A Peek into 2020 Peak: Fulfilling the Promise of Omnichannel

| Zach Thomann

Coming after a year of economic contraction and retail disruption, the 2020 peak holiday season threatened to be brutal on retailers. While some retailers had exceptional results, operational challenges limited opportunities. See what a recent study revealed about the impact of pre-peak investments on reducing capability gaps.

Omnichannel operations are the future of brick-and-mortar and DTC retail.

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Walmart Removes $35 Minimum for Same-Day Delivery

| Mike O'Brien

In a move surprising no one except for the timing, Walmart announced it’s dropping the $35 minimum order threshold for shoppers to qualify for same-day delivery with its Walmart Express service, just months after doing the same for members of its Walmart+ subscription program. Walmart’s ecommerce growth “fell” to 69% in Q4.

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5 Ways to Improve the Mobile Payment Experience

| William Dawsey

Mobile payment has never been more important, with an estimated 70% of all ecommerce sales to come from it by 2022. However, just implementing that option isn’t enough. It’s crucial to make the mobile payment experience as seamless as possible. Here are 5 of the most effective ways to improve the mobile payment experience.

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Shippo Raises $45M In New Round

| Mike O'Brien

Shippo, a shipping software platform provider, has raised $45 million in a new funding round, with plans to invest in product and engineering teams as well as exploring ways to extend its technology into the pre- and post-purchase realms to increase the value and stickiness of its offering.

America, Land of the Multilingual Commerce Opportunity

| Arle Lommel

The public often thinks of the United States as a monolingual country. However, it has a degree of multilingualism few other countries even come close to experiencing. In other words, there is a vast audience for multilingual commerce right here in the U.S., and not addressing foreign language speakers is a huge missed opportunity.

3 Ecommerce Experience Trends to Watch in 2021

| Hauke Rahm

If 2020 was the year of ecommerce growth, 2021 will be the year of the ecommerce experience evolution. Customers will increasingly dictate how, when and where they want to shop, and retailers need to pivot fast to offer them more channels and more convenient choices. Based on that, here are 3 trends to watch in 2021.

Ensuring Sales Tax Compliance in a Shifting Retail Landscape

| Mike O'Brien

In the era of ecommerce explosion, the lines between purchases are getting blurred internally. With stores closed or operating at limited capacity, many are now using them to fulfill ecommerce orders. All of this has sales tax consequences. This MCM report addresses the impact of the shifting retail landscape on sales tax considerations.

U.S. E-Grocery Sales Hit $9.3B in January

| Mike O'Brien

As consumer dollars keep shifting online generally in the pandemic, e-grocery in the U.S. continues to explode, hitting a high of $9.3 billion in January, up 15% from November, according to a survey conducted by Mercatus/Brick Meet Click. Home delivery and store/curbside pickup represented 77% of the total.

6 Effective Digital Strategies to Boost Conversion Rates

| Bart Mroz

Before the Internet even existed, retailers relied on an assortment of strategies and market intelligence tactics to boost sales—including promotions, direct mail, catalogs, window displays, focus groups, surveys, and ads. Here are six effective strategies to enhance your conversion rates.

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Locus Robotics Now a Unicorn with New Funding

| Mike O'Brien

Locus Robotics, a provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfillment warehouses, has raised $150 million in a Series E round, led by Tiger Global Management and Bond, bringing its valuation to the unicorn level north of $1 billion as its business multiplies. The company is looking to expand in Europe and enter APAC in 2022.