2020 had no shortage of ecommerce news. The coronavirus pandemic disrupted retail and spurred many merchants to make changes to their businesses and strategies.

Digital Commerce 360 editors and researchers diligently covered the news and dug into some of the larger trends. Below are the articles that received the most page views in the online retail vertical on DigitlaCommerce360.com during 2020.

Most-read news stories

• Amazon is the fourth‑largest US delivery service and growing fast
  Amazon has invested $60 billion since 2014 in building out fulfillment warehouses, leasing airplanes and buying delivery vans, says Bank of America Global Research. The retailer already delivers half of its own packages in the U.S. and could become a major competitor for the fulfillment business of other e-retailers in the years ahead.
• A repeal of Section 230 could create big changes for online retailers—or not
  It’s impossible to predict how ecommerce merchants and social media would respond to a repeal of Section 230, which protects them from liability for things posted by website users. But the consequences of such a drastic policy change could be significant.
• Ecommerce shipments increase 47%, order delays spike as coronavirus continues
  Online order shipments in March and April continue to outpace 2019 levels, logistics vendors report. Consumers are more likely to see order delays because of the coronavirus, especially for larger shipments.
• Coronavirus will boost ecommerce in the long run, but brings new risks
  With stores closed, more consumers will shop online for the first time in new categories, particularly groceries and household essentials, say three investment professionals with ecommerce expertise. But risks include Amazon’s aggressive moves to take market share and the impact of consumers losing wages.
• The coronavirus impact on Amazon sellers
  With brick-and-mortar stores closing, more consumers are turning to Amazon, especially for faster deliveries. This has resulted in a sales lift for some Amazon marketplace sellers, but some worry about fulfillment woes as Amazon freezes shipments of ‘non-essential’ products from third-party merchants to its warehouses.
• Coronavirus is changing shoppers’ relationships with grocery retailers
  With U.S. consumers social distancing in response to the coronavirus, online grocery shopping has accelerated in an unprecedented way. Plus, buy online pick up in store orders surge for many e-retailers.
• What retailers need to know about gift card fraud
  The coronavirus fueled a surge in digital gift card sales. As a popular gift during the holiday season, gift card sales will only continue to increase. But gift cards are also an attractive product category for criminals. This article helps online retailers better understand and block fraudulent gift card purchases online.

Most-read in-depth stories

The seven, feature-length stories below received the most page views in 2020 on DigitalCommerce360.com. These  articles, free to Digital Commerce 360 Strategy members, detail the topics our readers found most relevant this year. They include an in-depth piece on gender diversity, how the coronavirus drove innovation in fulfillment and technology upgrades, and how thoughtful website design and personalization can drive more sales.

• Hims, a men’s wellness brand selling direct to consumers, is going public
  New Zealand craft paper, cacti and telehealth helped this DNVB tap into the under-served male beauty market. The brand—focused on destigmatizing uncomfortable topics like hair loss and erectile dysfunction—grew online revenue by more than 200% year over year in 2019 and recently launched its line in Target.
• Fabric retailer Joann.com launches curbside pickup as ecommerce booms
  Joann.com’s chief information officer Varadheesh Chennakrishnan chats with Digital Commerce 360 about the two ways retailers can go about launching curbside pickup and why it is doing both. During the height of the pandemic, 60% of Joann.com’s orders were picked up in store or via curbside.
• Cosmetics retailers lean into personalization to reach consumers online
  Benefit and Ipsy share why they invest in online personalization and why it’s essential during the pandemic when shoppers can’t head to stores and test out products.
• Coronavirus drives innovation in fulfillment
  Retailers and delivery companies are struggling to make on-time deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic, but shipments are slowly getting back on track, according to NorthShore Care Supply, which has found ways to better automate its fulfillment during the crisis.
• E-retailers make technology upgrades during the coronavirus
  Retailers are relying more on data, content management systems and servers as their ecommerce sites are put to the test during the pandemic. Here’s how two retailers in suddenly hot product categories are adapting to shifting consumer behavior causing surges in web traffic, decreases in store-based sales and spikes in online sales.
• Does ecommerce have a gender diversity problem?
  More men than women hold leadership roles in ecommerce. But the landscape is slowly shifting as more opportunities open up for women in online retailing.
• Look, feel and ease of use put shoppers in a buying mood
  Retailers have to balance sometimes-competing priorities to provide clear product visuals, seamless navigation, engaging content and a design that works for mobile shoppers.

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