
MICROSOFT


Your Brand World Amid Virtual Worlds
The future of brand-building is more than storytelling and design – it’s more about creating a brand world. As our attention moves beyond the screen, stories will become even less linear and more choose-your-own-adventure. Design systems will continue to grow beyond visual elements and into the domains of sound, space and motion.

Neglecting Customers Is the Wrong Kind of Differentiation
Fast delivery, once a way to really stand out, has become standard and the effort to add on new features and faster speeds is starting to look like a race to the bottom. Shipping is important, but brands need to redefinine customer interactions and reimagine the impact on operations in order to really differentiate themselves.

Will Global Privacy Control Protocol Succeed Where Do Not Track Failed?
Global Privacy Control focuses on letting consumers opt out of the sale of their personal data to third parties. The early-stage coalition includes the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Mozilla. Rob Shavell, CEO of Abine, who was involved in Do Not Track and now GPC, discusses what’s ahead and why merchants should get on board.


FedEx, Microsoft Strike Technology Partnership in Shot at Amazon
Now that it’s detached itself from Amazon, FedEx has entered into a multiyear agreement with Amazon’s cloud computing rival Microsoft, with the first offering using the latter’s real-time intelligence capabilities to provide FedEx shippers with greater visibility into transit time issues. Other solutions will be announced later this year.

IoT in the Supply Chain to be Covered at Ecommerce Operations Summit
Innovation around the Internet of Things (IoT) is advancing rapidly, enabling data sharing among millions of devices and tagged items and providing new levels of visibility and traceability. Experts from FedEx and Microsoft will discuss the latest advances in IoT and results within their organizations at Ecommerce Operations Summit.

Jetblack Shutting Down After Failing to Gain Traction or Find a Buyer
Walmart is shutting down its Manhattan-based concierge delivery service Jetblack two years after its experimental launch, as it continued to lose money while not gaining customers or finding a buyer, the Wall Street Journal reported. Walmart had been in talks with potential buyers last year but the talks ended without bearing any fruit.

