PFS BLOG

Part One: The Shifting Face of CPG Over the last decade, a common theme that has transcended the retail sector…

2020 continues to be an extremely turbulent and disruptive time for the retail sector, with ongoing economic and political uncertainties…

The retail industry is changing, fast. Over the past decade, we have seen this sector move to a primarily online…

2019 certainly came with its challenges – from ongoing political turbulence to the evolving demands of today’s customer. But, the…

Here we are, less than two weeks away from the start of a new decade. While we may not feel…

Consumers are increasingly expecting fast, affordable and on-trend, seasonal apparel at the click of a button – putting increased pressure…

Shoppers across the US are in the holiday spirit this year. Consumer spending from the day before Thanksgiving to Cyber…

With the holiday season around the corner, fraudsters worldwide are gearing up for the opportunity to take advantage of both…

On the heels of shifting consumer preferences, global policy changes and a steady flow of cyber-attacks, the state of California…

The payments industry has become an ever-changing landscape. Consumer needs are constantly shifting, causing a clear impact on the rate…

Today, people who shop online expect a seamless shopping experience from first click to front door. That means not only…

In the world of eCommerce, retailers are always looking for ways to cut down on costs and improve their fulfillment…

The primary role of packaging is to protect a product throughout the eCommerce supply chain – from distribution to delivery.…

Providing highly responsive, brand-centric customer service is critical for retailers who want to keep up with today’s On-Demand Economy. Many…

The pop-up phenomenon has and continues to remould the retail landscape as we know it – and there’s no sign…

Today’s hyperconnected consumers spend their days hopping from one device to another. Whether at home, at work or out and…

The UK is currently pegged as the third largest market for e-commerce trade in the world. In fact, new figures…

Now that you have finally recovered from 2018’s tumultuous holiday peak season, guess what… it’s time to start preparing for…

24/7 availability, no hold times, answer thousands of inquiries at once and all with an ever positive attitude – at…

In today’s increasingly digital world, consumer expectations are growing. Technological and social advances have transformed the way customers interact with…

From pop-up stores to pop-up distribution centers, temporary retail operations are taking modern retail by a storm and quickly becoming…

eCommerce Packaging Needs Work eCommerce return shipments in the U.S. totaled $32 billion during the 2018 holiday season. An estimated…

So here we are, smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season! Holiday shipping deadlines are getting closer and closer…

This August, Debenhams announced its biggest loss in its 240-year history, £491.5 million. The iconic UK department store has since…

Over the weekend (and over the next couple days for some procrastinators) consumers have been rushing to buy last minute…

While we may not be ready to admit it, the 2018 holiday season is nearly upon us. Most businesses have…

Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice, this is for discussion purposes only. This is PFS's interpretation of the current…

Has the Wayfair decision left you scratching your head? You’re not alone. Earlier this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark…

Back in January of 2017 the LA Times ran an article titled, “Bad news for the Strand? Amazon is opening…

Omni-channel fulfillment has become a consumer expectation. Gone are the days when buying online and picking up in-store was an…

Fulfillment Technologies & Innovations Changing the Game With US eCommerce sales expected to reach $713 billion by 2022 (over $500…

As described by the Reverse Logistics Association (yes, it’s a big deal), “reverse logistics” refers to all activity associated with…

Hear that jingle? It’s not a holiday song. In fact, it’s more like “cha-ching” -- the sound of record Cyber…

It’s the same recipe for operations strategy success that we keep hearing about in the eCommerce world. Customers click and…

The holidays are all about lists, right? If you’re a retailer, you’ve probably completed everything on your holiday readiness list…

We posted a whitepaper earlier this year that studied four different age groups and their shopping habits. Each generation displays…

I’ll say it – I was a nerd. The feeling of a new, fat pack of PaperMate colored pens lined…

You can’t start preparing for the holidays or peak season sales too soon – but you can begin, too late.…

With human-like features and a wait-free route to customer service, chatbots create dependable brand relationships with their audience. In our…

Who doesn’t like arriving home and seeing a package at the front door? Even if it’s something you ordered and…

Globally, retail sales will top $27 trillion by 2020, with over $4 trillion attributed to eCommerce. In the US, sales…

The 21st annual Webby Award winners have been announced! With the worldwide internet currently boasting close to 1.2 billion websites,…

Global expansion into new markets provides huge potential for business growth in eCommerce. Many retailers are drawn to the prospect…

What do headless commerce and cloud computing have in common? They are among recent eCommerce trends that are changing the…

Blockchain. It’s being called the next generation of the Internet – a technology that will have far-reaching effects across societies,…

With the quickly evolving world of digital shopping, customers have been demanding more robust, engaging shopping experiences, forcing many retailers…

This has been a whirlwind year packed with events and digital shifts felt worldwide by everyone, especially retailers. New technologies…

