Digital Commerce 360 Insights

We've all been there, sitting in a doctor's waiting room, listening to people around us cough and sneeze and wondering if we're going to catch what they've got. But some patients in southwest Michigan, where Spectrum Health operates, got a reprieve from this year's nasty flu bug. In this episode, Spectrum Health chief operating officer Tina Freese Decker shares how the health system's long-term investments in digital health services, such as mobile apps and video-based doctor visits, helped deliver health care to those in need and limit the flu's spread.

In this episode, B2B E-Commerce World editors Paul Demery and Bill Briggs share and discuss their predictions for B2B e-commerce in 2018. The episode digs into the hot topics of the Internet of Things, platform-readiness and the role of the sales team in an increasingly digital world.      

We've been in touch with a clutch of retail's top thought leaders asking what their top predictions for the industry are for 2018. In this episode, Rob Garf, vice president of industry strategy and insights at Salesforce Commerce Cloud, shares his predictions. The episode digs into the hot topics of artificial intelligence and voice-driven experiences, and what these developments mean for retailers.  For more 2018 predictions visit DigitalCommerce360.com.

Children's Health is one of the nation's largest pediatric health care providers, and as vice president of digital health Julie Hall-Barrow is the driving force behind its ground-breaking initiatives to deliver health care services to kids that might otherwise not see a doctor. In this episode Hall-Barrow and Internet Health Management editor Mark Brohan talk about the origination and execution of Children's Health's school- and community-based telehealth programs and the digital monitoring techniques it is using to make sure its patients stay healthy. Learn more about Children's Health's digital programs at Internet Health Management. Or stay on top of the latest in digital health programs, subscribe to its e-newsletter.     

Online retailers have booked strong holiday sales this season, and in this episode we analyze the sales activity and trends evident during Cyber Week--the Tuesday before Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday (the Monday following Thanksgiving). Providing statistics and analysis is Ken Cassar, vice president and principal analyst at Slice Intelligence. Ken names the week's sales winners and losers, market leaders and challengers, and forecasts what retailers and consumers can expect for the remainder of the holiday shopping season. Keep up on the season's triumphs and travails by reading Digital Commerce 360's ongoing coverage of the online retail industry, or by subscribing to the daily IRNewslink e-newsletter.

Dr. Robert Pearl, former CEO of Permanente, the largest medical group in the U.S., has a unique vantage point on how much digital and data technology can help transform--or at least improve--how health care is delivered and managed in this country. In this episode Dr. Pearl talks about digital technology's contribution to improved treatments and outcomes for patients and the themes running through his recently published book, "Mistreated: Why We Think We're Getting Good Health Care--and Why We're Usually Wrong."   

Retail companies born online are learning how the strategic use of bricks-and-mortar stores can add value to their business. Retailers including Bonobos, ModCloth, Fabletics, Amazon and others are opening stores as a way to build brand recognition and acquire customers as growth online gets harder, or more costly, to come by. And as editor Zak Stambor learned in reporting the November cover story of Internet Retailer magazine, driving direct sales from stores is a secondary objective for most merchants.  Learn more on DigitalCommerce360.com/Internet-Retailer.  

“We shop for everything else online, why not health benefits?" says Alan Cohen, co-founder of Liazon (now part of Willis Towers Watson), the first private exchange for healthcare enrollment. In this episode Cohen walks us through the rise of private healthcare exchanges and how they give employees more control over their health coverage. In a conversation with Internet Health Management editor Mark Brohan, Cohen outlines where exchanges and the pricing of health care services are headed, including the use of dynamic pricing and auctions. "I need to have a knee replacement: Bid on it," he says, describing how patients may buy services in the very near future.  Cohen is the author of "Employee Benefits and the New Health Care Landscape."  

This episode tackles the design and service challenges manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors face when selling B2B online. Guests Lauren Freedman of Astound Commerce and Paul Demery of B2BecNews and lead author behind the B2B E-Commerce 300 rankings share their findings and insights on what B2B companies engaged in e-commerce are doing well, and what areas need some work.

More e-retailers in North America run their sites on Magento's e-commerce platform than any other. Magento's gone through many big changes in the two years since it spun off from eBay. In this episode, Magento CEO Mark Lavelle provides an update on these changes, shares what Magento users need to know and the opportunities he sees for online retailers.    

The U.S. healthcare system needs some treatment. Recognized physician leader Dr. Halee Fischer-Wright shares her prescription for rebuilding the healthcare system's health, and says it begins with improving the one-on-one relationships patients have with their doctors. This includes incorporating smart science and digital technology into the relationship and the service medical practices provide. In this episode, Dr. Fischer-Wright shares findings from her recently published book, "Back to Balance: The Art, Science, and Business of Medicine," and anecdotes from her years as a practicing physician and more recently as the CEO of the Medical Group Management Association.

