Until drones and robots are able to deliver our meals and purchases to our homes, we’re stuck with humans doing the job. Yet there’s no amount of logistics genius or venture capitalist that will make on-demand delivery a robust or profitable business, and investors are turning away from the business. [More]
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Costco Exec: We Beat ‘Amazon Go’ To The Punch “Literally 20 Years Ago”
By 12.8.16
In response to the arrival of Amazon Go — a checkout-less store design the Seattle ecommerce giant is planning for next year — one might expect that other food purveyors would be nervous. Not Costco, though. It’s already been there and done that, a company executive claims. [More]
Makers Of ‘As Seen On TV’ Products Sue Amazon Over “Rampant” Counterfeiting
By 12.7.16
Companies like Allstar Marketing, Ideavillage Products, and Ontel Products aren’t household names, but you probably recognize the names of their signature products: they’re the companies behind the Snuggie, Copper Fit compression apparel, and Veggetti spiral slicers. These three makers of as-seen-on-TV doodads have sued Amazon, claiming the e-commerce giant allows vendors to sell counterfeit versions of their products — and that those counterfeit items can be found in Amazon’s own warehouses. [More]
Campbell’s, Tyson & Other Packaged Food Biggies Eager To Jump Into Meal Kit Melee
By 12.5.16
Not that long ago, folks with disposable income who wanted something resembling a decent meal but didn’t have time to do all the shopping would buy packaged foods and just heat them up. Now these consumers have the ever-growing rainbow of meal kit subscription services that deliver fresher, better ingredients to their door. But the makers of microwave dinners, pre-made meals, and canned goods aren’t giving up that easy — they want in on this whole meal kit thing. [More]
Amazon Opening ‘Amazon Go,’ A Convenience Store With No Checkout Lines
By 12.5.16
You know that feeling you get at the store when you realize you’ve once again chosen the wrong checkout line, the one that’s moving the most slowly? And self-checkout machines eliminate the cashier but not the lines (if the machines are even working). Amazon hopes to eliminate checkout-line frustration altogether with Amazon Go, its new bricks-and-mortar convenience store. [More]
You Can Now Buy HBO, Cinemax Through Amazon Prime
By 12.1.16
In Amazon’s continuing effort to be everything and anything for its customers, the e-commerce giant announced today that it will be offering streaming HBO and Cinemax subscriptions to its Prime members. [More]
Report: Amazon Working On An Alexa-Controlled Speaker With A Touchscreen
By 11.29.16
Are we heading toward a future where you control everything in your home by speaking to a disembodied voice? Amazon certainly seems to be going in that direction, with a new report that it’s working on a premium speaker powered by Alexa, a sort of souped-up Echo, featuring a large screen. [More]
Amazon Plans To Escalate War On Fakes In 2017
By 11.28.16
Rampant counterfeiting among Amazon Marketplace sellers is holding the retailer back. There are companies that simply won’t agree to sell their merchandise on the site, given the the company’s known issues with counterfeits, and the concern that genuine and knock-off merchandise could be co-mingled in Amazon warehouses. The online retail giant is now preparing a very public war on counterfeit merchandise. [More]
In Time For Black Friday, Judge Issues Restraining Order Against Striking Pilots At Amazon-Backed Cargo Line
By 11.23.16
About 40 hours after pilots at Amazon-backed cargo airline ABX went on strike, threatening to throw a wrench in the holiday shipping plans of the country’s largest online retailer (and others), a federal judge has granted a temporary restraining order against the striking pilots. [More]
Live Sports May Be Next Big Thing For Amazon Prime
By 11.22.16
Amazon Prime members could soon be getting more bang for their buck when it comes to entertainment, as the e-commerce giant is rumored to be in talks with major sports leagues and television networks to offer live-streaming of sporting events. [More]
A Strike At An Airline You Probably Never Heard Of Could Mess Up Your Christmas Shopping
By 11.22.16
Unless you work in shipping logistics or aviation, you’re probably not familiar with ABX Air. You can’t book a ticket on the Ohio-based airline; it doesn’t carry passengers. It carries boxes. And as the companies it carries boxes for — including Amazon — are ramping up for the super-busy holiday retail season, ABX pilots have gone on strike, potentially leaving a lot of those boxes in the lurch. [More]
Amazon To Sell Fiat Chrysler Vehicles — But Only In Italy
By 11.18.16
You really can buy anything on Amazon. Fiat Chrysler says it has inked a deal with the e-commerce giant to sell its vehicles for a discount online, but only if the buyers live in Italy. [More]
Amazon Offering $79 Prime Memberships To New Subscribers Just For Today
By 11.18.16
If you’ve been thinking about signing up for Amazon Prime but balked at the $99/year membership price, check your calendar: if it’s still Nov. 18, that annual subscription will cost just $79. [More]
AT&T Customers Can Now Use Amazon’s Alexa To Send Text Messages
By 11.17.16
Amazon is adding another feature to make life easier for Echo users, well, at least those with AT&T wireless plans: AT&T customers can now tell Alexa to send text messages. [More]
Amazon Using Merchants’ Warehouse Space So It Can Ship More Prime Orders, Faster
By 11.17.16
What’s an e-commerce giant supposed to do when it needs more warehouse space? If you’re Amazon, you just ask the merchants whose stuff you’re selling to share, by offering to let them slap Prime labels on their products. [More]
Amazon Switching Out Wrapping Paper For Reusable Cloth Bags
By 11.14.16
When you hear that your online purchase will be “gift wrapped,” what do you picture? Most people would picture a package wrapped up in paper, maybe with a bow, right? That’s not what Amazon customers are getting in their boxes this holiday season: for the same price, shoppers are getting velvet gift bags of various sizes. [More]
Why IMDb May Soon Have To Delete Actors’ Ages From Website
By 11.14.16
The Internet Movie Database has long been the public’s go-to site for generally accurate information about movies, TV shows, and the people who make them. Many celebrity profiles have their ages and dates of birth listed on IMDb, but that may soon come to an end if a new California law is allowed to stand. [More]
Amazon Must Issue Refunds, Not Gift Cards, To Parents Unfairly Billed For Kids’ In-App Purchases
By 11.11.16
Back in April, a federal court ruled that Amazon had not done enough to alert Kindle Fire owners — and users of Amazon’s Android appstore — that “Free” apps could still allow kids to make costly in-app transactions, but the ruling left unresolved exactly how much Amazon would need to pay to make customers whole again. Yesterday, the judge in the case determined that wronged Amazon customers must need to actively claim their refund, and that Amazon could not pay the refund in site credit or gift cards. [More]
