Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days helps October online spending break records
- Home Depot launches its own mini-series
- Best Buy launches livestream holiday shopping series
- Amazon pilots collaborative mobile shopping feature
- Klarna adds AI-driven shopping lens to app
- Walmart app to bring virtual makeup try-on to customers
- Amazon offering One Medical benefits for Prime members
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Adobe Analytics predicts this year’s online holiday sales between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31 will reach $221.8 billion, a 4.8% bump from last year.
- Results from Amazon’s October Prime Big Deal Days event suggest the promotion is a success for Amazon.
- Amazon’s Prime Video Series Virtual Campus Store Launch.
- Walmart is eyeing generative AI-powered experiences including enhancing search functions for online shopping.
- Costco is advancing its mobile app capabilities for in-store shopping.
- Potentially accelerating the pricing wars, TikTok launches holiday discounts to compete with Amazon and Walmart.
- Amazon launches generative AI to help sellers write product descriptions.
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Walmart’s e-grocery sales share hits record high. The retailer accounted for nearly 36% of all U.S. online grocery sales in Q2, up 5% from the same period in 2022.
- Home Depot creates content hub for new homeowners.
- Luxury skin wellness brand Elemis has partnered with Perfect Corp. on an artificial intelligence-driven skin diagnostic experience.
- DoorDash is using artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure all voice orders are answered quickly and properly.
- Instacart adds AI capabilities for storefronts, smart carts.
- Amazon tests $35 free shipping minimum.
- The drone technology subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet will support deliveries via drone at select Walmart stores.
- ... and many more!
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Amazon is hosting an October 2023 shopping promo called Prime Big Deal Days for Prime members across 19 countries including the U.S. and Canada.
- Walmart leverages Roku for curated celebrity campaign and expands mobile AR shopping capabilities.
- 7-Eleven redesigns its mobile app for easier accessibility and debuts digital NFT collectibles.
- Albertsons adds nutrition guidance tool to digital health system and gamifies summer savings.
- Target going national with curbside Starbucks service.
- Amazon and Walmart will account for $580B, close to 40%, of an expected windfall from radical industry transformation caused by artificial intelligence (AI).
- Amazon is now leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to make customer reviews more accessible
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- 2023 Prime Day looks promising: an early read of Prime Day 2023 shows the average order size was $54.05, up from $52.26 in the same reporting period on Prime Day 2022. Nearly two- thirds (65%) of households shopping Prime Day placed 2+ separate orders, bringing the average household spend to roughly $155.67.
- Who spends the most on Amazon? Alabama emerged as the state with the highest percentage of passionate Amazon users. North Carolina followed closely behind, with 34.7% of respondents sharing a similar level of devotion to the retailer.
- US e-commerce sales to exceed $1.1 trillion in 2023, up 10% year over year.
- DoorDash has added the ability to use SNAP EBT online payments for on-demand delivery of eligible grocery items as part of numerous app updates for consumers.
- Walmart Canada’s Delivery Pass now gives shoppers access to unlimited, free next-day delivery from stores — for a monthly or annual fee.
- Albertsons Media Collective is launching a pilot program in which it’s replacing its traditional digital circular ads with interactive digital circular ads across Facebook and Instagram.
- And many more...!
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Despite eCommerce Push, 87% of Grocery Transactions Occur in Stores.
- DoorDash is kicking off its fourth annual “Summer of DashPass” promotion.
- Instacart will pilot a feature for customers that lets them select their favorite personal shoppers to fulfill online orders.
- A new survey of more than 1,000 Prime members from performance marketing firm Tinuiti reveals that 80% of respondents plan to shop during Prime Day this year.
- Kroger brings digital smart screens to 500 locations.
- Aldi launches 30-minute quick commerce delivery.
- Continuing its pursuit of investing in innovative startups, BOLD, the venture capital arm of L’Oréal, led a $34 million Series B funding round for Debut, a beauty biotechnology startup.
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Amazon has debuted Amazon Anywhere, a new shopping tool that allows users to make purchases within games and apps.
- Firework and The Fresh Market plan to pilot an automated platform that can respond to shopper questions post watching livestreamed videos.
- Coty Inc. plans to launch Coty Campus, an internal virtual environment for its 11,000 employees.
- Klarna’s app now includes a personalized shopping feed powered by AI.
- Instacart is rolling out new ways for its customers to save money.
- Amazon is providing a financial incentive for some Prime shoppers to forgo delivery of their orders.
- Pinterest is teaming up with an e-commerce titan to continue expanding its capabilities as an ad platform.
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- The Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag launched a pilot to test a returnable retail bag deposit model.
