Although some shoppers are looking forward to returning to stores, others will be more inclined to continue to shop from the safety of their home. The shift to ecommerce caused by COVID-19 will linger well after social distancing policies are lifted. But behavior varies from shopper to shopper and between categories.
How do retail marketers keep online momentum going as physical stores continue to reopen? They are leaning into digital to maintain customer engagement and drive growth by enhancing proven strategies like SMS and email. This omnichannel approach uses targeted messages, tailoring relevant content to timely consumer trends.
RTW Retailwinds, parent of apparel retailer New York & Co., filed for bankruptcy protection, adding it plans to close most if not all of its nearly 400 stores and seek a buyer for its ecommerce business. The company plans to continue operations, including re-openings where appropriate, paying vendors and suppliers and employees.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve seen that curbside pickup has moved from a secondary method to a primary one for retailers. In the coming months, it will become increasingly clear that today’s curbside experience is just a starting point in terms of what store-based commerce will look like. Here’s a peek inside the near future.
Brooks Brothers, famous for its pinstriped suits worn by 40 of the 45 U.S. presidents and legions of executives since its 1818 founding in New York, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing the impact of COVID-19 as a major factor. The company, with $1 billion in sales and $300 in debt, expects to find a buyer shortly.
E-grocery sales continued to spike upward in June, increasing 9% over May to $7.2 billion as pandemic-fueled consumer behavior followed a hockey stick pattern, according to a survey conducted by Brick Meets Click on behalf of Mercatus. 45.6 million households placed e-grocery orders in June, up from 43 million in May.
Our conception of a VR enabled post-COVID retail experience may seem space-aged at first, passing through the temperature sensor and ambling by the ultraviolet sanitizing booth, but ultimately it’s the way retailers can build trust. In the new normal, people may pay close attention to sanitization but they will always value the experience.
Website design and builder firm Wix has enhanced its ecommerce solution by adding a number of capabilities, taking aim at market leader Shopify by giving SMBs an entire raft of tools to set up and run their e-shop without breaking the bank. Wix said the COVID-driven explosion in ecommerce accelerated its development plans.
FedEx surprised to the upside in Q4, its laser focus on ecommerce capabilities in recent years paying off in terms of responsiveness to massive online buying, even as service stumbles were reported in a couple states. It seemed none the worse for having parted ways with Amazon in 2019 to seek more profitable customer relationships.
As consumer spending dwindles, retail chains struggle and bankruptcy filings mount up. Yet retail and food sales rose a record 17.7% in May, and discount chains are flourishing. How do we account for this? Brett Rose, founder and CEO of United National Consumer Suppliers, shares his thoughts in this MCM CommerceChat podcast.