News•Jan 6, 2026
2026 Retail Predictions: More AI, Yes, but That’s Not All, Folks
Retail TouchPoints forecasts that AI will dominate every retail function in 2026, but the year’s biggest shifts will revolve around consumer wellbeing, curated experiences, and the rise of circular commerce. Experts from MG2, Pinterest, Walmart Data Ventures and others warn that shoppers now crave emotional clarity and streamlined, high‑quality choices rather than endless options. Retail media networks face fragmentation and inconsistent KPIs, prompting a push for unified measurement across discovery, retail and AI channels. Meanwhile, Gen Z’s purchasing power is accelerating demand for seamless resale, repair and recycling programs within stores.
By Retail TouchPoints
News•Jan 6, 2026
Returnuary Turns Holiday Returns Into a Margin Problem
January, known as Returnuary, brings a surge of post‑holiday product returns that compress retailer margins and overload reverse‑logistics networks. Return rates can climb above 30% of holiday sales, forcing merchants to absorb restocking fees, transportation costs, and inventory obsolescence. Many...
By E-Commerce Times
News•Jan 6, 2026
5 Content Marketing Ideas for February 2026
The article outlines five timely content‑marketing ideas for February 2025, using cultural milestones such as Charles Schulz’s death anniversary, the Pet Rock fad, Global Movie Day, Cinderella’s 75th anniversary, and a monthly shopper update. It recommends specific formats—blog posts, nostalgic...
By Practical Ecommerce
News•Jan 6, 2026
Top Read Retail CX Stories in 2025: Consumer Behavior, AI Ethics, Brand Tech Deployments
RetailCustomerExperience.com’s 2025 most‑read CX stories highlighted a wave of technology‑driven initiatives across the sector. Walmart pushed drone delivery, GenAI assistants and digital shelves, while Verizon rolled out AI‑powered personalization across every customer touchpoint. Brands such as The North Face, Oh Polly...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Jan 6, 2026
Fyffes Campaign Goes Bananas
Banana distributor Fyffes announced that its newly launched consumer brand, Trudi’s, has delivered strong market performance following a coordinated video advertising and digital signage campaign. The initiative drove a double‑digit increase in sales and lifted brand awareness across key retail...
By Retail Technology (Magazine)
News•Jan 5, 2026
Unified Platforms and Agentic AI Will Define E-Commerce in 2026
Retailers entering 2026 are consolidating disparate systems into unified platforms that blend storefront, inventory, and logistics into a single data fabric. Agentic artificial intelligence is emerging as a decision‑making layer, autonomously handling product recommendations, dynamic pricing, and fraud detection. Advanced...
By E-Commerce Times
News•Jan 5, 2026
Yes, 404 Status Codes Hurt SEO
A 404 status code signals a missing page but does not act as a direct ranking penalty in Google’s algorithm. Google actually prefers 404 or 410 responses for removed content, treating them as normal web signals. However, when deleted pages...
By Practical Ecommerce
News•Jan 5, 2026
Shoppers Want Flexible Delivery over Free Shipping
The 2025 Delivery Experience Study by Bringg reveals that shoppers now prioritize a reliable, flexible delivery experience over free shipping. Seventy‑one percent of consumers think about delivery before checkout, and 72% consider on‑time arrival essential. Late or inflexible deliveries drive...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Jan 5, 2026
J.Jill Names Viv Rettke as Chief Growth Officer
J.Jill has appointed Viv Rettke as its first chief growth officer, a newly created role aimed at accelerating the brand’s expansion. Rettke brings growth expertise from Cole Haan, Reebok and Kraft Heinz, where she led major brand transformations. She will...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Jan 5, 2026
Zales Sparkles with New Store Concept
US jewellery retailer Zales has launched a new next-gen store concept – The Edit
By Retail Technology (Magazine)
News•Jan 2, 2026
What Main Street Can Teach Silicon Valley About Building Loyalty
Andrew Helms, SumUp’s U.S. CEO, argues that Silicon Valley’s focus on rapid growth overlooks the loyalty built through personal trust on Main Street. He highlights how small‑business owners create lasting relationships by remembering customers, offering fair pricing, and showing genuine...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Jan 2, 2026
When Heavy Products Make Global Sense
Freight‑right founder Robert Khachatryan argues that heavy, high‑margin products—like commercial fitness equipment or laser welders—can thrive in cross‑border ecommerce despite shipping complexities. By examining visitor geography and freight quotes, merchants can identify overseas demand that justifies freight, duties, and taxes....
