The private label industry now represents one in every $6 of spend in the United States and poses a significant opportunity for retailers to drive margin, differentiate products, and serve consumer's wide and changing tastes.
Daymon Worldwide's Omni Global Sourcing Solutions has opened an 8,500-square foot showroom in Philadelphia for seasonal and general merchandise imports.
Retailers should see a moderate increase in holiday sales in the stores and online this year, according to Deloitte's annual retail holiday sales forecast.
Target is testing the online grocery delivery waters. The Minneapolis-based discounter has teamed with Instacart, the online grocery delivery service that started in 2012, to let shoppers in the Minneapolis area order fruits and other perishables, as well as household, pet and baby products, and have them delivered to their homes in as little as an hour.
While e-commerce sales have been growing, year-to-year declines in conversion and add-to-cart rates are continuing. Retailers need to pay greater attention to personalization and relevant product recommendations to combat these declines and ensure that they remain successful.
Easier access to information is pushing the retail sector closer to what 18th century economist Adam Smith described as "perfect information" -- the idea of having equal information from all providers in order to make a choice.
In a sign that 3D printing is entering the mainstream, Staples will go live with an online 3D printing platform, allowing consumers and small businesses to upload 3D designs or choose from preselected models.
Retailers are working hard to transform their supply chains to a customer-centric, omnichannel model, but 80 percent are not prepared for the magnitude of change required, according to HRC Advisory (HRC), a retail advisory firm and unit of Hilco Global.
Retailers are already planning for the busy holiday shopping season, and there could be a complication this year. As the unemployment rate drops, stores are having a hard time finding workers for their warehouses. They've ordered all kinds of new stuff for the holidays, but it's stuck in a bottleneck.