Last week, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced that he will step down from his role as CEO later this year. He will be replaced by Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy. For many Americans who don’t have strong opinions about Amazon or its founder, this change will have little impact on how they view the […]

In less than a week, millions of people will gather around their televisions to watch two teams battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LV. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip the nation, and most people continue to wait for vaccination, the biggest sporting event of the year will be a notably […]

Live stream commerce – live selling over online video by a retailer or brand with contemporaneous, purchases from customers on the same platform – has seen growing adoption. With a more immersive and personal shopping experience than traditional online shopping, live stream commerce broadens interactions and deepens connections between sellers and consumers, giving companies a […]

When the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 resulted in government-mandated shutdowns, consumer spending for things other than essential grocery items fell off a cliff. Because of the lack of spending, coupled with federal stimulus payments and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, and despite growing unemployment, personal savings rates increased dramatically. The author of […]

Growing up, it seemed that my parents never returned a gift.  Later, it became apparent that maybe half the gifts were put to use and the other half were put in a drawer – permanently. Well, brick and mortar retailers and e-commerce retailers today wistfully long for such simple consumer behavior.  However, the purchase-return – […]