trends: What to Expect in 2016

| André Malinowski

The payments landscape is changing fast –and much of this fast-paced change is being driven by today’s digitally empowered consumers, whose expectations have been transformed by the smartphone and the services these supply. Which means that more than ever before, consumers expect payments to be fast, convenient and hassle-free.

Adopting New Payment Technology For Your Business

| Alon Feit

Over the last several years, the introduction of new payment solutions has risen dramatically, yet consumers are ultimately reliant on retailers actually implementing these new solutions at the point of sale to enjoy the benefits these technologies provide.

Week in Review: Macy’s Downfall Sends an Omnichannel Message

| MCM Staff

Despite all the doom and gloom news that came out of Macy’s, Inc. on Jan. 6, chairman and CEO Terry Lundgren said its omnichannel investments are paying off.

It’s hard to argue against that: In November and December, the company filled nearly 17 million online orders at macys.com and bloomingdales.com.

But Macy’s really has the same problem other omnichannel retailers are experiencing. They are sacrificing store-level salespeople at the expense of technology, and not finding a happy medium to make the omnichannel experience a positive one.