What We’re Reading: UPS Delays, Private Brands & Selling on Amazon

This week we’re reading a variety of news from the retail industry. Check out articles about UPS delays after Cyber Monday, how Amazon is upending private branding, and how SMBs should sell on Amazon. (more…)

Keeping Buyers Happy: Year-Long Lessons from the Holiday Shopping Season

(This is a guest post from our friend Jake Rheude over at Red Stag Fulfillment.)

With Black Friday over, you’re probably sighing a happy sigh of relief and enjoying the nice push of new business your way. That’s thanks to 65% of Americans spending an average of $420 over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Black Friday alone felt a 16.9% growth compared to the year before to reach $5.03 billion in online sales alone.

It sounds like great news, but there are plenty of lessons in there for us all to find once the madness of the holidays takes a pause.

The biggest and most prominent takeaway is that in-store stoppers on Black Friday were down 4% compared to the year before. Fewer people were making it through the brick-and-mortar doors, while more were opting for digital doors.

The same data from the Wall Street Journal and RetailNext found that middle-class consumers were sticking to their phones and PCs, while the luxury and bargain-hunting ends of the spectrum were willing to brave the store.

Now that we’ve got a little bit of insight into the current state of affairs, it’s time to tackle the bigger picture. Here’s how you get them to come back in January, February, and all the other months to follow before next year’s big spending season. (more…)

What We’re Reading: 2018 is the Year for Customer Experience

This week we’re reading all about the importance of customer experience. In these articles, see why 2018 is all about customer experience, how shoppers have better tech tools than store associates, and how two brands navigate modern eCommerce customer service issues.

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What We’re Reading: Last-Minute Holiday Advice

With only a few weeks left until Thanksgiving, it’s hard to get away from all the articles about holiday selling. This week we compiled information about some of the last- minute advice that retailers can still take advantage of before the holidays hit. (more…)

Avoiding and Overcoming Flash Sale Failures

Over the years, flash sales (or daily deals) have become a common strategy for online merchants to drive sales, attract new customers, and promote their brand.

When executed well, merchants can use flash sales as a competitive advantage. You can grow your business faster and increase your bottom line. When run inefficiently though, merchants can corrode their brand image and actually lose sales!

In this post, we cover the risks of running flash sales and how to avoid some of the common failures that merchants experience. With a little bit of upfront work, you could run successful flash sales on a regular basis. (more…)