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Is Omnichannel the Future for Furniture Retail?

In the furniture sector, e-commerce continues to grow rapidly as cross-channel shopping trends evolve. The shopping journey is therefore becoming more complex, and retailers are being forced to rethink how they engage with customers. We explore how major players in the home furnishing market are investing in omnichannel transformation, as well as the challenges associated with this type of strategy.

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The Home Depot: A Timeline of Key Events

Read about the key dates and milestones in Home Depot’s rise to becoming a US home-improvement icon. From its humble beginnings as a more or less giant hardware store when it was founded in 1978, Home Depot has grown into a home improvement staple with more than 2,200 stores.

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Holiday 2019: US Retail Wrap-Up

​US retail enjoyed a solid holiday season: Consumers shrugged off concerns and boosted spending healthily over last year. Spending rose despite concerns over the economy, trade issues with China that could have pushed up prices at the register and increasing domestic political uncertainty.

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Retail 2020: 10 Trends for China E-Commerce

We expect 2020 to be a year full of innovation and expansion in China’s e-commerce market. Major players will adopt new initiatives and technologies and look to expand into lower-tier cities. We present 10 trends that will shape China’s e-commerce landscape in 2020 and the implications of these for brands.

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Can AR and VR Be Game Changers in Furniture Retail?

Augmented and virtual reality technologies are slowly but surely transforming the shopping experience for consumers in both online and offline retail. We review how various store-based and digital-first furniture retailers are investing in these technologies and assess the impact, challenges and potential of these investments.

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Double 12 Shopping Festival 2019 Wrap-Up

E-commerce platforms and offline merchants celebrated China’s last major shopping festival of the year, Double 12, on December 12. We provide highlights from this year’s festival, including the promotions and performance of Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall, the popularity of livestreaming, Alipay’s partnership with offline merchants and the strong consumption in lower-tier cities experienced by JD.com.

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Alibaba vs. Amazon: Head to Head in E-Commerce and Technology

​Alibaba Group and Amazon are innovators in retailing and technology, and both are expanding their presence into international markets. Employing its “New Retail” strategy, could the emerging China giant threaten Amazon’s global dominance? We discuss the competition between these two companies, considering their retail ecosystems, global expansion plans, financial performance and internally developed technologies.

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