By Practical Ecommerce
News•Jan 2, 2026
Currys Upgrades Payment Tech
UK retailer Currys announced a partnership with payment processor Stripe to overhaul its checkout infrastructure. The integration will replace legacy systems with Stripe's unified payments platform, enabling faster, more secure transactions across online and in‑store channels. Currys expects the upgrade...
By Retail Technology (Magazine)
News•Dec 31, 2025
New Ecommerce Tools: December 31, 2025
The end‑of‑year roundup spotlights a wave of AI‑enhanced ecommerce solutions, from MobiLoud’s real‑time mobile‑app analytics dashboard to Hosted.com’s upgraded WordPress infrastructure. CPGIO expands its accelerator reach by adding more than 40 retail channels through partnerships with Nordstrom, Chewy, Lowe’s, Faire...
By Practical Ecommerce
News•Dec 30, 2025
Drugstore Chain Rossmann Taps Diebold Nixdorf for Expansion
European drugstore giant Rossmann has selected its long‑time technology partner Diebold Nixdorf to drive its expansion into Switzerland. The agreement adds comprehensive managed services through Diebold Nixdorf’s eServices portal and new retail hardware, including self‑checkout and POS systems, building on a model...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Dec 29, 2025
The True Cost of Device Downtime: How Mobile Failures Damage Customer Loyalty
Retail device downtime is eroding customer loyalty, with 60% of shoppers ready to switch brands after a single bad experience. Half of in‑store mobile endpoints run outdated operating systems, and a quarter cannot be upgraded, exposing retailers to freezes, ransomware...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Dec 29, 2025
The Psychology of AI SERPs and Shopping
AI-generated search overviews are reshaping how consumers find information and products. A Pew survey in March 2025 found 58% of U.S. adults saw an AI Overview, and only 8% of them clicked a traditional link, compared with 15% click‑through when...
By Practical Ecommerce
News•Dec 26, 2025
7 Steps Retail Leaders Can Take to Protect Customer Experience During Peak Seasons
Retail leaders face intense pressure during holiday and promotional spikes, requiring precise demand forecasting and flexible staffing. Updating knowledge bases, creating real‑time command centers, and stress‑testing systems ensure agents can respond quickly and accurately. Automation—through AI routing, chatbots, and CRM...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Dec 26, 2025
New Books: Swiftynomics, UX Skills, More
The newest business titles spotlight a shift toward people‑centric strategies, from Misty L. Heggeness’s *Swiftynomics* highlighting women’s economic power to B. Joseph Pine II’s *The Transformation Economy* urging firms to align with consumer aspirations. Other releases focus on UX‑business alignment, emotional drivers...
By Practical Ecommerce
News•Dec 23, 2025
How Money Launderers Are Exploiting E-Commerce
Online retailers are becoming prime targets for sophisticated money‑laundering schemes that exploit refund processes, third‑party marketplace sellers, and cross‑border payment channels. Criminal networks use these digital pathways to shift illicit proceeds quickly, sidestepping traditional banking oversight. The rise of platform‑based...
By E-Commerce Times
News•Dec 23, 2025
Walmart Expands Drone Delivery
Walmart has expanded its use of drone delivery in the US with tech partner Wing
By Retail Technology (Magazine)
News•Dec 22, 2025
Walmart Switches to Nasdaq
After decades on the NYSE, retail behemoth Walmart has debuted on the Nasdaq stock market
By Retail Technology (Magazine)
News•Dec 22, 2025
Why Calls Still Matter in Retail
Retail businesses increasingly rely on phone calls to convert leads and gather actionable data. Implementing IVR, AI call agents, call‑tracking analytics, and predictive modeling creates a data‑driven, omnichannel experience that shortens queues, personalizes interactions, and filters low‑quality calls. Coordinating these...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Dec 22, 2025
Goodwill Central Texas Pilots ReNu to Transform Operations, Employee Experience
Goodwill Central Texas has rolled out ReNu, an in‑house production platform that replaces its legacy POS system and adds AI‑driven dynamic pricing and channel optimization. The pilot, active in six stores, automates item valuation and directs inventory to the most...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Dec 22, 2025
Holiday Shoppers Tapping Mobile Device to Buy, Desktop for Returns
Adobe’s holiday shopping data shows mobile devices accounted for 52.4% of online spend between Nov 1 and Dec 12, while desktops handled the majority of returns. Overall returns fell 2.5% YoY, but are projected to jump 25‑35% after Christmas. Consumers have already...
By Retail Customer Experience