In 2017, we saw a tremendous number of changes happen in the retail industry. Artificial intelligence and virtual/augmented reality were just starting to take flight in terms of marketing to customers. Here is what several experts predict for 2018.
Walmart is reportedly launching both a personal shopper service targeted at rich New Yorkers, and a checkout-less store experience a la Amazon Go, according a report in Recode.
Continuing in perpetual motion mode, Amazon has expanded the number of cities and towns offering free same-day and next-day delivery for Prime members from 5,000 to 8,000, while also leveraging its Best Buy acquisition and new bookstores in an all-out holiday season assault.
In the perpetual game of keep-up with Amazon and Walmart, Target announced plans to acquire delivery service provider Shipt for $550 million, expanding same-day delivery to half of its stores by early 2018 and all major markets by the next holiday season.
Eagle Foods has increased its compliance score with Walmart’s new, stricter vendor shipping requirements through a freight consolidation program. See what the new program requires and how Eagle has been able to hit the tight windows.
For appliance parts supplier McCombs Supply Co., finding new ways to ship smarter in the face of swelling ecommerce demand was critical to its success. Learn how the company decreases shipping costs and increased productivity with a shipping technology platform.
Desktop shopping was the clear winner on Cyber Monday and the holiday weekend. See what results from a new comScore study revealed about one of the busiest times of the holiday season.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is investing $2.9 billion in China’s largest “hyper-market” or superstore company, Sun Art Retail Group, in a move there against Walmart and its partnership with Alibaba rival JD.com. This is yet another chapter in the growing “clicks-to-bricks” trend, including Amazon’s Whole Foods acquisition.
Walmart started charging higher prices online than in store for some items, in an effort to offset shipping costs and drive more shoppers to its brick-and-mortar locations. See how Walmart will differentiate prices for both channels.
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.