Target Reports 34% Growth in Ecommerce, Blows Out Projections

| Mike O'Brien

Target reported strong Q2 performance, with 34% growth in ecommerce sales, nearly 75% of which was attributable to its same-day order fulfillment strategy including buy online pickup in store, curbside pickup and local delivery. The retailer beat expectations on earnings, comp growth and revenue, and raised 2019 guidance.

MCM Week in Review (8/23/19)

| David Hurwitz

Multichannel Merchant The News, Commentary & Events that Shaped Commerce This Week week of 8/23/2019 Rent the Runway Takes a Customer-Centric Approach Online and in Stores As customer behaviors continue … Continue Reading →

O+F Advisor 8/21/19

| David Hurwitz

Multichannel Merchant Operations & Fulfillment Strategies & Tactics week of 8/21/2019 Insourcing vs. Outsourcing Customer Care: The Pros and Cons To outsource or not to outsource customer care, that is … Continue Reading →

Automated Package Lockers Growing as a BOPIS Solution

| Daniela Forte

With ecommerce expanding and consumers expecting greater speed and convenience, retailers need cost-effective ways to meet these demands. Here is a look at how automated lockers are key to the overall buy online pickup in-store experience.

Pilot Program for Automated Lockers Seeing Success in Seattle

| Daniela Forte

The use of automated lockers for ecommerce deliveries is moving beyond BOPIS applications, with adoption growing in apartment buildings, public transportation areas and even mobile tests. To that end, a shared locker pilot program by the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab and Seattle DOT will be expanding next year.

Executing a Digital Strategy is Table Stakes and There is No Turning Back

| John Nicola

Today’s shoppers increasingly are digital natives, which means they prefer technology-based solutions and hold high expectations when it comes to the end-user experience. In fact, recent market research found that 86% of shoppers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience.

Large Retailers See 64% Prime Day One Sales Lift; Glitches Repeat

| Mike O'Brien

Large U.S. retailers over $1 billion saw a nice Prime Day bump on July 15 according to data from Adobe Analytics, with a 64% increase in sales vs. a typical Monday, up from 54% last year. Smaller retailers under $5 million, meanwhile, realized a smaller 30% sales lift, Adobe said. Meanwhile, some checkout glitches recurred this year.

Back-to-School Spending Expected to Reach $27.8 Billion

| Daniela Forte

Children might be at the beaches and just beginning summer camp, but back-to-school pundits are busy, with Deloitte predicting total spend of $27.8 billion, up slightly from $27.6 billion last year, for an average of $519 per U.S. household.

How to Win Amazon Prime Day, When You’re Not Amazon

| Eduardo Vilar

Amazon’s Prime Day 2018 became the biggest shopping day in its history, beating out Cyber Monday and Black Friday, resulting in a whopping 100 million products sold and an estimated $3.4 billion in sales. With the July event continuing to expand both on and off Amazon, it is critical for retailers and brands to have a strategy in place to win this year’s Prime Day, even when you’re not Amazon. Here are four ways to help retailers have an Prime Day strategy of their own.