Amazon says its inaugural Prime Day was a success, despite what consumers say.
Amazon says worldwide order growth increased 266% over the same day last year and 18% more than Black Friday 2014. Sellers on Amazon that use the Fulfillment by Amazon service enjoyed record-breaking unit sales – growing nearly 300%, according to Amazon’s stats. And 14,000 iRobot Roomba 595 Pet Vacuum Cleaning Robots, compared to 1 the previous Wednesday, were sold on Prime Day.
But angry Amazon customers took to social media to voice their complaints. And so did Walmart, which held its own sales event to counter Amazon Prime Day. And that, of course, led to a war of words between the two retailers.
Here’s a look at this weeks’ news, commentary and events that shaped the direct-to-customer world… and more.
Marketing
Take a look at how Moosejaw Mountaineering improved its content merchandising strategy… Is your store ready for the shopping mall of the future?… Here’s 5 tips for re-thinking your brand’s identity…Retailers talk about the state of the catalog and its impact on ecommerce.
Ecommerce
Rakuten has acquired Fit.me, and expects the tech start-up to further strengthen its ecommerce offerings and marketing solutions by providing a greater personalization of the retail experience for shoppers while driving operational insights and efficiencies for retailers…..
Shipping and delivery
Hermes Logistik Gruppe Germany has acquired a 28.5% stake in same-day delivery company Liefery, which leverages 2,500 couriers in more than 50 German cities. …. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against FedEx in a case involving 500 drivers in Kansas who claimed in 2003 they were misclassified as contractors… ShopRunner is expanding its contemporary fashion offering through partnership agreements with Alexis Bittar, alice + olivia, bebe, Joie, Kooba and Lucky Brand…
Cross-border
The co-founders of Walmart’s Chinese ecommerce unit Yihaodian – chairman Yu Gang and CEO Liu Junling, both veterans of Dell – are leaving the company to pursue their own venture, Walmart announced. … Here’s an argument for exploring the ASEAN markets before you think about taking on enormous markets such as China…… Major ecommerce marketplaces doing business in India, including Flipkart, Snapdeal, Amazon and eBay, are striking deals with non-banking lenders so they can extend loans to sellers who have difficulty getting funds through traditional channels – and add more product to their sites. …
Mergers and Acquisitions
eBay Inc. has found a buyer for its eBay Enterprise division. eBay Enterprise president Craig Hayman said in a blog post that eBay Inc. has signed an agreement to sell eBay Enterprise to a consortium consisting of Sterling Partners, Longview Asset Management, and Innotrac Corporation, a Sterling Partners portfolio company, together in partnership with companies owned by the Permira Funds. The deal is worth $925 million, and is expected to close in the second half of 2015… UPS Capital, the financial services, payments and insurance arm of UPS, has acquired the Insured Parcel Services (IPS) business of G4S International Logistics, a second acquisition in this area that will make its services more attractive in the luxury goods market.
Financials
Gap, Inc. reported flat sales compared to last year… Grainger reports second-quarter sales of $2.5 billion, which is up 1%, and 3% organic, compared to the same period last year… Mattel said second-quarter gross sales for American Girl Brands, which offers American Girl-branded products directly to consumers, were $84.2 million, up 1% versus the prior year in constant currency.
… And more
Newgistics has hired former Walmart.com, Staples and UPS IT executive Gene Wojciechowski as its CIO. … Fabletics, the online activewear and accessories line co-founded by actress Kate Hudson, will open its first brick-and-mortar stores at five General Growth Property mall locations this fall to build off the success of its ecommerce platform… Books-A-Million is going private in a $21 million deal, agreeing to be acquired by a newly organized entity created by the Anderson family, including Books-A-Million Executive Chairman Clyde B. Anderson.