As e-commerce demand continues its explosive growth, it is vital for retailers to look closely at their digital capabilities and find the right methods for fulfilling online orders, says Jordan Berke, who helped Walmart build its e-commerce program in China. Berke outlines six approaches that can work based on the size of typical orders, including in-store picking to handle less than 50 orders a day and automated dark stores that can fill more than 1,000 orders each day.

Omnichannel efforts proved vital as retailers had to find new ways to serve customers during the pandemic, and Nordstrom's digital expertise sent it to the top of a new ranking in CI&T's Connected Retail Report that was presented at Retail's Big Show. Target, Home Depot, Staples and Walmart rounded out the ranking's top five.

Online consultations and improved visualization options are two ways Signet Jewelers, which owns brands including Kay and Jared, improved performance in its most recent fiscal quarter. Its three-year "Path to Brilliance" transformation effort has included closing 355 brick-and-mortar stores while focusing on its digital options and in-store order pickup.

Walmart reports on diversity efforts more often than it did before George Floyd was killed and is willing to have "difficult conversations" with staff to reduce bias, says CEO Doug McMillon. Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show, McMillon also discussed the company's efforts to become "regnerative" and be proactive about the environment.

PepsiCo is ramping up its sustainability goals by targeting carbon neutrality across its supply chain by 2040, one decade earlier than called for in the Paris Agreement. The company plans to increase the use of renewable energy, regenerative agriculture and net-zero emissions technology to hit its goal.

Mattel's Barbie is reaping the rewards of launching more inclusive products and the rising popularity among children and is using digital marketing to continue the momentum. Lisa McKnight, who oversees Mattel's Barbie and dolls lineup, talks about this approach, which includes Barbie's YouTube vlog, where she's talked about social justice, the Dream House Adventures app, which surpassed 71 million downloads, and launching "high-profile fashion partnerships."

In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US, Business Transformation SmartBrief will not publish Monday, Jan. 18. Publication will resume Jan. 20.