Deep Dive

Industry insights from our journalists

Adeline Kon/Retail Dive

Right now, retailers are writing their own rules on climate action. Does that need to change?

With an executive order in place and mounting pressure from multiple sides, climate regulation is brewing.
Maria Monteros • April 21, 2021
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6 Payments trends for 2021

The pandemic accelerated emerging payments trends, as "both the merchant and customer side picked up pace to evolve with changing market conditions," Forrester analyst Lily Varon said.
Vaidik Trivedi • April 06, 2021
Adeline Kon/Retail Dive

The omnichannel age is here — and it's expensive

Store pickup of online orders grew by triple digits amid the pandemic. Retailers are now scrambling to become more efficient sellers across channels.
Ben Unglesbee • April 05, 2021
Daphne Howland/Retail Dive

Malls tout proposed changes to REIT rules as good for retailers

But legislation that would alter longstanding tax policy and make it easier for landlords to buy their tenants is more likely an attempt to save the mall.
Daphne Howland • April 01, 2021
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9 emerging DTCs to watch in 2021

A lot has changed since Warby Parker and Dollar Shave Club entered the scene. In an increasingly crowded space, brands need to find what sets them apart.
Caroline Jansen • March 30, 2021
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How Nike is using DTC and data to expand its empire

Since 2011, the sportswear giant has grown direct-to-consumer sales from 16% of its namesake brand revenues to 35%, all while continuing to take share.
Cara Salpini • March 23, 2021
Adeline Kon/Retail Dive

Welcome to the lucrative world of retail bankruptcy

A look at the most expensive Chapter 11 proceedings in retail and the players that have profited from them.
Ben Unglesbee • March 08, 2021
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Finding Rae Dunn

Dunn's minimalistic approach to 比特币交易平台home goods has a community of collectors who hunt, and sometimes compete, for her products at off-price retailers.
Kaarin Vembar • March 02, 2021
Dillenbeck, John. (2018). "Marshall Field's Building Chicago" [photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr Pro.

Macy's Windy City blues

The department store is closing its Magnificent Mile location in Chicago. Some who remember Marshall Field's wish it had never arrived.
Daphne Howland • March 01, 2021
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The outdoors boom spared many retailers from the harshest impacts of COVID

Outdoor companies faced their share of ups and downs during the pandemic, but a tidal wave of new customers could prime the space for future growth.
Cara Salpini • Feb. 23, 2021
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Marketers play it safe as pandemic's effects linger

Industry leaders are pinning their hopes on a better year, but experts say marketing likely won't return to normal anytime soon.
Maria Monteros • Feb. 10, 2021
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What does a government reckoning with Google and Facebook mean for retail?

For many, the tech giants are key to customer acquisition online, and they dominate the market for digital advertising, making them all but unavoidable for retailers.
Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 04, 2021
Daphne Howland/Retail Dive

Do malls have any business getting into retail?

REITs' expanding ownership of troubled retailers complicates an investment setup dependent on steady revenue.
Daphne Howland • Feb. 02, 2021
Danielle Ternes/Retail Dive

After the extremes of 2020, retail resilience means a new sense of what's possible

A pandemic exposed the industry's vulnerabilities and latent survival skills. To weather the next disaster, companies must be agile and take risk seriously.
Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 25, 2021
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9 retail trends to watch in 2021

The pandemic will continue to reshape the industry and accelerate trends from consumer preferences to industry norms and structures in the year ahead.
Daphne Howland, Ben Unglesbee, Cara Salpini, Kaarin Vembar, Caroline Jansen and Maria Monteros • Jan. 12, 2021
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Is cashierless tech ready for prime time?

The pandemic has juiced demand for automated checkout systems, but the technology still has to prove itself over the long term.
Sam Silverstein • Dec. 03, 2020
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What the pandemic has cemented about Gen Z

Marketing to young shoppers this holiday season will look different — and create different winners — but much of their core values have stayed the same.
Cara Salpini • Nov. 23, 2020
Photo illustration by Danielle Ternes/Retail Dive; photograph by Scyther5 and Fizkes via Getty Images

'It's a violation of an implicit psychological contract': Why DTC culture issues hit hard

Many DTCs have faced criticism for workplace issues. Part of the problem may be that they promised something better.
Cara Salpini • Nov. 16, 2020
Photo illustration by Danielle Ternes/Retail Dive; photograph by fizkes, Nicola Katie and Urfinguss via Getty Images

Is the DTC brand aesthetic bad for business?

Sans serif font and bright colored backgrounds are hallmarks of digitally native brands, but it may not matter if they all look the same.
Cara Salpini • Nov. 16, 2020
Daphne Howland/Retail Dive

9 make-or-break retail turnarounds to watch in 2021

Companies in transformation and survival mode may be looking for normalcy. But the year ahead holds plenty of unknowns.
Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 09, 2020
Adeline Kon/Retail Dive

The decade of VC funding that shaped e-commerce and DTC brands

Direct to consumer might be the buzziest trend in retail over the past 10 years, but it's not where all the money's going.
Cara Salpini • Nov. 03, 2020
Adeline Kon/Retail Dive

How years of investor-friendly finance left retailers vulnerable to crisis

Public and private companies have transferred billions of dollars to their investors over the years. Could that money have saved their business instead?
Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 02, 2020
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Can retailers reinvent holiday cheer in a pandemic?

Mall Santas, tree lighting, Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade — retailers have to rethink every cornerstone of the holiday season, without losing the joy.
Cara Salpini • Oct. 26, 2020
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Life after liquidation: Why some brands thrive after closing shop and others don't

The market keeps growing for retail IP even after physical stores close. But does every dead retail brand need saving?
Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 19, 2020
Danielle Ternes/Retail Dive

Athletics retailers advertise diversity, but does their leadership reflect it?

Campaigns and company statements about systemic racism and women's rights abound in the athletics space. The pace of change is less certain.
Cara Salpini • Oct. 12, 2020