Amazon Cloostermans machine feature

Amazon Buys Belgian Robotics Firm Cloostermans

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon is acquiring Cloostermans, a private Belgian company dating back to 1884. The company makes robotic systems for moving heavy items like stacked pallets and totes to stage products for delivery. Amazon, a customer for some time, will further enhance the technology and likely take it off the market. Terms were not disclosed.

cross-border ecommerce illustration feature

Doing Cross-Border Ecommerce, Post-Covid

| Nishith Rastogi

Building an international presence through cross-border ecommerce is often an incredibly daunting task, even for the most established brands. Following these best practices will help ensure greater success and an overall better customer experience by avoiding supply chain and logistics disruptions while maximizing brand potential.

e-grocery phone in aisle feature

Getting Grocers to a Clicks-Bricks Balance

| Rachael Hadaway

When a customer tries e-grocery shopping for the first time, they’re likely starting a critical step in their online grocery journey, underscoring the importance of the omnichannel shift. That means retailers must design digital products and service experiences that promote customer engagement online and minimize cart abandonment.

ChannelAdvisor logo feature

ChannelAdvisor Being Acquired by CommerceHub

| Mike O'Brien

CommerceHub plans to acquire ChannelAdvisor in a joining of two competing SaaS ecommerce platforms combining front-end and back-end capabilities for retailers and brands to help grow their businesses, but one that will face some integration work based on different technologies. The acquisition price was $663.6 million.

overstocks boxes on pallet feature

Overstocks Today Were Yesterday’s Stockouts

| Jill Liliedahl

When we consider the unpredictability of the last couple of years, overstocks seem a forgivable choice. Retailers who understandably erred on the side of overstocks during the pandemic are now stuck with a mountain of goods they can’t shift. One thing’s for certain: spreadsheets and outdated technology won’t solve the problem.

Accel Club team feature

Amazon Aggregators: One Player’s View on the Shifting Space

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon aggregators have become much more selective with brand acquisition and they’re watching the bottom line, while forming alliances with non-Amazon marketplaces. They’re also affected by inflation and consumer spending. Max Firsau, co-founder of Accel Club, shares his thoughts about the space and explains his model.

consumer behavior feature

Consumer Behavior: The Not-So-Secrets

| Hunter Thurman

While there appears to be no end in sight to the tumult of the retail landscape, behavioral science reveals that much consumer behavior is actually durable and predictable. And while behavior is relatively well understood in academic circles, it becomes murkier in the context of marketing science. Here’s how to understand it better.

Amazon Prime box feature

Amazon Testing Pricier UPS Option for 3P Seller Returns

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon is testing a program that will require sellers who fulfill their own returns to offer UPS as a return shipping option for customers, in addition to the less expensive U.S. Postal Service they had been using exclusively. The test will run Sept. 5-Oct. 2 in order to “understand buyer behavior,” Amazon said. Naturally, sellers are not amused.

Walmart grocery interior feature

Walmart Sees Strong Q2 Results, With Inflation a Driver

| Mike O'Brien

Walmart reported 12% second-quarter ecommerce growth, up 18% vs. 2020, as it gained market share in grocery and passed 1 million deliveries for its GoLocal service that provides last-mile service for other retailers including Home Depot, with inflation helping attract more upscale shoppers. The result was better than at rival Target.

alt-commerce livestream shopping feature

Facebook Shutting Down Livestream Shopping Oct. 1

| Mike O'Brien

Facebook is shutting down its livestream shopping venture two years in, putting its efforts behind the popular Reels short-form video platform as livestream shopping has yet to catch on here in a big way as in China, and retailers, brands and platforms need to rethink their approach. Experts weigh in on what they need to do.