eCommerce
A patent that helped Amazon take over online commerce is about to expire
If you’ve bought anything on the internet with one click in the past 20 years, it was probably either on Amazon.com or a platform that pays Amazon a lot of money to license its patented and trademarked “1-Click” technology.<p>Apple, for example, announced in 2000 that it was licensing the technology …
PatentsLow Price Is the Only Winner in Retail
Where are all the shoppers going? Low-price retailers<p>It might seem like the most basic retail maxim, but the second-quarter drilled it home for investors: low prices matter. The only winners in an otherwise bleak retail landscape were the ones offering the lowest ones.<p>The list of companies that …
Wal-Mart StoresAlibaba Vs. Amazon: Similarities And Differences
In most cases, knowing what Amazon does is a metric for what Alibaba will do not too long afterwards.<p>With many similarities, the two e-commerce …
BusinessHow to Avoid Scams While Shopping on Amazon
Amazon’s business is booming, but scams from fraudulent third-party sellers are on the rise. Here’s how you can shop safely and avoid buying a big …
LifestyleFacebook’s Craigslist competitor will soon feature a lot more than just your neighbor’s old junk
Facebook wants to bring ticket sales and bigger retailers inside Marketplace.<p>Facebook has big plans for Marketplace, the Craigslist-like section inside its app where people can sell used goods to others in their neighborhood.<p>It’s just not sure what those big plans should look like.<p>So to figure that …
FacebookWal-Mart Applies for Patent for Blimp-Style Floating Warehouse
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has opened a new front in its battle with Amazon.com Inc.<p>The world’s largest retailer has applied for a U.S. patent for a …
BusinessElectricity retailer selling plans with 'discounts' on artificially inflated prices
Click Energy plans reduced from seemingly arbitrary rates as ACCC urges businesses to be upfront about discounts<p>An electricity retailer is selling plans with “discounts” on prices that have been arbitrarily inflated, resulting in some customers paying hundreds of dollars more per year on their …
RetailHere's How You Can Get Your Favorite MAC Products For WayLess
This time last year, the only place you could buy MAC products was at MAC counters. Which, unless you live near a department store that sold it, could be frustrating. Luckily, a few months ago, MAC expanded its market to two huge retail destinations: Birchbox and Ulta Beauty. And now, the brand is …
Now's the TimeWalmart’s grocery, e-commerce units surge as battle with Amazon intensifies
Ahead of a battle the Amazon-Whole Foods grocery alliance, Walmart is growing its digital operation and its grocery division is as strong as its been …
RetailAlibaba hits record high as markets weigh promise vs. problems
Three years after Alibaba went public in the biggest IPO on U.S. markets to date, investors are finally warming to the stock.<p>During Alibaba’s high-profile IPO, investors weighed the promise of the company’s business model against its risk factors. On the one hand, Alibaba was laying the groundwork …
BusinessCan you shop at Costco without a membership? These are the rules
More and more of us are shunning the traditional supermarkets for cheaper options - and even wholesale retailers.<p>The Mirror says Costco recently …
Birmingham, UKMillennial Spend and E-Commerce Drives Estée Lauder Boost
Estée Lauder Companies announced annual revenues of $11.8 billion for the fiscal year ending June, an increase of 5 percent on 2016. The gain has been attributed to e-commerce, as well as acquisitions of Becca Cosmetics and Too Faced.<p><b>NEW YORK, United States</b> — Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has …
MakeupRetailers Tackle Growing Consumer Expectations With Integrated Supply Chains
quinntheislander / Pixabay<p>Shoppers have access to almost any product at any time and fulfillment times are shrinking by the month. With almost …
RetailTop ways to save on your online Tesco shop
With budget chains putting the pressure on major supermarkets to keep prices low, brands like Tesco are having to work harder entice customers back …
TescoRoss has some of the most disastrous stores in retail — and it's great for business
