Summer is nearly upon us. You are so ready to enjoy the much welcomed weather, but hold on… The beach (even if only in your imagination) is not going anywhere! Take a moment to glance at what happened last month in Retail and eCommerce….

Why buy buttons on Pinterest and Instagram haven't taken off for retailers

Two integral social platforms introduced “buy buttons” last summer aiming to help brands shift mobile browsers into shoppers. Keep in mind that mobile represented 16 percent of eCommerce dollars in 2015 compared to 84 percent on desktop, according to DigiDay. However, much to the surprise of many, the addition was not as successful as expected. The lack of product visibility given the great amount of content on both social media channels was a crucial detractor. Secondly, users are unable to shop for limitless products of which those platforms cannot store inventory. Many times users are met with a dead link or product that is no longer available.

The Best Retailers Combine Bricks and Clicks

May’s section of Business Models by Harvard Business Review conveyed a highly discussed topic in Retail: brick-and-mortar performance. According to HBR, brick-and-mortar sales accounted for 92.3 percent of retail sales in the first quarter of 2016. You might be asking yourself: How does that fit with the industry’s current landscape of closing stores and tanking stocks? The answer, according to the article, is that in this period of “retail reinvention” many physical stores are in trouble. That said, retailers should not see such changes solely related to eCommerce versus physical commerce. “Creative retailers are using the new technologies to innovate just about everything stores do from managing inventory, to marketing, to getting paid.”

What does 'innovation' in retail look like? 8 leaders weigh in

Retail Dive’s Kelsey Lindsey chronicled her recent interaction with speakers and attendees during the Retail Innovation Conference. She concluded that across the board, retail professionals believe that innovation in the industry surrounds and inevitably involves a consumer-focused mentality. Amongst the insights provided by eight executives is the fact that retailers should innovate “with data, not gut feelings.” According to Sharon Klapka (VP of business and brand development with Adore Me), innovation in retail should encompass “tracking [consumer] behaviors, and really seeing what they think, getting that data from them and really getting to know what impacts their motivations.”

For the First Time, Google Is Bringing Retail Ads to Image Search

According to the tech giant, mobile shopping searches are now 30 percent higher over last year, and a third of all online research purchases in the U.S. now happen on mobile devices. As a result, Google has launched ads in Google Images and has introduced local inventory features. The article by AdWeek mentions that Kohl’s, one of the first to use the local inventory pick-up feature, has driven between 40 and 50 percent more clicks from their local online storefront on Google to the Kohl's website.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says more brick-and-mortar stores are 'definitely' coming

According to Business Insider, Amazon believes they’ve found a way of creating differentiated customer experience that has sparked them to move forward with opening brick-and-mortar locations…even amidst so many closings of that segment in the industry.  As Jeff Bezos’ (company’s CEO) disclosed in a comment to shareholders almost a decade ago, he would have to address a series of concerns before venturing in physical retail. The article suggests the eCommerce Goliath has finally managed hurdles such as: physical stores to generate the returns on capital their investors expected when they invested in Amazon, and brick-and-mortar can grow to a scale where it can be significant to the company overall. If those are true, only the time will tell. That said, [competitors] ready or not, Amazon is coming.

This concludes another of our monthly round-ups. Check back in next month for a newly curated list of articles that will get you up-to-date with the retail industry’s latest buzz… Additionally, we invite you to stay tuned to our blog page and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to keep up with all of our musings.