Adam Blair

In collaboration with more than 100 appliance brands, JD.com has expanded its “Trade-in Alliance for Household Appliances and Home Goods” services, which already have been implemented in 20 Chinese provinces and cities. The Alliance covers more than 200 product subcategories, including TVs, refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners. Earlier this month, the Chinese government announced “strong financial support” to encourage appliance recycling efforts across the country.

The United States has reached a tipping point in the shift toward electric vehicle (EV) adoption. But before EVs can become a fully mainstream choice for drivers, the nation’s EV charging infrastructure must become more widespread, convenient and reliable.

Retail is in the midst of a significant transformation. With ecommerce reshaping the landscape, physical stores have a unique opportunity to borrow a few strategies from tourist destinations and become experiences beyond the mundanity of walking up and down aisles. Over half of U.S. brands plan to increase investments in immersive technologies — think interactive displays for increased visual impact, carefully curated playlists and thoughtfully crafted scents that tap into nostalgia.

Touted as its biggest private label launch in 20 years, Walmart has introduced Bettergoods, a line of 300 food products priced up to $15, with most products available for under $5. Many of the Bettergoods items — which span categories including frozen, dairy, snacks, beverages, pasta and chocolate — are unique to Walmart rather than serving as lower-priced alternatives to national brands.

Pottery Barn Teen has upgraded its digital tools and added design services for young shoppers figuring out how to furnish their college rooms.

The global digital gift card market is expected to reach $724.3 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 14.2% CAGR.

Loyalty programs are a common (and undeniably effective) tool for retailers to gather data and build CLV, but perhaps they’ve become a little too common.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will pay a record civil penalty of $3.175 million

Ace Hardware has launched the private label Loud Mouth Barbeque line of sauces and rubs — its first edible product offerings.

[Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from the recent Retail TouchPoints Tech Guide, 3 Ways Generative AI is Transforming Brand Experiences. Subject matter experts from Cloudinary also will be discussing the use of generative AI as a tool for image management during the May 7, 2024 webcast, Getting Practical: Generative AI for Your Ecommerce Visuals.]