The word is out: The 2016 holiday season is setting up for growth in online sales and seasonal jobs. As…

It’s that wonderful time of year again, retailers! With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, we’ve compiled key…

It’s not too late to get in on fright night’s record popularity and drive eCommerce Halloween sales. Halloween is all…

We’ve all heard it—it’s the age of the consumer. Shoppers want an effortless experience when clicking and flipping through sites,…

We’ve all heard it: B2C sets the standard for B2B when creating a consumer-oriented experience. The same (or similar) strategies…

With crying children painstakingly pulling their parents towards candy shelves, swerving crowds of shopping carts, and seemingly endless aisles hiding…

The long days of dusty summer baseball scrimmages and pavement football games are winding to a close as the later…

Reduced fuel consumption, faster driving speeds, safer roads, and fewer costs; these are just some of the possible benefits attained…

Thursday, June 23rd, the world watched, buzzing while more than 33 million U.K. citizens submitted their Brexit votes. The result,…

Our Global eCommerce Book examines the top 10 eCommerce markets around the world, compiling information on key demographic features, mobile…

The 2016 Australia eCommerce Market is home to the second largest online population in the Asia-Pacific region. With a stable…

The 2016 Brazil eCommerce Market is the largest in Latin America, featuring an expanding middle class and digital ecosystem. The market…

The 2016 Canada eCommerce Market features a sophisticated economy and a growing eCommerce industry, expected to total nearly $40 billion…

The 2016 South Korea eCommerce Market totaled nearly $38 billion last year and is expected to surpass $50 billion by…

As eCommerce technology continually evolves, customer experience is becoming increasingly essential to the conversion of sales. Some retailers are currently…

The 2016 France eCommerce market totaled over $42 billion last year and is projected to surpass $53 billion by 2018.…

The digital device a shopper utilizes can markedly affect eCommerce sales and buyer behaviors, especially when making a mobile shopping comparison…

The 2016 Germany eCommerce market totaled $62 billion in 2015 and is projected to surpass $82 billion by 2018. As…

Featuring a well-developed infrastructure and a digitally sophisticated population, the 2016 Japan eCommerce market totaled $89 billion last year and…

The 2016 U.K. eCommerce market is the strongest in Europe and the third largest in the world, totaling $99 billion…

B2B eCommerce continues to be a hot industry topic, but what are some of the key 2016 B2B eCommerce trends…

The 2016 China eCommerce market has become the largest in the world and is projected to total $1.6 trillion in…

The 2016 U.S. eCommerce market has become the second largest globally and is expected to reach a total of $482 billion by…

A hot Arabic sun glistens along the canal as Italian-inspired black gondolas languidly weave past one another, stopping at luxury…

With a burst of silver confetti, glimmer of fireworks, and the annual drop of the crystal ball (or an oversized…

  Our cross-border eCommerce whitepaper concentrates on the current and future growth of the cross-border retail industry, a trend that’s…

Another year, another Cyber Monday. As we continue on from our Cyber Monday 2014 results blog post last year, here are some…

With the orange jack-o-lantern buckets and fuzzy fake spider webs of Halloween back in storage for another year, the silent…

Our B2B eCommerce whitepaper focuses on the current state of B2B eCommerce and how this trillion dollar industry is evolving…

Social media has a major influence on shoppers’ browsing and buying habits. Customer experiences are being transformed by real-time tailored…

Viral trends can emerge in the blink of an eye and site traffic can increase exponentially in mere minutes. In this…

In years past, word of mouth and possibly a sprinkle of familial tradition were critical to product discovery. However, with…

Asia, the world’s largest and most rapidly growing eCommerce market, is projected to account for 48% of global cross-border eCommerce…

Born to a unique world of quickly-evolving technology, millennials (characterized as those aged 18 to 34, according to Social Lens…

As the southern neighbor of the U.S., Mexico eCommerce continues to increase its presence and is a target many eCommerce…

Our 2015 back to school infographic is a follow-up of our 2014 back to school post and features an array of…

As mobile commerce continues to grow worldwide, Europe is one continent that continues to see large increases in both smartphone…

Gender and online shopping have a unique relationship - a few years ago we discussed the differences between gender and…

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD "The Evolution of Commerce Through Consumer Behavior" INFOSHEET (PDF)   Our new infosheet discusses "The Evolution of…

Retail brands are always looking for ways to increase sales and retain customers. Long before the start of digital commerce,…

Fewer industries have evolved more over the past few years than the digital payment industry. From security chips in payment…

Our latest whitepaper discusses Western Europe from an eCommerce perspective and focuses on expansion opportunities not only for retailers with an…

As the fastest growing online retail country in the Asia Pacific, many online retailers are looking at India as a…

