Amazon announced an expansion of its Dash replenishment system this week, forming partnerships with manufacturers of printers to pet food dispensers. Dash buttons were launched last year to much attention, but the real star of the show is just emerging, Dash Replenishment Services (DRS). Designed to integrate with smart, connected devices, DRS will automatically order…
In an effort to sell more books, Amazon, the king of online retail, has opened its first brick-and-mortar store in its hometown of Seattle. Located in a mall near the University of Washington, the outlet has been dubbed Amazon Books. Amazon getting physical is a curious move, will it pay off or will it be…
Amazon is looking to “build the future of delivery” with the launch of its new service, Amazon Flex. The idea behind Amazon’s newest endeavor is hiring regular, everyday folks as independent contractors to deliver packages for its Prime Now customers, similar to Uber’s transportation service. Anyone who is at least 21 years with a car,…
Instacart, the startup which launched in 2012, offers shoppers the ability to eliminate trips to the grocery store by pairing independent contract drivers with online shoppers. The personal food shopping service provides delivery from brick-and-mortar grocery stores to consumers’ homes within a one to two hour window from the time of purchase. Leveraging partnerships with…
According to the tech news site Re/code, entrepreneur Louis Borders is developing a subscription based same-day delivery service that delivers products from partnering retailers on the same day they are ordered. His mission may seem recycled, but his vision has potential to be a game changer. Borders, who is not only the co-founder the Borders…
Originally announced on March 31st, Amazon’s Dash Buttons were first thought to be an April Fool’s joke; however, the one-touch purchase gadgets are very much real and are now available for purchase. Released within the past week, the buttons, which are physical Wi-Fi enabled devices, allow users to order popular household items from certain brands…
Handpick, a recent startup based out of California, first began as a recipe-recommendation app for smartphone users. According to The Next Web, the application, which is available on iOS, offers users recipes based on ingredients already in their possession. Now, the company joins the fray of new businesses and traditional grocers that are attempting to…
Walmart has rolled out a new loyalty program that offers unlimited free, 3-day shipping on 1 million top-selling products for $50 annually. Positioned as a value-alternative to Prime, Amazon’s free 2-day shipping program which costs $99/year, Walmart does not offer any of the perks associated with Prime membership (video streaming, book lending library, etc.). Additionally…
DSW, the footwear and accessories retailer, shared its experience with omni-channel retailing on a call with analysts yesterday. Discussing fourth-quarter earnings, Mike MacDonald, president and CEO, reported revenue of $640.2 million in the fourth-quarter, $100 million of which was from omni-channel. According to MacDonald, about half of those omni-channel sales are fulfilled from in-store stock….
PwC’s Annual Global Total Retail Consumer Survey is in, and the results are quite interesting. Grocery topped the charts as the category with the highest sales on mobile (tablet and smartphone), beating out apparel and electronics by a large margin. These results coincide with the explosion in grocery e-commerce this year, with startups like Instacart grabbing…
