Amazon is hiking the cost of Prime membership in the US from $99 to $119. The company has already increased the cost for new members and it will begin charging the higher rate for renewals next month. We see this as… Continue Reading
Amazon has long led the way in developing innovative package delivery services. The company originally made free, two-day shipping table stakes for e-commerce companies, and then upped the ante by offering one- and two-hour delivery for Prime members through Amazon… Continue Reading
Amazon and Walmart continue to one-up each other in delivery and collection, offering new and innovative ways for customers to receive their orders. Amazon customers can retrieve orders from lockers or choose one- or two-hour delivery in many markets. Amazon… Continue Reading
The battle for online grocery shoppers is intensifying. Last week, Jet.com appointed Simon Belsham, a veteran of the UK online grocery industry, as President, signaling a further commitment to grocery by Jet and, in turn, a heightening of competition in… Continue Reading
US retailer Target just announced that for a two-week period (March 11–24), customers in the Pacific Northwest can drop off any kind of denim jeans at its stores and receive a coupon good for 20% off a new pair of… Continue Reading
Last week, Kohl’s announced that it would be slimming down 12 of its stores and that, as part of a pilot program, 5–10 of those stores will carve out space for separate, adjoining stores that will be leased to grocery… Continue Reading
The Amazon-Walmart-Alibaba battle is no longer focused on China. Now, it’s all about India as these three firms go head to head in the second-most-populous country on earth. In just the past week, Amazon has become the first foreign e-commerce… Continue Reading
Retailers have finally started to scale back liberal return policies in the face of a litany of abuses by customers. Although there are many legitimate reasons for returns—including receipt of a damaged product, the wrong item or a product that… Continue Reading
Amazon wowed analysts and investors last week with a dramatic earnings beat on the back of remarkable fourth-quarter sales growth of 38%. Amazon provides updates on sales in specific international markets only when it reports its full-year results, as it… Continue Reading
Seven months after launching in the US, Lidl is slowing its store-opening program dramatically. This year, it will open just 20 US new stores, according to a January 18 report by German trade publication Manager Magazin. Klaus Gehrig, the CEO… Continue Reading