Social networks have become a vital component in the way people communicate. But how do social networks impact the way…

Last year, the term “omni-channel” continued to be a part of many conversations in the online retail industry as brands…

Despite the recent decline and discontinuation of Google Glass, it’s been projected by some technology experts that 2015 may be the…

The holiday season, successful for many online retailers, is now in the rear-view mirror. With 2015 officially under way, what…

If one trend emerged from the 2014 holiday season, it’s that more consumers are choosing not to wait in lines…

As we continue on from our Cyber Monday 2013 results blog post last year, here is our compilation of Cyber Monday 2014…

As the northern neighbors of the United States, online retail opportunities in Canada present a unique appeal to an array…

As we approach 2015, one commerce trend appears to be making its way into some retail stores around the world.…

The 2014 holiday shopping season is almost here! Our new infographic looks at data for the 2014 holiday shopping season…

The name Alibaba may not be a household name in the U.S. and Europe, but the Asian eCommerce giant is…

Italy has emerged recently as one of the major target markets for some online retail brands looking to expand into…

The Hispanic population in the United States continues to increase, having been recently projected by the U.S. Census Bureau to…

In the world of online retail, both large and small retailers are always looking for ways to be innovative when…

Online retailers are always looking for new and innovative ways to increase their conversion rates. From initiatives such as social…

Last year, we discussed the impact of back-to-school shopping online and how more parents are looking online for clothing, school supplies,…

We are excited for the launch of our monthly device comparison reports! With data from 31 unique brands and over…

Online retail continues to be a place of innovation for brands regarding their retail strategy. From driving sales to obtaining…

A key component of a successful online retail business is understanding consumer behavior. One of the key distinguishers of consumer…

Our newest infographic focuses on the everyday world of eCommerce in the United States, including a closer look into the…

It was only a few years ago when QR codes were among the “buzzwords” in the retail industry. Deemed as…

China is one of the most unique nations in the world when it comes to the online retail industry. With…

How does the global mobile commerce growth affect the retail industry? Our new infographic focuses on the latest global growth…

The term “big data”, or using complex datasets to further understand operations and customers, has now been a buzzword in…

Omni-channel commerce, or uniting online and traditional brick-and-mortar channels and operations, finally became a reality for some retailers in 2013.…

Security can be one of those things we don’t really think about until something bad happens. Recently in the retail…

European eCommerce can be complex, especially for online retailers in North America venturing into Europe for the first time. Things…

While Cyber Monday continues to be the biggest online shopping day in the United States, a new online shopping day has…

Following up on our Cyber Monday 2012 results blog post from last year, here is our compilation of Cyber Monday 2013…

The holiday season is set to get into full swing next week as online retailers start to roll out their…

Believe it or not, Cyber Monday 2013 is already less than a month away. We hope you were able to…

Ordering online can be a time consuming process – your payment information may not be saved, you may have forgotten…

It’s that time of year again – no, not the holiday season – but when Apple launches a new product…

One area of the world which has continued to grow from an eCommerce perspective is Latin America – an area…

Even though it’s still summer, the holiday season is approaching and many online retailers will begin making decisions surrounding their…

Responsive design, recently adopted by many popular eCommerce sites, is repurposing content based on the device and/or screen resolution of…

As the summer winds down and a new school year is on the horizon, it’s time for parents to get…

It wasn’t very long ago when ordering beauty products or household goods online was considered strange. Now, according to a…

Omni-channel commerce links together the physical and digital lives of brands. More and more, consumers are expecting to shop not…

Japan has been a country which has continued to innovate when it comes to technology – the world of eCommerce…

  Although many online retailers have recently shifted their focus towards newer digital marketing options such as mobile ads and…

By default, when tablets were introduced into the technology marketplace they were dubbed as “mobile” devices due to their ability…

The United Kingdom, also known as the UK, is composed of four European countries – England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern…

In the past, we have documented online sales tax in the United States and the three tax Acts which were…

Recently Google made some bold moves in the search marketing space, in particular with Google AdWords and Google Shopping, which…

One of the fastest growing social networks of 2012, Pinterest has not only connected users through its image-rich site but…

On-site search is often overlooked in the eCommerce industry - some online retailers are only concerned with their site being…

Many online retailers are still attempting to fully understand the concepts and capabilities mobile devices bring to their industry. With…

One of the hottest trends in the retail industry today is “showrooming”, or browsing in-store products only to purchase them…

It’s time to look back on how the past year has impacted the eCommerce industry. Here are some of the…

Approximately two weeks ago Cyber Monday took the online retail space by storm as the industry saw record sales of…

  Cyber Monday 2012 has come and gone. So how did the biggest online shopping day of the year compare…

Cyber Monday 2011 was one of the most successful days in the history of the online retail industry. Sales reached…

