As retailers squeeze more from their physical stores, store employees get caught in the middle

As retailers are leaning on their stores to do more than ever before without significantly raising labor costs, store associates can get caught in the middle. Over the past few months, big-box retailers, from Target to Home Depot to Kohl's, are encouraging more customers to take advantage of in-store fulfillment options like buy online, pickup in-store or ship-from-store. That in turn requires more investment in their backroom operations. Others, like Kohl's, are now offering more front-facing in-store services.

With new sampling program, Uniqlo takes page from DTC brands

Uniqlo just announced a new promotion, giving away 100,000 free samples. The retailer's US business has been flagging, and this seems like a way to try to regenerate interest. This latest program seems to borrow from some DTC strategy.

Why Kroger’s advertising program remains a nascent opportunity

Kroger has been trying to turn its business around, and one of its most anticipated programs is around media and marketing. It's been a while since the grocer first launched its new advertising offerings -- has it made a dent with brands?

‘Flatfooted’: Retailers are scrambling to prepare for CCPA

California's new data privacy regulations are set to be enacted in the coming months. Some retailers are being caught flatfooted in the race to be compliant.

‘It lost its consumer’: 4 takeaways from Forever 21’s bankruptcy filing

Many malls in the U.S. are about to lose yet another brick-and-mortar tenant, as Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy earlier this week. Forever 21's bankruptcy filing has prompted discussion about whether or not fast-fashion is dying, or just evolving. But there are some lessons that every retailer would be wise to take away from Forever 21's bankruptcy filing.

Bed Bath & Beyond is the latest retailer to add experiences to its wedding registries

As Bed Bath & Beyond looks for a turnaround, one of its few bright spots has been its wedding registry business. But, as more couples are adding cash and trips to their registries instead of products, the company could lose its spot as a go-to place for wedding registries.

What brands can learn from Rent The Runway’s crisis response playbook

Rent The Runway is in the midst of a logistical nightmare. But it's been responding to the crisis in a way that may not hinder its longterm brand image.

How legacy brands are trying to find a way into the growing resale market

As the resale market grows, it's ushered in a wave of startups that see a lucrative opportunity in helping retailers navigate the secondhand apparel space. Some marketplaces that started out as peer-to-peer are striking more partnerships with brands and retailers to increase revenue, while at the same time trying to direct traffic back to their own site. Another startup called Yerdle, which last week announced it had raised a $20 million round of venture capital financing, has created a white label service that retailers like REI, Eileen Fisher and Patagonia have used to build resale services that pull from their own inventory.

Legacy retailers are creating roles to unify e-commerce and physical stores

Nordstrom just promoted its head of digital to COO. This is the first time the retailer has ever hired for such a role -- and could be an indicator of more legacy businesses seeking out top strategic talent to more seamlessly mesh organizational objectives.

With Scoop, Walmart’s private label strategy begins to shift

This week Walmart announced it was resurrecting its fashion brand Scoop. It's a sign that the big box retailer is tweaking its approach to private label brands, and taking some cues from its earlier strategies.

With Greenhouse, Foot Locker is rethinking how it works with startups

On Wednesday, Foot Locker is launching Greenhouse, a new incubator for emerging brands. Greenhouse will live as a standalone shopping app, where it will release limited-edition product drops in partnership with select brands and designers. Greenhouse is one of a number of ways that Foot Locker is trying to reinvent itself as a destination for more than just athletic gear.

Explainer: How California’s Consumer Privacy Act will affect retailers

Brand guide: The Amazon expert’s playbook for Prime Day 2021