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Apparel brands turn to #curvy influencers to court online shoppers

Jan 26, 2024
In the increasingly online women’s apparel market, mid-size and plus-size influencers play a critical role in steering retail dollars toward brands.
Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images for Ryllace

The little black lines that could: The barcode and its staying power

Jan 23, 2024
"Part of the reason they've succeeded this long is that they work fine," says Jordan Frith, a Clemson professor and author of "Barcode."
Barcodes are scanned billions of times a day, says Jordan Frith, a Clemson University professor.
Michel Porro/Getty Images

After the holidays, retailers hope to keep the party going

Dec 27, 2023
Even though holiday shopping numbers were solid, retailers might see a slower start to 2024 when consumers' credit card bills come due.
While retailers may encourage January shopping, the push could turn off consumers  after an earlier-than-usual start to the holiday selling season.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

The big business of gift guides

Dec 15, 2023
Author Jessica Roy explains why it seems like everyone is releasing a gift guide this year.
Gift guides help legacy media outlets generate revenue amid declining ad sales and subscriptions.
Matt Cardy/Getty Images

What happened to the "magic of Macy's"?

Dec 11, 2023
Investors are reportedly offering less than $6 billion to buy the once-iconic department store chain.
Macy's hasn't kept up with consumer shopping preferences, analysts say.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Faced with an onslaught of returns, retailers are telling shoppers: "Just keep it."

Dec 1, 2023
“Returnless refunds” or “keep it" return policies have now been adopted by more than half of major retailers, according to a new survey.
One reason retailers have adopted "keep it" return policies is that shipping and re-shelving can cost a lot.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

In retail, it's all about "omnichannel" selling

Nov 23, 2023
It’s not in-store versus online — it’s in-store and online, and something in between.
"[Walmart's] in-store experience is really consistent. They have a lot of doors throughout the U.S. But they're also putting a lot of efforts into online Black Friday deals," said Brittany Steiger at Mintel.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Big box stores go big on renovations to tempt shoppers

Nov 7, 2023
They're trying to stay ahead of what customers, now used to online convenience and speed, expect from a retailer.
Endless aisles are Walmart’s strength — but also its weakness.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Retail group predicts record holiday spending

Nov 3, 2023
The National Retail Federation predicts at least $957 billion in sales this holiday season. But that might not mean everyone is splurging.
Prices for goods are up nearly 1% from a year ago, according to the latest PCE price index.
Mark Makela/Getty Images

The shortcomings of self-checkout

It's not saving retailers as much money as promised, says Amanda Mull of The Atlantic. And it doesn't always make customers' shopping trips easier.
Big retailers are finding that they often need to increase their staffing at self-checkout areas because of difficulties with the technology.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images