one-click checkout Fast feature

Fast Raises $102M in Series B Round

| Mike O'Brien

Fast, a startup that provides one-click checkout for ecommerce sellers a la Amazon and has expanded into identity and other areas, has raised $102 million in a series B round led by major payments provider Stripe and Addition, bringing the company’s total raise to $124 million. The COO and co-founder from Uber described the business.

Social Commerce: The Time to Start is Now

| Sharon Gee

Social commerce is a great, cost effective way for merchants to expand channels and visibility. 36% of U.S. internet users say social networks have become as important as other information sources for making product choices and 70% of shopping enthusiasts say they turn to Instagram to discover products.

Amazon Selling Cashierless Checkout Technology Powering Its Go Stores

| Mike O'Brien

Following the playbook of developing innovative tech then selling it, Amazon is offering retailers its cashierless checkout capability from Amazon Go stores. Amazon said Just Walk Out is already under contract to several retailers it wouldn’t name. OTG, with hundreds of CIBO stores at 10 major U.S. airports, will soon be using it.

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4 Ecommerce Checkout Tech Trends to Improve the Customer Experience

| Kushal Shah

The juxtaposition of “fast and frictionless yet safe” checkout puts a large burden on retailers who may be tempted to add extra steps to increase security. While there are many ways to meet these growing customer expectations, the best approach is to prioritize the user experience. Here are 4 trends to watch for in 2020 and beyond.

Accel Robotics Raises $30 Million In Series A Funding

| Douglas P. Clement

Accel Robotics, a startup using AI and computer vision to enable checkout-free stores, has raised $30 million in a Series A round led by SoftBank. The system lets shoppers in grocery and convenience stores, quick service restaurants and drugstore chains grab items and go, getting a receipt sent via text or app to their phone.

Omnichannel Performance of Grocery Retailers a Mixed Bag in Report

| Mike O'Brien

With an omnichannel approach becoming ever more prevalent in the grocery industry, a new report found grocery retailers excelling in some areas while needing a bit of improvement in others. That’s according to a new omnichannel readiness benchmarking report from the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and FitForCommerce.