FedEx Express truck feature

FedEx Q3 Results Hit by Omicron, Volume Dropoff

| Mike O'Brien

FedEx delivered strong revenue and profit for the third quarter, but the latter was below analyst expectations, and volume was negatively impacted by the Omicron variant to the tune of $350 million between Express and Ground, a falloff the company said began rebounding in February.

ecommerce conversion mobile

Boosting Ecommerce Conversion: 5 Behavioral Science Tips

| Darwin Liu

While ecommerce conversion rate optimization may seem daunting at first, by designing solutions that align with our psychology, we can make it easier for people to do things they already want to do. Marketers who apply the following 5 principles to ecommerce websites are poised to increase ecommerce conversion.

Sephora store feature

Sephora Expands Same-Day Delivery with Shipt

| Mike O'Brien

Sephora continues to expand same-day delivery to customers’ doors, providing service in as little as an hour thanks to a new partnership with delivery service Shipt, which is owned by Target. The major beauty retailer already has a same-day delivery partnership with Instacart, on top of its own Beauty on Demand service.

Narvar Offers Ecommerce Returns Home Pickup

| Mike O'Brien

Narvar is letting retailers offer customers the convenience of home pickup of returns within one to 10 days for a convenience fee, a service that was piloted at 70 companies in Q4. The home pickup service is currently offered in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, with plans to expand to about 100 more markets.

Amazon acquires Veeqo logo feature

Amazon Acquisition of Welsh Startup Veeqo Out of Stealth

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon continues to expand its ecommerce service offerings through acquisition, the latest example being Veeqo, a UK-based startup that provides inventory and order fulfillment tools for sellers on a variety of platforms including Shopify and eBay in addition to Amazon. The deal closed in November but was just revealed.

Marketplaces: Lessons Learned from Retailers Who’ve Been There

| Jim Stirewalt

Marketplaces are no longer just for deep-pocket companies. With headless commerce and API-driven marketplaces, and platforms like Salesforce, Adobe and Shopify, retailers looking to layer in a marketplace to sell 1P/3P products have never had it easier. Hear from two who made it happen, and what the journey looked like.

Amazon bookstore feature

Amazon Shutting Down Bookstores, Pop-Ups

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon revealed its plans to close all 68 of its bookstores, pop-ups and shops selling items like toys and home goods in the United States and the United Kingdom, the retail and ecommerce giant told Reuters, to concentrate more on its grocery business and a coming department store concept.

RightHand Robotics RightPick 3 feature

Righthand Robotics Gains $66M in Funding

| Mike O'Brien

RightHand Robotics, founded by Leif Jentoft and CEO Yaro Tenzer in 2015, has secured a $66 million funding round to fuel growth of its partner network, hire engineers and expand its global presence. Much of the hiring focus is on improving the AI and machine learning that fuels RightHand’s technology and the arm’s functionality.

Macy's

Macy’s Decides Against Ecommerce Spinoff

| Mike O'Brien

Macy’s has decided against a spinoff of its more profitable ecommerce business, after a review by its board determined the risk for the business and its customer base was too high and that the company was stronger as a combined physical and digital operation. The company is also pausing a store closure plan initiated in 2019.