Ross Stores is breaking all the rules of traditional retail, and it has become an unstoppable force as a result.<p>Many of the retailer's stores are messy and disorganized, with aisles of empty shelves and bare walls.<p>In some stores, the fitting rooms are "dirty," the service is "horrible," and …
BusinessAmazon's Whole Foods Deal Shook Up the Grocery Market. This Startup Is Helping the Little Guys Fight Back
This rapidly growing startup is helping small grocers use ecommerce to expand their business.<p>Amazon's $13.4 billion acquisition of Whole Foods in June took America's $600 billion retail grocery industry by surprise. Overnight, Amazon went from being a pure play online retailer, to owning one of the …
StartupsWith Amazon looming, Walmart quietly grows as an advertising force - Digiday
With around 140 million people shopping at its 5,000 stores in the U.S. every week, Walmart is not just a retail giant. It is also a growing …
RetailSome Gas With That Sandwich? Convenience Dominates Fuel Market
Major oil companies have been steadily squeezed out of the U.S. retail gasoline business, where refueling your stomach has become as important as …
BusinessPizza innovation signals forthcoming QSR shift
<i>This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Payments Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.</i><p>Last week, pizza chain Little Caesars announced a new service called the Pizza Portal that streamlines the order-ahead process.<p>Now, customers placing an order for pickup via …
BusinessU.S. dollar stores stand their ground in escalating retail price war
U.S. dollar stores have not become collateral damage, as feared, in a price war among big retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) and Kroger Co (KR.N), which has pushed down prices of key items such as eggs and laundry detergent.<p>Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR.O) and Dollar General Corp (DG.N), which …
BusinessRoss Stores: Another Win For Off-Price Retailers
Just a week ago, Ross Stores (ROST) stood out as the least-liked name among the off-price retailers. Not today.<p>The stock is shooting higher after the …
MarketsYou Probably Live Near A Walmart, So It’s Depending On In-Store Pickup For Growth
Walmart is out to dominate in e-commerce, but while finding ways to deliver as few orders as possible to customers using the postal service or …
Consumer NewsAlibaba surges while Walmart stalls
<b>Online retail giant Alibaba has again reported strong earnings, posting a 56% rise in quarterly revenue.</b><p>Net income grew by 94% to 14.7bn yuan ($2.2bn; £1.7bn;) for the three months ending June 30, compared to the same period last year.<p>The performance is in sharp contrast to US big box retailer …
BusinessHow Walmart Is Bolstering Its Grocery Business Ahead of the Amazon-Whole Foods Marriage
Walmart (wmt) served up some especially good news on Thursday with its second-quarter results: its grocery business is thriving again.<p>The retailer, …
RetailCramer reveals the one retailer going after Amazon's Achilles heel
Retail competition is at the forefront of Wall Street yet again as retailers release their earnings reports, and Jim Cramer is seeing a divide form …
Mad MoneyAlibaba sales rise on Chinese ecommerce boom
Alibaba reported a near doubling in net income to just over $2bn in its first fiscal quarter, beating analyst expectations as the boom in Chinese …
RetailWalmart’s online sales continue upward trend
<i>This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "E-Commerce Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.</i><p>Walmart reported comparable-store sales growth of 1.8% year-over-year (YoY) for Q2 2017, while revenue increased 2.1% to $123.4 billion.<p>That boost in revenue is largely due …
Retail10 Bargain Stocks To Buy Amid The Retail Sector Slump
The retail sector has been hit hard on weak sales and fears of increasing competition from Amazon.<p>While some of the sell-off is justified, I believe …
StocksJack Ma Is Ahead of Jeff Bezos in Grocery Store Ambitions
Jack Ma is ahead of Jeff Bezos in one area: grocery stores.<p>For years, it looked to some like Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. was simply following in …
RetailDancing With The Giants: Optimizing Your Digital Presence In The Age Of Amazon
Many aspects of the digital world are dominated by a single giant: Google dominates search, Facebook dominates social, and of course, Amazon …
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