E-commerce news and archive

EU targets fast fashion e-commerce with new customs regime

The European Union is set to overhaul its customs regulations, targeting the burgeoning low-cost e-commerce sector in a move that could significantly impact global online retail giants and consumer shopping habits. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was re-elected for a second five-year term last week, announced the...

RetailFeatured

Amazon's foray into ultra-fast fashion will be a seismic shift in e-commerce

The e-commerce giant Amazon is poised to disrupt the ultra-fast fashion market, a sector currently dominated by Chinese powerhouses Shein and Temu. This strategic move marks Amazon's entry into a burgeoning market segment characterised by rock-bottom prices and direct-from-China shipping models. With Shein and Temu reportedly dispatching up to 1...

Business

Scotch & Soda e-commerce: This is what we know about United Legwear & Apparel Europe

Scotch & Soda's e-commerce operations are being continued by United Legwear & Apparel Europe B.V., after the Amsterdam-based fashion brand's European retail branch went bankrupt and is not making a relaunch. The brick-and-mortar shops will close, but the online operations will be accommodated by the new licensee. But who is United Legwear &...

Business

Michael Kors introduces AI-powered retail assistant to website

In what it described as the “next-generation” of retail assistant, Michael Kors has unveiled a new ‘Shopping Muse’ powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to aid customers on its US website. In partnership with Mastercard-owned Dynamic Yield, the Shopping Muse looks to recreate the in-store experience online by “translating consumers’ colloquial...

Sale and special offers: a closer look at the discounting practices in the fashion industry

Discounting has become somewhat of the norm in the fashion industry today, with clearance culture emerging as the solution to excess stock for many retailers and brands. But could this practice be doing more harm than good? This background piece looks at sale and discounting practices. Contents • In fact, there’s not always a sale on • What...

Podcast

Podcast: Shopping on TikTok - what does it mean for e-commerce?

The mega-popular video app TikTok launched a new shopping feature in the US last year: TikTok Shop. With this, the app will compete with big e-commerce companies such as Amazon. According to research by Bloomberg, ByteDance Ltd, the company behind the app, plans to increase TikTok Shop's stake to 17.5 billion dollars (16 billion euros) this...

RetailFeatured

How consumers want to shop for fashion in-store

Fashion and sportswear consumers are increasingly embracing a hybrid approach to shopping, with 72 percent expressing a preference for both online and in-store experiences, according to recent research. This shift underscores a desire for consistency across channels, driven by the allure of physically interacting with products. Touching and...

Fashion Featured

Shopify announces new tools, including AI powered search

E-commerce provider Shopify is introducing over 100 updates in its Winter '24 Edition, a biannual showcase of the latest products and innovations. These updates aim to enhance merchant productivity and creativity significantly. In response to the evolving search behaviors of customers, Shopify said it is launching Semantic Search, an AI-powered...

Business

Marks & Spencer to undergo digital transformation for clothing and home

British department store retailer Marks & Spencer is set to undergo a digital transformation of its Clothing & Home business, in bid to create a more agile platform that responds better to consumer needs and trends. The process will be carried out with the company’s newest partner, o9 Solutions, a software platform provider that said it would be...

Business

Amazon unleashes AI-powered sizing-focused initiatives

E-commerce marketplace Amazon has introduced a series of artificial intelligence (AI) backed initiatives to its website that look to both personalise and enhance fit features for products. Such projects look to improve customer experience while further addressing sizing challenges that come with shopping online, the company said in a blog post....

BusinessFeatured

Logistics Challenges and Trends in E-commerce: Outlook for 2024

The ever-evolving e-commerce revolution is reshaping the fashion retail scene, providing consumers with unprecedented convenience. Yet, for companies manoeuvring through this dynamic environment, a host of logistical challenges accompanies this transformation, rendering the intricacies of effective logistics management increasingly vital for...

BusinessFeatured

Web Summit: Challenges and opportunities of social and live commerce in Europe and the US

Lisbon - Social and live commerce offers opportunities. That was the message offered by participants in the panel discussion 'Social and live commerce: what will it take to break through in the West?', which took place on November 15 at the technology conference Web Summit. There are two things going on in e-commerce right now, argued Sophie Frè...