A kinder, gentler shopper?

Consumers expect to have issues shopping this holiday. Here’s how they’re adapting.

There’s no second place in a popularity contest

US brands regain standing among cross-border consumers

Brexit’s effect on US brands

Half a year after Brexit, UK & EU consumers are adapting with new habits

Stretch pants are the new…pants

The (ahem) expansive popularity of athleisure drives lower return rates

Commutes and curation

You’ll be surprised how reopening offices is impacting the subscription industry.

Return of the Zoomies

In-school learning is set to return in full force. What does this mean for back-to-school sales?

Peak purchasing preview

We asked consumers when and how much they expect to spend this holiday. The answers weren’t what we were expecting.

Have normal, will travel

Nearly half of consumers are taking more than one trip this summer, driving spending habits in new directions.

Logistics needs people. So where are the people?

We explore why there’s a logistics labor shortage in the midst of massive unemployment.

What’s the value of a guarantee?

Guaranteeing delivery builds confidence, conversions and (gasp) beats fast shipping with most consumers.

Mid-term report cards

Halfway to peak 2021 and amid pandemic recovery, we asked consumers to grade their online order experiences by retail category.

Spandex killed the bracketing star

The unexpected (and profit-driving) side effect of elastic waistbands on return rates

Song of the Summer: Stimmy & Jab?

How much of an impact will the vaccine have on summer spending? The answers surprised us.

Slow your roll

Fast delivery isn’t as fast as you might think — and might not be worth as much as it recently was.

Packaging in the age of YouTube

We return to one of our most popular topics—what consumers believe packaging is worth. Gen Zers (among others!) continue to surprise us.

Like having a limb ripped off

We asked consumers how they felt about various returns initiation processes. The responses were mostly metaphorical

Checking the green box

Brands are weighing the business value of sustainable products and packaging. Here’s what consumers think.

Green acres is the place to be

The physical dispersion of consumers will change everything…and also ecommerce logistics.

Vürtdaførk: IKEA, digital brands and the fate of the print catalog

Just as the furniture retailer goes all-in on digital, digital brands rediscover the catalog.

How do you say…’never mind’?

We asked cross-border shoppers about their pain thresholds—with returns

Rockwell was right: somebody’s watching (and we’re mostly ok with it)

Most consumers have become inured to highly personalized retail marketing. But many are getting creeped out.

Returns: a convenience wasteland?

More than 3 in 4 consumers said recent online returns experiences were a hassle. We wanted to learn why.

Speed is in the eye of the beholder

Here’s where distance doesn’t lower shipping expectations among cross-border consumers.

Big in China

While apparel & accessories are popular everywhere, these categories do particularly well in specific cross-border markets.

Disapproving neighbors…are still neighbors

We built a Cross-border Market Value Model to stack rank opportunities for US brands among skeptical international consumers.

The junk in your customers’ trunk is costing you

The pandemic is affecting the time it takes to recover online returns while impacting customer service calls.

More than Netflix & Stitch Fix

Subscription services—both digital and physical—have seen significant growth in the pandemic. But does the adoption have staying power?

Southern exposure: Canadian attitudes towards US brands

Canadian consumers report spending 41% of their total online purchases with US-based retailers.

Here come the returns

This peak, home pickup is the #1 returns option for COVID-weary consumers, yet half don’t know which carriers offer it for free.

Long distance relationships are hard

Brexit agreement redraws lines among cross-border consumer behaviors.

The vaccine cometh: what’s on consumers’ minds?

42% of consumers plan to shop even more online after the pandemic ends.

Report card time: how did consumers grade peak season?

Consistently more than half of consumers shopped online each week through peak. While 1 in 4 experienced delivery delays, most seem to have graded retailers on a curve.

How many deliveries are too many?

More than half of consumers have become more aware of the growing mountain of boxes at their doors since the start of the pandemic. Few feel inclined to change it.

Porch piracy is a problem. Or so I’ve heard.

7 in 10 say that it’s a problem that needs to be solved ASAP. 1 in 5 have actually experienced it.

"Sometimes the only thing I have to look forward to."

Amid the monotony of pandemic life, consumers find value in receiving and unboxing online deliveries.

Putting on or taking off the COVID-19?

The majority of consumers have seen their weight change during the pandemic, driving new purchases across product categories

Reconsidering the need for speed

In anticipation of ecommerce’s largest peak ever—we asked consumers, what does “fast” shipping mean anymore?

‘Flattening the curve’ of peak shipping volumes

In a year when uncertainty abounds, there’s plenty to share this holiday season.

IDK, maybe being undecided is a choice

They may be unsure who to vote for or how they feel about the pandemic, but undecided voters are certain about these two things.

Guess who’s coming to deliver

Recognition and uncertainty reshape consumers’ relationships with delivery drivers.

It’s always been a hassle, but now…

Consumers, delivery tracking…and anger management.

Curbside pickup is having a moment

So why do 1 in 4 consumers feel like they're being put to work?

Sad returns: the challenge with in-person drop-off

Among pandemic-weary consumers, nearly half find the process annoying.

All at once: when consumers, culture & COVID collide

What we’ve discovered—and still have to learn—about the new age of ecommerce order experiences.