U.S. retail and consumer merger & acquisition activity during the first quarter of 2014 was primarily driven by five multibillion-dollar transactions, with more than half aligned to the food and beverage sector, confirming a positive deals outlook for the year, according to PwC's U.S. retail and consumer deals insights Q1 2014 report.

Google and Amazon are going head to head over Los Angeles area shoppers, launching same-day delivery services in the area within days of each other.

A conversation with Terry Esper, associate professor in the Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Arkansas.

China is going digital very quickly. By 2016, the country will have more than 730 million internet users and more than 380 million online shoppers, up from 460 million and 145 million, respectively, in 2010.

Building true omnichannel merchandising capabilities requires the merging of previously siloed business functions. Footwear retailer Aerosoles has been omnichannel for about 10 years now, however, over the past 18 months the organization has decided to step up to manage the business properly.