Andy Williams smoothly sings the holidays are the "most wonderful time of the year," and many online retailers agree, although they cast it as frantic too. The November-December sales period accounts for an out-sized proportion of annual sales, and online retailers increasingly do especially well during the Christmas season. This episode covers industry forecasts for holiday season sales, how merchants large and small are staffing up to manage holiday volume, and the marketing programs e-retailers are putting in place to draw consumers this season. Retailers discussed include Macy's, Amazon, Jet, J&P Cycles, Leather Gloves Online and Shoebacca. Visit Digital Commerce 360's Internet Retailer for more coverage.  

In this episode, Stefany Zaroban, the head of Internet Retailer's research team and the author of “Health and Beauty Online: Where the Big Money Is,” digs into one of the more dynamic product categories in online retailing. Because of its high margins, consistent repeat order rates and the generally small and lightweight products sold (read: inexpensive to ship), health and beauty goods are among the most profitable in online retailing, and the 58 merchants Stefany studied in researching her report drove about $9 billion in sales online last year, out of a total market size of $12 billion. In this podcast, Stefany covers the digital strategies of the segment's leading players, such as Estée Lauder Cos., and startups including Beautykind, which is taking an innovative, hands-on approach to building its customer base.

U.S. consumers spent nearly $360 billion on apparel last year, and nearly 24% of that spending happened online. In this episode, Don Davis, editor and author of Internet Retailer's 2017 Online Apparel Retail Report, explores the market forces at play compelling consumers to shift their apparel spending online, which merchants are winning or losing online, and how retail chains and brand manufacturers are responding to the digital challenge. Retailers discussed include Canada Goose, Amazon, Walmart, M. Gemi, Nike and Ivory Ella.

This quick-hit episode divulges results from a survey Internet Retailer conducted with BizRate Insights of more than 2,800 online shoppers. Consumers shared their perceptions of some of the largest e-retailers and exactly which shopping apps they have--and use--on their phones. Senior research analyst Fareeha Ali shares the findings. 

Digital healthcare is a transformative market opportunity--and retailers and technology providers want their piece of it. In this episode, Internet Health Management editor Mark Brohan shares what he's learned from two months of research and interviews with top executives eagerly pushing into the digital healthcare market, such as the healthcare go-to-market strategies of Salesforce.com and Akamai, and online retailers including online pharmacy PillPack and Orthotic Shop. 

In this Executive Voices episode, Marie Tillman, founder and CEO of Mac & Mia, a growing startup that sells clothing for kids from newborn to 6 years of age, shares her story. Marie founded Mac & Mia out of her garage in 2014 while on maternity leave from her day job as president of the Pat Tillman Foundation, a non-profit organization named after her first husband that’s awarded more than $14 million in academic scholarships to military veterans and their spouses. In this episode, Marie tells us about why she decided to get into e-commerce, the inspiration behind Mac & Mia, and the parallels she sees in leading a startup venture and the foundation. We recorded this segment on site after taking a tour of Mac & Mia’s headquarters—a warehouse space in downtown Chicago.

Amazon.com Inc. officially closed its deal to buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion dollars this week, effectively making its first really substantial entry into bricks-and-mortar retailing, and probably giving supermarket executives everywhere nightmares. In closing the deal, Amazon confirmed a number of the theories that industry watchers had been batting around since Amazon announced its plans to by Whole Foods back in June. In this episode, Katie Evans, Internet Retailer’s technology editor who has been following the Amazon Whole Foods story, and who authored Internet Retailer Magazine’s September cover story on the same topic, talks about the moves Amazon is beginning to make in the grocery market and what it means for retailing at large.

Investment in e-commerce by venture capitalists slowed in 2016. In this episode, James Melton, Internet Retailer research analyst and author of the "Top Investors in E-commerce Report," explains why investors backed off, whether their caution is temporary and points to the markets and business models that continue to draw attention from investors. He also discusses the e-retail companies that garnered significant investment, including Boxed.com, Memebox, and the Wish shopping app. 

Online marketplaces are digital versions of shopping malls: Lots of merchants and lots of products in one place. In this segment, Internet Retailer senior research analyst Fareeha Ali shares details on the biggest online marketplaces in the U.S. (Amazon, eBay and the growing Walmart.com), and online marketplaces' global leader, China's Alibaba. 

The U.S. healthcare system is a $3.2 trillion industry, and Amazon.com Inc. is positioning itself to take a share of it. In this segment, Internet Health Management editor Mark Brohan explains how e-retailing's leader is getting into the healthcare space more significantly--Amazon's AWS unit powers Healthcare.gov, for instance--and the waves it is creating for other healthcare players. Internet Health Management is Digital Commerce 360's news site that explores how the internet and e-commerce technology are changing how consumers research, pay for and manage healthcare.

The Global 1000 Report from Internet Retailer's research team ranks and analyzes the 1000 largest online retailers in the world based on their sales. In this episode, the report's author, Don Davis, describes the biggest global trends he uncovered, including the growing value of online marketplaces and market leaders including Alibaba, Amazon and Walmart.    

Internet Retailer digital editor Tracy Maple answers questions about the back-to-school shopping season, including spending projections and the digital marketing techniques being deployed by retailers.