Brandless Goes Away, A Rare Stumble for SoftBank

| Douglas P. Clement

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) retailer Brandless, which sold beauty products, non-GMO snacks and everyday items under its own non-brand austere label in a radical departure from the norm, is halting operations. Brandless is laying off 70 employees and retaining 10 to fulfill remaining orders, which stopped being accepted Feb. 10.

Reshaping the Shopping Experience for the Coming Decade

| MCM Staff

Free On-Demand Webinar: Oracle NetSuite has conducted a survey of shopper expectations and retailer planning, surveying 2,000 consumers and 400 retail execs. Join Art Wittmann, editor of Brainyard and Chris Benner both of Oracle NetSuite for high-level findings and recommendations for retail businesses over the next decade.

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5 Ways Customer Engagement Can Boost Your Ecommerce Site

| Dhruv Mehta

Clearly, engaged customers buy more, and restructuring your ecommerce business with a focus on customer engagement strategies can be a game changer in 2020. Here are 5 aspects of a customer engagement strategy to boost the customer experience and sales:

Government Cracking Down on Counterfeit Ecommerce Products

| Douglas P. Clement

The U.S. government is cracking down on the sale of counterfeit ecommerce items and pirated goods, warning of stricter rules and penalties for participants in a rogue economy that was valued at $509 billion in 2016. A DHS report announcing the crackdown came in response to an April 2019 memorandum from President Trump.

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Pros and Cons of an Owned Ecommerce Website for Small Sellers

| Greg Chapman

Today’s small business owner can reach more customers in more ways. Between branded websites and marketplaces, the evolving nature of ecommerce means even the smallest businesses to effectively, efficiently reach a broader audience. But which makes the most sense from your business? Here are the pros and cons.

With so many cost-effective ecommerce options available to very small businesses (VSBs) with less than 50 employees, how do business owners know which channels make the most sense for their bottom line?

2019 Holiday Season Takeaways and Ecommerce Marketing Action Items

| Greg Zakowicz

The 2019 holiday season has concluded, and once again ecommerce experienced record-breaking sales. But what made the 2019 holiday season so successful, and which trends have become the new normal? Analyzing the results does no good unless you implement the lessons learned to further your marketing program.

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DTC Mattress Brand Casper Sleep’s IPO Filing Raises Doubts

| Douglas P. Clement

The global sleep company Casper, in a crowded field of mattress-in-a-box companies going direct to customer it helped spawn, has been a darling of the business and lifestyle press, That is, until it recently filed for an IPO, and pundits and the business press attacked the CEO for his obsession with a unicorn valuation.

New Decade, New Risks: Addressing Emerging Ecommerce Payment Fraud

| Monica Eaton

It’s near impossible to keep up with the pace of change in ecommerce payment. That’s a problem, because fast-paced innovation inevitably leads to vulnerabilities. Without the right approach, revolutionary profit opportunities could fall victim to advanced ecommerce payment fraud threats. A multilayered, strategy is needed.