An emerging group of startups are bridging the gap between consumer and retailer by reducing friction in the returns process. ReturnRunners, for instance, offers to pick up returns and deliver them to brick-and-mortar retailers (or the post office). Fara Alexander, the company’s founder and CEO, explains the logistics — and why the future of the business may involve partnering with retailers.   Read More...

Subscriptions are gaining traction in the furniture space, with IKEA planning to test out the business model in Switzerland. The furniture retailer’s pilot comes amid a push for services with its TaskRabbit acquisition and for stores in city centers as it retools its core business for the digital age. We break it down. Read More...

To encourage seamless connections in the age of digital payments and retail, smart operators are figuring out how to integrate payments — not only into the workforce, but also into the workflow.  Read More...