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.

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.

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 Projects Holiday Sales Growth Between 4.3% and 4.8%

| Daniela Forte

The National Retail Federation is projecting holiday retail sales growth of 4.3% to 4.8% over 2017 in November and December, or $717.45 billion to $720.89 billion, up from an average jump of 3.9% over the past five years. Here is what NRF had to say about the predictions.

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.

Holiday Retail Sales Grew 4.9% from 2016

| Mike O'Brien

Holiday retail sales increased 4.9% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, setting a new record for dollars spent, according to data from MasterCard SpendingPulse, the largest boost since 2011 and an indication of consumer confidence as the economy grows.

Back-to-School Shopping Expected to Reach $83.6 Billion

| Daniela Forte

According to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, total spending including college and school combined is expected to reach $83.6 billion, more than a 10% increase from 2016’s $75.8 billion. See what other results this survey revealed for back-to-school and what it could mean for the holiday shopping season.

Cater to Buying Trends to Boost Valentine’s Day Sales

| Jay Alsup

Valentine’s Day has become big business for retailers and continues to grow. In 2016, the National Retail Federation reported spending to reach $19.7 billion. Consumers were set to spend, on average, $146 each on gifts for significant others, family and friends. Here are some tips that can help you focus your efforts when attracting consumers to your Valentine’s Day offerings.