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Competition in the e-commerce returns space is heating up, leading some companies to join forces. Last week, Shopify returns provider Loop and PayPal's Happy Returns announced a partnership that allows Loop users to offer box and label-free returns at Happy Returns' 5,000 service locations. Loop's president Aaron Schwartz said that while Happy Returns and Loop may have been seen as competitors, the new partnership will allow each provider to focus on their expertise areas: offline drop-off return logistics and online return software, respectively.
Armed with new funding, retailers and traffic growth, sneaker marketplace Kicks Crew aims to help more mom-and-pop sneaker retailers launch a digital presence. Sneaker marketplace Kicks Crew enables itself to list over 400,000 styles from brands like Nike and Adidas by serving as an e-commerce aggregator for smaller retailers and boutiques across the globe. Kicks Crew lists, ships and authenticates products across these retailer partners in what it calls a "business to business to consumer" model, similar to Farfetch.
According to new research, more people in the United States seem to be comfortable with watching digital livestreams and making purchases from them.
As inflation continues to rise, more companies are betting on bundles to drive sales. With bundles, the ultimate goal is to create bigger basket sizes, as well as to drive up repeat purchase rates in specific categories. However, some brands are also using the strategy to help reduce supply chain-related costs, such as shipping and packaging.
Denim brand Levi Strauss and Co. is adding more digital tools to help customers find the right size jeans, as part of its mandate to grow direct-to-consumer sales. On Tuesday, the company announced two new digital fit features to its site: a predictive fit algorithm and a photo-bank of products on people of different body types.
In the first quarter, social media platform Snap Inc.'s revenue increased 38% to $1.06 billion and daily active users were up 18% to 332 million. To further appeal to brands and creators alike, Snap is going all-in on augmented reality.
The grocery delivery wars are in full force, and platforms like Gopuff are trying to differentiate themselves with both customers and brands. With that, Gopuff has been trying to businesses to include the delivery platform in more of their marketing campaigns. A Gopuff pitch deck sent to brands last year, which Modern Retail recently obtained, showcases these efforts.
TalkShopLive has been around since 2018. Until 2021, it was completely bootstrapped -- but it took a $3 million seed round a year ago this past February. Since then, it's been ramping up partnerships with major publishers and retailers, including Walmart and Condé Nast. Co-founder and CEO Bryan Moore joined the Modern Retail Podcast this week and spoke about the livestream commerce platform's growing presence.
Retention is often cited as an important tactic for online retailers trying to keep customers, which have become expensive to acquire. But defining retention and planning around that definition is another story. For some brands, that means executing a second purchase within months of the first. For others, it's more about being a go-to brand the next time a customer is considering shopping their respective product.
Thousands of Etsy sellers are going on strike this week, demanding lower transaction fees and less pressure from the company to offer free shipping and fast customer service. However, the strike has also highlighted the dominance Etsy has had over handmade and artisan goods sellers, who've attempted to move to other platforms.
In a bid to stand out from competitors, Instacart has been making inroads in categories outside of its primary delivery business. The company recently introduced a suite of services and technology for retailers, which includes data tools, e-commerce development and in-store technology like smart carts.
The new features indicate the platform’s plans to play a bigger role in the customers’ shopping journey. By equipping merchants with free insights, Google aims to give merchants the ability to stand out against other online competitors.
Only a few years ago, apparel startups like Modcloth were raising tens of millions of dollars. Now, things have changed. As funding for traditional apparel startups dries up, VC investors look towards more profitable niches like resale or apparel tech.
Whatnot, which was founded in 2019, now plans to increase its investments in NFTs. With Whatnot’s growing number of collectors and enthusiasts, the company joins other retailers — including Adidas, Nike and Walmart — in charting out plans to become a significant NFT player.
For online retailers with thousands of SKUs, offering related product recommendations remains challenging. Some, like Revival Rugs, are turning to visual AI tools to narrow down customers' search results to relevant styles.
For years, retail experts have touted live streaming as the hottest new way to acquire customers and create instant sales. However, executing video commerce isn't a one-size-fits-all strategy, as lingerie brand Adore Me has found.
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