Technology simply never ceases to change. Our gadgets continue to get smaller, faster, lighter, smarter, and better. One of the…

Search engines continue to be a critical part of any eCommerce strategy. While social media may have taken some of…

Twenty years ago giving a gift to a friend or family member thousands of miles away wasn't easy. Often the process involved…

Last week, Apple took the technology world by storm once again with the unveiling of its iPhone 5. As we’ve…

Here is our latest mobile commerce infographic on the state of the mobile commerce industry, featuring facts and statistics on…

The online sales tax situation in the United States is a big concern for online retailers and can be a…

Historically, consumers have always talked to their friends and family about products and services. Does the baker around the corner…

Men and women have shopped differently for generations, well before the first eCommerce store launched. While it’s easy to translate…

Just four years ago flash sales were the “next big thing” and stormed onto the eCommerce scene during a sluggish…

Experts in eCommerce have never expected more from their web analytics than they do today. The analytics industry has evolved…

The state of eCommerce in Canada is unlike many other places in the world. The adoption rate of new technology…

In case you haven’t heard of Pinterest, it’s an image (and now some video) sharing social network where users can…

Getting consumers to visit an eCommerce site is a task within itself – retailers spend thousands on e-mail marketing, SEM…

The way consumers pay for products online is changing to keep pace with the ever-evolving online shopping experience. Concepts such…

Take a moment and think back to just 10 years ago – mobile commerce didn’t even exist. Five years ago…

China and Brazil are both the “superpowers” of their respective continents and are often looked to by surrounding countries as…

Here is our eCommerce infographic features statistics that recaps the top stories and events of 2011. Some of the major…

With the biggest online shopping day of the year finally over, how did Cyber Monday 2011 stack up against years…

With Cyber Monday only one week away the widely-anticipated 2011 Holiday Survival Kit was recently released by the National Retail…

It’s surprising how fast time flies as Cyber Monday is only a month away and 2012 is right around the…

--- A woman using a “virtual fitting room” on an eCommerce site --- When making purchasing decisions at a retail…

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev The world is constantly changing. With the evolution of the…

It seems as if these little black and white squares are starting to pop-up everywhere including in magazines, on billboards,…

It wasn’t long ago when sitting down to watch TV was actually an easy task. There weren’t satellite dishes and…

As the eCommerce market in the United States continues to flourish, many retailers are expanding their eCommerce presence to different…

Internet marketing has changed and it’s not looking back. While the term “Search Engine Marketing” (SEM) may be broad, there’s…

As we mentioned in our eCommerce Year in Review blog post at the beginning of the year, the iPad was…

In the world of eCommerce everyone has an opinion on what works, what doesn’t work, and what the next big…

With the release of the 2011 Internet Retailer Top 500 last week there certainly appears to be a buzz surrounding…

Not too long ago we had a blog post on the topic of Customer Care in the Smart Phone Era…

The 2011 Demandware XChange conference was hosted by Demandware late last month in the Boston, MA area. With over 300 attendees…

With the launch of the new kate spade new york site, many media outlets are focusing on the “Shop or…

SXSW, or South by Southwest, isn’t just about music anymore. Along with a film portion of the event there is…

In an era of tweets and text messages, real-time communication has changed the way people interact with one another. But…

With their latest ads appearing during the Super Bowl, it’s obvious that daily deal site Groupon is doing something right.…

With the evolution of the smart phone, optimizing your eCommerce site for mobile devices just makes sense. Did you know…

Advertisers and marketers are always looking for new ways to get their products in front of their audience and in…

As 2010 comes to an end, let’s review what happened last year in the world of eCommerce… 2010 was a…

One of the things 2010 will be remembered for within the eCommerce industry is being the year of the “flash…

So Cyber Monday has come to an end and in the days after the results are starting to roll in……

Since the true beginning of “Black Friday” in the 90’s and the widespread success of the event in the 2000’s,…

In a recent study of online retailers by Shop.org it was noted that 72.5% of respondents stated they have invested…

Last week the 2010 Shop.org Annual Summit took place at the Gaylord Hotel and Resort in Grapevine Texas. With over…

Communications in general have come such a long way over the past 50 years that it may have been difficult…

Our European office, located in Liège, Belgium offers some unique solutions which enhance the service offerings of PFSweb. Founded in…

Earlier this year, we were recognized with the 2009 Technology Supplier of the Year award from one of our longest…

Although live chat is certainly not a new service offered by eCommerce solution providers, most people often think of what…

LEGO® brand products are beloved by millions of children all over the world. As the world’s 6th largest toy manufacturer,…

For those of you unfamiliar with Demandware, they are a leading eCommerce platform provider which powers PFSweb’s End2End eCommerce® solution.…

Welcome to our fresh new web site featuring our new blog, Perspectives.  I believe it is fitting that we have…