The cybersecurity team at SafetyDetectives uncovered a database leak that appears to have exposed more than 200,000 people involved in a scam where Amazon vendors exchanged free products for fake reviews. The server, based in China, contained more than 134 million messages between 3P sellers and reviewers.
Nogin, a company that helps brands improve their performance by providing a host of outsourced services, is doing its first acquisition with ModCloth, a year and a half after it was acquired by retail investment firm Go Global from Walmart. Terms were not disclosed. Nogin’s CEO said the company is looking to do more brand acquisitions.
Ecommerce penetration worldwide increased from 16% in 2019 to 19% in 2020, driven by the pandemic-fueled shift toward online purchases, according to a UN agency report. Global ecommerce sales, including both B2C and B2B, were up 4% to $26.7 trillion, representing 30% of global GDP.
Retail has changed more in the past year than in the previous decade. The pandemic has accelerated ecommerce and online options, out of necessity. Now, shoppers have more choices than ever, resulting in new demands for their desired in-store experiences, like scan & go. Here’s how it’s a win for retailer and shopper.
There’s a behind-the-scenes battle going on between Amazon and Shopify that has big implications for merchants. Amazon now owns a technology that could help it compete directly. Here’s why the rivalry matters to online merchants, and how understanding it can help you select the right ecommerce channels for your goals.
E-grocery sales in the U.S. surged back to $9.3 billion in March, the same level as in January and up 43% from $6.5 billion a year ago, after dropping to $8 billion in February, according to the latest data from Mercatus and Brick Meet Click. That growth happened even though 7% fewer households placed one or more orders in March.
Berlin Brands Group, started in Germany in 2005 when its founder sold disc jockey equipment, has raised $240 million in debt-free funding to finance acquisition of successful third-party sellers on Amazon primarily in the U.S., growing off its European roots. It plans to invest $300 million in the coming months in acquiring profitable sellers.
Amazon Prime is approaching 150 million members in the U.S. alone, as the global figure has topped 200 million and subscribers after the first year renewing at a near-automatic 98%, according to the final shareholder letter from departing CEO Jeff Bezos and figures from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
Best Buy Beta is being piloted at select stores in Iowa, Oklahoma and eastern Pennsylvania, expanding to Minnesota, North Carolina and Tennessee. Members will get discounts, unlimited Geek Squad tech support, up to two years of protection, free standard shipping and delivery and free installation on most products.
As a bored, locked-down country lurched from trend to trend, retailers scrambled to cover demand. It’s no surprise ecommerce marketplaces thrived, connecting customers with 3P sellers to outperform even the strong growth of ecommerce as a whole. Their diversity gives them resilience during periods of complex change.