- Mercari, the secondhand goods marketplace, debuted Merchat AI, a shopping assistant that uses the artificial intelligence software ChatGPT.
- Walmart winds down Roblox play as metaverse lands in privacy crosshairs.
- Building upon its in-store lab concept, Clinique has launched The Clinique Lab.
- The Uber Eats on-demand delivery subsidiary of Uber is expanding an automated delivery partnership with self-driving robot provider Cartken.
- Uber Eats is introducing a new Certified Virtual Restaurant Program.
- AWS is launching a limited preview of a new generative AI model called Bedrock.
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Online grocery shoppers have declared which retailer provides their most preferred e-commerce experience: Walmart received the top ranking, Amazon Fresh followed at #2.
- The Fresh Market has introduced a digital-only magazine with interactive shopping features.
- Instacart launches updates to digital solutions under its Instacart Platform, noting that the new capabilities are now available to grocers across North America.
- Amazon pulls back from UPS considering logistics empire and expands same-day delivery service by growing its specialized fulfillment center footprint.
- DoorDash has struck an agreement with Aldi to provide delivery service from most of the German discount supermarket chain’s locations across 38 U.S. states.
- Instacart is adding OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot technology to its app.
- Sam’s Club is making real-time, intelligently retargeted display advertising available across tens of thousands of sites on the open web
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Online retail sales surpassed $1 trillion last year “for the first time in history”.
- Online grocery sales projected to grow 11.7% over the next five years.
- A DTC cosmetics brand, Buxom Cosmetics, running a six-month metaverse promotion called “Buxom PlumpVerse,” taking a hybrid approach to metaverse commerce, which involves bringing users into the metaverse platform gradually through channels they are already familiar with, such as Instagram, email, and the DTC website.
- Instacart announced Monday the launch of its Scan & Pay solution at Foodcellar Market, as it looks beyond e-commerce and toward offering more in-store solutions for grocers.
- Carrefour notches up a first as data and innovation teams explore ChatGPT and generative AI use cases.
- Amazon halts Fresh rollout to re-evaluate the economics of its mainstream grocery concept and plans to charge Prime members service fees on Amazon Fresh delivery orders that are under $150.
- And many more...!
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Holiday e-commerce sales broke records in 2022
- The use of digital technologies by both shoppers and grocery store associates are forecast to increase in 2023, but improvements are necessary if retailers are to maximize performance.
- Walmart has launched a free Text to Shop functionality, focusing on providing convenience for any Walmart customer who has an account.
- Instacart targets SNAP shoppers with discounted memberships, as it seeks a solution to help more food-insecure families tap into the many benefits of online grocery.
- Albertsons started selling and delivering tangible items in the metaverse to customers, becoming the first grocer to do so.
- In an effort to gain momentum in the highly competitive U.S. grocery e-commerce market, Uber has struck a deal with Meijer and Cartken to attract grocery shoppers to its platform
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Cyber Monday Drove $11.3 Billion in Online Spending, Breaking E-Commerce Record
- TikTok pilots in-app commerce in the U.S., as TikTok’s parent company, China-based ByteDance, attempts to establish a robust livestream shopping business in the U.S.
- Putting itself in competition with apps like TikTok and Instagram where influencers promote products, Amazon rolls out TikTok-like shopping feature called Inspire, a content hub for customers to discover and explore products
- In preparation for the holidays, Pinterest and Walmart are tapping into live commerce to drive sales and product discovery.
- Joining other companies in creating visual search tools, Walmart has launched TrendGetter, an image recognition tool, to drive product discovery.
- Google is making AR-powered search a bigger priority during a holiday season, as many people still intensively research products online before they buy.
- With the metaverse forecasted as the future of social media, Adidas, Nike and Starbucks dive deeper into virtual goods.
- To win more customers with ease and convenience, Kroger, Walgreens, Sephora and Grocery Outlet are enhancing their online delivery options
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Digital commerce extends way beyond online sales. Before the pandemic, 51% of sales were influenced by digital shopping tools, today 60% are, by 2027 it will be 70%. What is the reason for high digital influence and how it varies across the categories?
- Prime Early Access sales results: while Bank of America estimated Amazon's October Prime Early Access sale to have generated 25% less than Prime Day in July, they saw it as highly beneficial, a market share driver and a branding event for Prime.
- Amazon continues to innovate on behalf of its customers, expands its selection of ad-free music and podcasts for Prime members, introduces Venmo payment method, introduces eyewear virtual try-on for customers and brands in collaboration with Snapchat.
