If you know exactly what you want to buy, is there any better way than to pull it up on the internet, and have it shipped directly to your home in as little as a day? Sometimes you can even get your products in hours. It's hard to beat that type of transaction. But what if you're looking to try new things, and want to experience a variety of products before choosing which is right for you? The internet is not so well adapted for that sort of shopping. That's where a number of smaller companies are working to beat Amazon and other e-commerce companies. Creating a better buying experience is … [Read more...]

Amazon has become a dominant force in online retail, known for helping small businesses deliver their products to customers quickly. Today though, Amazon isn't the only company offering fast shipping services for small companies. Shopify is targetting one of Amazon's most notable advantages. Simran Jagdev reports for Bloomberg: Same-day shipping is becoming the norm for online shoppers but for smaller merchants it can be a logistical nightmare. That’s where Shopify Inc.can step in, says Ric Kostick, chief executive officer of 100% PURE. The natural skincare company ships up to 5,000 orders … [Read more...]

One of the more critical steps Amazon took in securing its lead in the e-commerce race was the purchase of Kiva Systems, which built robots designed to speed up warehouse processes. Since then, competitors have been looking for their own robotic advantages. With Amazon entering the grocery business with its purchase of Whole-Foods, Kroger, America's largest supermarket chain, is getting into the mix with its own robot offensive. Bloomberg's Sarah Halzack reports: Kroger Co., the giant but aging supermarket chain, has unleashed a flurry of initiatives to ensure it won’t get thumped in … [Read more...]

Shira Ovide, writing at Bloomberg, unloads some harsh criticisms of Amazon's advertising business. Ovide explains that the option has become a toll that producers must pay in order to get their products in front of customers. She concludes: To be fair, Amazon is doing a lot of work for its cut of sales. It provides a vast customer base for merchants, often stores inventory for them and handles shipments, and takes responsibility for customer service and payments. That’s arguably far more work than Apple does for its 30% commission on a purchase of an iPhone game. 3 And all advertising is, … [Read more...]

NPR's Planet Money discusses the proliferation of dollar stores and their effect on rural America. Here's a snippet from the transcript of the discussion: STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: A new dollar store will open up every six hours this year in this country. There are more dollar stores than there are Walmarts and McDonald's combined, according to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which is an advocacy group. How do those dollar stores affect a community? Sarah Gonzalez of NPR's Planet Money podcast has more. SARAH GONZALEZ, BYLINE: There are more than 30,000 dollar stores in the U.S. By … [Read more...]

Walmart made its biggest acquisition ever when it purchased Indian e-commerce company, Flipkart last year. What the American retailer didn't know then, was that a subsidiary of the e-commerce company would end up being a runaway success in the digital payments market. Flipkart's PhonePe (pronounced phone-pay) has seen the volume and value of its transactions quadruple since last year. Bloomberg's Saritha Rai reports: The startup was founded in December 2015 by three friends who left Flipkart to get it off the ground. Within a year, Flipkart founders Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal decided … [Read more...]

In response to Amazon's complete revolution of the retail industry, many companies with traditionally brick and mortar operations are racing to catch up online. Many are acquiring smaller online startups in an effort to to just that, but is it enough? Tige Savage reports at Revolution: Many top retail and consumer products companies are now facing the moment when their leadership is at peril as consumer behaviors permanently shift away from store-based buying and faceless packaged goods to online-oriented consumption and authentic brands. The megadeals everyone was talking about in 2016 … [Read more...]

Rumor has it that Amazon is about to purge its small supplier in order to favor larger branded companies that can better supply its customers. The move will put Amazon into even more direct competition with Walmart and Target. Bloomberg's Specer Soper reports: In an emailed statement, an Amazon spokeswoman said: “We review our selling partner relationships on an individual basis as part of our normal course of business, and any speculation of a large scale reduction of vendors is incorrect.” Amazon secures inventory two ways. The company buys products directly from wholesale vendors, … [Read more...]

With different customers and different plans going forward, Sears and Lands' End are parting ways. The companies had maintained a symbiotic relationship with stores-within-stores at 40 locations, down from 174 last year, but will now separate all remaining Lands' End stores from their parent Sears locations. The Chicago Tribune reports: Lands’ End is back at Oakbrook Center mall — this time, outside the shadow of Sears. The Dodgeville, Wis.-based casual clothing retailer had a shop inside the Sears, its former parent company, on the mall’s northwest side before the Sears temporarily shut … [Read more...]

Walmart has deployed an army of robots in its stores to monitor inventory, clean floors and unload trucks. The effort to increase efficiency comes at a time when the company's chief competitor, Amazon, has used robots to revolutionize its fulfillment centers. The race is now on, as mega-retailers are finding the best ways to incorporate robots into their businesses. Sarah Nassauer and Chip Cutter write in The Wall Street Journal: The country’s largest private employer said at least 300 stores this year will add machines that scan shelves for out-of-stock products. Autonomous floor scrubbers … [Read more...]