With generative AI adoption being so widespread across industries, one key application and business process of the technology near and dear to the hearts of retailers is finding ways to reduce the expense, hassle and poor customer experience of ecommerce returns that grow year after year. Hear how leading retailers are leveraging GenAI and machine learning to reduce returns and boost CX.
When is Amazon Prime Day not Prime Day, but actually is? When it’s rebranded as Prime Big Deal Days. The ecommerce giant has once again announced a second sales event in October, as it did in 2022, when it was called Prime Early Access Sale. Amazon said only that it will be running in 19 countries. Last year it performed poorly compared to the July event, according to Bank of America.
Amazon posted a blowout Q2, with net sales up 11%, profit doubled from 2022, analysts cheering and an upgraded fulfillment plan refocused on same-day delivery. But Amazon still needs to find ways to improve a grocery business that is getting failing marks from industry observers. AWS growth continues to slow, and management said GenAI won’t contribute meaningfully in the near term.
Multichannel ecommerce means selling products across different channels online to increase revenue. While the idea is pretty straightforward, everyone’s approach to expanding will be a little bit different. Exploring new channels opens a business up to new potential customers, increasing the potential for revenue by huge amounts. Here are some solid tips to set you up for success.
The Biden administration has secured voluntary commitments from executives at seven technology companies that they would take steps to ensure safe development and deployment of generative AI systems, in response to various concerns that have been raised since ChatGPT’s release last fall. The commitments include calls for security testing and watermarking content produced by AI.
The U.S. Postal Service this week launched a new service called Ground Advantage that seeks to win back some of the parcel volume lost to FedEx and UPS when the major carriers insourced much of what they once handed to USPS Parcel Select Ground, which is being folded into the new offering.
While it’s been widely reported that Federal Trade Commission head Lina Kahn is planning to drop a massive antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, analysts at Baird argue in a research note that the move would be wrong-headed because the company’s success is based on innovation and investment, not monopolistic practices. The FTC has already accused Amazon of duping millions into signing up for Prime.
Logistics experts had mostly positive reactions to Amazon Hub Delivery, the company’s latest last-mile move which enlists local businesses to earn extra money by making nearby deliveries in their spare time. Amazon is hoping to have 2,300 businesses recruited by the end of 2023 as it builds scale. Most saw it as a more economical option than the DSP model, giving Amazon more control.
Stepping up its hardball tactics, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters walked away from the bargaining table Wednesday in the midst of contract negotiations with UPS, demanding the carrier provide its last, best offer Friday or a strike would be a likely outcome, with worker pay the key issue. UPS says it is working around the clock to reach a settlement before the July 31 deadline.
Razor Group, a Berlin-based aggregator of top-selling brands, and Factory 14, the UK rollup which it acquired in 2022, are being sued by two companies and their founders — Kettlebell Kings and Tribe WOD — in interlocking charges of breach of contract and failure to live up to purchase agreements by not adequately funding their growth and expansion.