Amazon Blaming USPS for Closure of Fresh in Nine States
Amazon has laid the blame for its recent decision to pull Amazon Fresh out of nine states at the feet of the U.S. Postal Service, according to a report in Recode, citing various service issues.
Amazon
Singles Day 2017 Again Sets Record with $25.3B in GMV
Continuing to dwarf U.S. sales holidays and Prime Day, Alibaba’s Singles Day pulled in a record 168.2 billion yuan ($25.3 billion) in gross merchandise value (GMV) settled through the Alipay platform, up 39% from 120.7 billion yuan ($17.8 billion) in 2016. See what other staggering stats and figures came out of Singles Day.
CVS Offering Same-Day Delivery in Major Markets
Fearing possible encroachment from Amazon into prescription delivery, CVS will begin offering next-day delivery of both prescriptions and other retail items in major cities in 2018, and same-day service in Manhattan beginning Dec. 4.
USPS Offers Retailers Next-Day Delivery on Sundays
Just ahead of the holidays, the U.S. Postal Service is testing a new program that offers major retailers Sunday delivery for orders placed on Saturday, a service mostly involving Amazon shipments until now.
Retailers Flip on the Switch with Early Holiday Promotions
The Halloween candy is probably still sitting in children’s bags and jack-o-lanterns are still aglow on people’s front porches, but the holiday shopping season has arrived. Here is a sample of what some of the major retailers are doing to push holiday season deals.
Best Buy, Target Offer Free Shipping Through Christmas
Following a similar move by Target, Best Buy is offering free shipping on most orders between now and Christmas, waiving its standard $35 minimum order threshold.
Amazon Key Allows In-Home Deliveries When You’re Out
Right on the heels of Walmart’s September announcement of an in-home grocery delivery service being tested in New York City, Amazon has come out with its own offering allowing drivers to enter homes and drop off items under the watchful eye of a new Amazon smart connected camera – all tied to Alexa.
How Retailers Can Work Like Amazon
The key is to work like Amazon rather than with them. Despite the retail giant’s head start, it has never been easier for companies to adopt 3rd party services and platforms that let them offer a service comparable to Amazon’s. Here is how retailers can set themselves apart in an Amazon world.
SpaceX Says, Same-Day Delivery Is So Last Week
Jeff Bezos and the innovation teams at Amazon seem to have cornered the market on far-out ideas that push the envelope for ecommerce distribution, from delivery drones to blimp warehouses to even an undersea DC. That is, until Elon Musk and his hardy band of rocketeers at SpaceX came along and shot the moon – or Mars.
FedEx Expands Same-Day Delivery to 30 U.S. Markets
Ahead of the holiday season, FedEx has expanded same-day delivery service to 1,800 cities in 30 regional markets through its FedEx Office division. The deliveries are made by uniformed FedEx drivers in branded vehicles, and the service includes a mobile app to track delivery status including alerts on estimated arrival time.