- Aldi is developing an online grocery platform that will offer pickup and delivery service in as little as an hour across the supermarket chain’s U.S. footprint.
- Walmart is partnering with Popable, a pop-up shop marketplace platform that connects brands and physical spaces for short-term retail leasing.
And more in today's episode!
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Retailers are offering early holiday deals with Amazon holding its Prime Early Access Sale, while Walmart is hosting its "Rollbacks and More" saving event.
- Walmart is diving into virtual spaces with the launch of two Roblox experiences, a new digital collectible platform, known as AutoT, in collaboration with NECA (National Entertainment Collectibles Association), and a new Be Your Own Model virtual try-on function.
- Amazon is debuting what it calls the “Amazonmetaworld,” a metaverse of digital gamification experiences, in five Indian cities during September 2022.
- Instacart is continuing to not only expand its services for retailers but to also connect them in ways that reflect evolving shopper demand and new operational realities. It rolls out a suite of connected technologies, including scan-and-go checkout and electronic shelf labels, that extends the e-commerce company’s digital footprint into in-store shopping.
- Grubhub and Gopuff are piloting a collaboration that combines inventory and fulfillment capabilities.
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Prime Exclusive Discounts for Amazon's Fall Prime Day are now available for submission. And even more submissions are now available on VC.
- Amazon has become "Google" of Product Searches, with 61% of consumers beginning their product hunt on the retailer's website.
- Walmart has launched new initiatives, including partnership with Paramount Global and Walmart Rewards as a new benefit to its Walmart+ membership.
- DoorDash is partnering with Meta to pilot Facebook Marketplace deliveries.
- As it gears up for an anticipated IPO, Instacart has added OrderUp!, eCommerce tech startup Rosie and Carts to its portfolio.
...and much more!
- Prime members purchased more than 300 million items worldwide during Prime Day 2022, the most in Amazon’s history, with total U.S. online spending across retailers reaching $11.9 billion, representing 8.5% growth.
- Instacart rolls out personal shopper rewards program, as a way to recognize top shoppers with impactful incentives that help them stand out, improve their access to earnings and reach their personal goals.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill is accepting digital currency, including cryptocurrency, and is letting customers know in a playful way.
- Facebook is shutting down its live shopping feature on October 1 to shift its focus to Reels.
Explore what these trends mean together with us in this episode!
In this episode, we explore
- How retailers are looking to shake things up and find innovative new ways to inspire customer loyalty;
- The ways retailers are embracing AR technologies to reimagine the digital shopping experience with virtual storefronts;
- How retailers speed up their omnichannel order fulfillment;
- What companies are doing in the metaverse;
- How businesses are experimenting with live commerce
And much more!
Some of the headlines in today’s podcast:
- Soaring merchandise stockpiles and record high transportation and fuel costs prompted Target to cut its outlook for operating profit to about 2% of sales this quarter. It is also looking to right-size its inventory, meaning marking down more merchandise and canceling orders from vendors.
- Meanwhile, Walmart is looking to transform its supply chain network and prepare for growth with new high-density automated centers.
- Instagram, Google and Amazon keep experimenting with physical stores, as they broaden the appeal by offering shoppers the ability to touch and feel items.
- Retailers are embracing the opportunities and experimenting with the technologies to bring the experience for customers to the next level
...and much more!
This month, we delve into how eCommerce fits into retail's post-pandemic future.
- Which customer retention strategies work?
- What does it take to win the last-mile sprint?
- How forward-thinking retailers try to make themselves future-ready and differentiate themselves from competitors?
- What is fuelling growth in D2C and where is the sector heading in 2022?
These and much more in this episode!
Some of the headlines in today's episode:
- Subscription Commerce is growing at an exponential rate. In this episode, we explore recent subscription-based shopping trends and what brands and retailers do to harness the potential of subscription commerce.
- The line between eCommerce and social media is fading, giving rise to social commerce. We delve into how brands leverage social commerce to engage with target customers.
- Rising Facebook ad prices, worsening ad measurement, soaring shipping costs, newly-sober public markets, and smaller-than-anticipated customer bases are dealing DTC companies a harsh blow.
In today's podcast, we are going to talk about:
- How Instacart is deploying its resources as it seeks to lift up grocery e-commerce for its retailer partners and customers.
- As expectations for convenience, speed and ease continue to grow, what food ordering and delivery marketplaces do to win in the on-demand food delivery space.
- Shoppable content is now moving from visual images into online video. We are also seeing the growth of live stream retail. How brands and retailers bring more immersive, interactive shopping experiences and much more.
In our conversation we explore a wide range of transformation topics, including
- Amazon Bricks-And-Mortar Sales Picking Up Speed.
