Adopt IoT or Lose: 4 Ways Connected Tech Revolutionizes Retail and Ecommerce

| Yana Yelina

For a long time, IoT has been a transformative force for an array of industries, with 70% of the world’s retail and ecommerce providers betting on connected tech to drive tangible business value. If you’re not in the loop about how IoT can improve your warehouse management or enhance your marketing efforts, here are four recommendations made by IoT and ecommerce development providers.

Omnichannel Merchants Shift Closer to the Customer

| Ken Fleming

As consumer behavior shifts and omnichannel retailing grows, retailers are getting closer to customers to improve service and help ensure profitability. Increasingly, they look to four key areas where shifts can make fulfillment more efficient: Retail footprint; manufacturer direct shipping; 3D print & ship; and pickup sites.

Creating a Customer-Centric Approach to the Returns Experience

| Daniela Forte

The returns process shouldn’t be complicated. However, with return rates growing rapidly alongside ecommerce itself, it’s becoming harder for retailers to provide a great experience while also minding the ballooning cost.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Sold to Liberty Tax

| Daniela Forte

Lease-to-own retailer Sears Hometown has been saved from potential failure through a $133 million acquisition by tax preparation firm Liberty Tax, which has been on a buying spree of distressed businesses this summer as it expands into the world of franchise retail and rent-to-own.

State-of-the-AR Retail: Where’s Its Biggest Value?

| Kate Prohorchik

By 2025, the global augmented and virtual reality market is predicted to reach $814.7 billion, in no small part due to the rapid commercial adoption. For marketers and retailers, this booming, increasingly accessible technology with numerous applications can be especially attractive.

Le Tote Buying Lord & Taylor from Hudson’s Bay for $100M

| Daniela Forte and Mike O'Brien

In a surprising move, Hudson’s Bay Company is selling the storied Lord & Taylor chain, which dates to 1826 in New York, to fashion rental subscription startup Le Tote for a relatively cheap $75 million upfront, and another $25 million via a promissory note in two years.

Fast Shipping Will Put Us on Fast Track to Environmental Responsibility

| Guy Bloch

If we’re looking to turn deliveries into a catalyst for environmental change, drones and autonomous vehicles will help, but we’re not quite there yet. In the meantime enterprises should focus on improving delivery efficiency, which means providing drivers with the most efficient routes and the maximum number of packages per run.

Building Cross-Channel Marketing Excellence at Lowe’s

| Daniela Forte

Whether customers are looking for something specific or simply just browsing online or in store, finding a sale is always a bonus. Through specials, retailers strategically place products where customers are sure to find them, physically and digitally. Here is how Lowe’s was able to significantly improve the complex process of producing print and digital circulars across its 400,000 SKUs

Wayfair Opens First Physical Store in Natick, MA

| Mike O'Brien

Follow in the footsteps of other digitally native brands that have gone click to brick like Bonobos, Warby Parker, Framebridge and Tuft & Needle, Wayfair this week opened its first physical store in the Natick Mall in Natick, MA, outside its Boston headquarters. This trend shows that brands starting online acknowledge the power of the store.