Retail bellwether Target melted the holiday season joy over record holiday ecommerce spending of $142.5 billion, reporting disappointing holiday sales in Q3 as toys and electronics underperformed and the company lowered Q4 comparable sales guidance. Ecommerce was a bright spot, up 19%.
To combat the growing problem of returns, which continue to eat away at profit margins, the Retail Value Chain Federation and returns prevention software provider Newmine have created the Product Returns Council to work on solutions. Both will take part in a returns workshop at Ecommerce Operations Summit, April 14-16 in Orlando.
Continuing a shakeup begun when six executives were let go last month by the new CEO, Bed Bath & Beyond plans to sell half its real estate assets, including its headquarters and an unknown number of its 1,500 stores, to a private equity firm, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.
Amid scant post-Super Saturday reports, Adweek was signaling more Super Saturday shopping took place in stores vs. online, despite Amazon’s modified delivery options, for example, and competition for fast last-minute delivery between retail giants Target and Walmart.
Target’s new last-minute delivery deals and deadlines for holiday gifts has it going head-to-head with Walmart over whose fulfillment is faster and more accommodating for shoppers. Both retail giants offer free two-day shipping, but Walmart has the edge in guaranteed delivery by Christmas for ultra-last-minute shoppers.
Old Navy is partnering with Postmates to provide same-day delivery in 4,000 U.S. markets as it competes with Amazon, Walmart and Target for the holiday retail joy of robust sales driven by aggressive delivery fulfillment.
Delivery will be free from Dec. 21-23 as an incentive for last-minute consumers to buy its casual clothing.
With rising demands and increased competition, retailers can capture the attention of digitally saturated consumers through enhanced, experiential shopping, to attract them to both physical and virtual stores. Whether online, mobile or in store, this omnichannel experience has to be consistent, seamless and intuitive.
An agile ecommerce supply chain is focused on speed, cost savings, productivity and responsiveness and flexibility to market demands. Supply chain management (SCM) exists to improve a company’s long-term performance. Here are 10 steps to help you improve your ecommerce supply chain agility and performance.
Maybe they should’ve stuck with “Walking in Memphis.” Several FedEx delivery robots, collectively dubbed Roxo, were seen prowling the streets of Manhattan recently, but instead of getting a red-carpet welcome they elicited some Bronx cheers, according to the New York Post. The city threatened to physically remove any it spotted.
Target’s strong Q3 performance, with 31% growth in ecommerce sales – just under the 34% in Q2 – continued the trend of same-day order fulfillment services driving growth. Target is the first to offer curbside pickup in all 50 states. In Q3, sales volume fulfilled by Shipt more than doubled, while curbside sales grew by more than 500%.