- Walmart leading as consumers’ online grocer of choice.
- Key innovations emerging in retail payment solutions.
- A broader trend of retailers transforming themselves into full-fledged technology platforms and much more.
In this episode we recap all the major keynotes, trends, and themes from 2021. If you weren't able to attend, this show will catch you up!
We discuss how the US eCommerce industry is predicted to grow, the evolution of shoppable content, as well as the capabilities and challenges of the on-demand grocery delivery market.
- Cyber Week has driven a total of $33.9B in online spend, down 1.4% YoY, as Black Friday dipped 1.3% YoY at $8.9B vs $9B (2020) and Thanksgiving Day stayed flat at $5.1B.
- For the quarter ended Oct. 30, Target net sales rose 13.2% to $25.29 billion from $22.34 billion billion a year earlier. Total revenue came in at $25.65 billion, up 13.3% YoY.
- FTC Launches Inquiry into supply chain disruptions; orders Walmart, Amazon, Kroger and other large wholesalers and suppliers to turn over information to help study causes of empty shelves and sky-high prices.
Check out our December episode to do a deep dive into all the details and for much more!
Every day is Cyber Monday!
The growth of eCommerce continues to change retail every day. As first movers, we recognize that strategically responding to change requires knowing what is changing and how we should respond.
But trying to stay up-to-date on top of your day job can be overwhelming!
Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days, because we’re here to help. Join us each month as we’ve combed the latest retail and brand happenings to a) prioritize the eCommerce news that matters and b) spotlight trends, implications and winning strategies for retailers and brands alike.
Every day is Cyber Monday!
The growth of eCommerce continues to change retail every day. As first movers, we recognize that strategically responding to change requires knowing what is changing and how we should respond.
But trying to stay up-to-date on top of your day job can be overwhelming!
Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days, because we’re here to help. Join us each month as we’ve combed the latest retail and brand happenings to a) prioritize the eCommerce news that matters and b) spotlight trends, implications and winning strategies for retailers and brands alike.
Every day is Cyber Monday!
The growth of eCommerce continues to change retail every day. As first movers, we recognize that strategically responding to change requires knowing what is changing and how we should respond.
But trying to stay up-to-date on top of your day job can be overwhelming!
Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days, because we’re here to help. Join us each month as we’ve combed the latest retail and brand happenings to a) prioritize the eCommerce news that matters and b) spotlight trends, implications and winning strategies for retailers and brands alike.
Every day is Cyber Monday!
The growth of eCommerce continues to change retail every day. As first movers, we recognize that strategically responding to change requires knowing what is changing and how we should respond.
But trying to stay up-to-date on top of your day job can be overwhelming!
Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days, because we’re here to help. Join us each month as we’ve combed the latest retail and brand happenings to a) prioritize the eCommerce news that matters and b) spotlight trends, implications and winning strategies for retailers and brands alike.
Every day is Cyber Monday!
The growth of eCommerce continues to change retail every day. As first movers, we recognize that strategically responding to change requires knowing what is changing and how we should respond.
But trying to stay up-to-date on top of your day job can be overwhelming!
Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days, because we’re here to help. Join us each month as we’ve combed the latest retail and brand happenings to a) prioritize the eCommerce news that matters and b) spotlight trends, implications and winning strategies for retailers and brands alike.
Every day is Cyber Monday!
The growth of eCommerce continues to change retail every day. As first movers, we recognize that strategically responding to change requires knowing what is changing and how we should respond.
But trying to stay up-to-date on top of your day job can be overwhelming!
Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days, because we’re here to help. Join us each month as we’ve combed the latest retail and brand happenings to a) prioritize the eCommerce news that matters and b) spotlight trends, implications and winning strategies for retailers and brands alike.
Every day is Cyber Monday!
The growth of eCommerce continues to change retail every day. As first movers, we recognize that strategically responding to change requires knowing what is changing and how we should respond.
But trying to stay up-to-date on top of your day job can be overwhelming!
Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days, because we’re here to help. Join us each month as we’ve combed the latest retail and brand happenings to a) prioritize the eCommerce news that matters and b) spotlight trends, implications and winning strategies for retailers and brands alike.
Every day is Cyber Monday!
The growth of eCommerce continues to change retail every day. As first movers, we recognize that strategically responding to change requires knowing what is changing and how we should respond.
But trying to stay up-to-date on top of your day job can be overwhelming!
Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days, because we’re here to help. Join us each month as we’ve combed the latest retail and brand happenings to a) prioritize the eCommerce news that matters and b) spotlight trends, implications and winning strategies for retailers and brands alike.
