Editor’s Note: In this article, the third in a series on all things digital retail, the authors examine how advanced analytics and machine learning are creating new possibilities for customer-centricity. Our first article outlined the evolving competitive and consumer landscape driven by Walmart and Amazon. Our second article discussed how food, drug and mass (FDM)
BOSTON — A new report from global e-commerce analytics firm Profitero reveals that Amazon may be the current online price leader, but that lead could be slipping as Walmart ramps up its efforts to be price competitive. The study, “Price Wars: A Study of Online Price Competitiveness,” states that Amazon’s prices are typically 11% lower
The holiday selling season has arrived, and it promises to be a memorable one for several reasons. A decade after the financial crisis that triggered the Great Recession, the U.S. economy has finally stabilized, with low unemployment and strong growth. Those conditions have led retail industry watchers to predict solid sales increases over the next
NEW YORK—Amazon Books opened its 11th store Tuesday, and its second in New York City. Located on 34th Street, the store is situated directly across the street from the Empire State Building. The new outlet, which includes a coffee shop, has about 3,700 titles available for sale that range from bestsellers to “hidden gems” and
SEATTLE — Amazon announced on Thursday that its $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market Inc. will close on August 28. Amazon also revealed details about how it intends to lower prices and integrate its Prime membership program into the Whole Foods checkout process. The company’s bid for Whole Foods was approved August 23 by
In some respects, Amazon is a hard company to categorize. When it opened for business a little over two decades ago it was an online seller of books. Since then Amazon has, among other things, expanded its e-commerce platform to include a broad spectrum of consumer products; launched a line of electronic readers, tablets and
News about Amazon once again shook up the mass retailing community when stories emerged last month that the e-commerce company is setting its sights on the retail pharmacy sector. As first reported by CNBC, Amazon, after years of gauging its prospects in the prescription drug business, is finally taking the initial steps toward a possible
The established order in mass market retailing has been shaken in recent years by the emergence and increasing prominence of Amazon and other e-commerce alternatives to brick-and-mortar stores. Online merchants continue to make inroads in one category after another — everything from books, (the foundation of Amazon’s business) and home entertainment to apparel and groceries.
Amazon is once again jolting the status quo in mass market retailing. The e-commerce pioneer, which has done more than any other company to transform consumer expectations and the way people shop, early this month took the wraps off an experimental brick-and-mortar store format with the potential to revolutionize the grocery shopping experience. Amazon Go,
SEATTLE — Amazon.com Inc. reported net sales of $32.7 billion in the third quarter, an increase of increased 29% compared with $25.4 billion in third quarter of 2015. The e-commerce giant also posted its sixth straight quarterly profit. Net income was $252 million in the third quarter, or $0.52 per diluted share, compared with $79
The struggles between brick-and-mortar retailers and their online offspring continue. More precisely, the competition shows no signs of abating — or reaching any conclusion. If anything, it has gathered momentum, with the insertion of Amazon as the target of brick-and-mortar retailers seeking to build a viable online business. Perhaps enough has been said and written
SEATTLE — Amazon.com Inc. has filed suit against Arthur Valdez, its former senior supply chain and logistics operator, seeking to prevent him from starting a new job with Target Corp. Target announced last month that it had hired Valdez to serve as executive vice president, chief supply chain and logistics officer. Valdez, who is due