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Target buys same-day delivery company to battle Amazon
A couple of months ago, Target took on Amazon's Prime Pantry services with its own version: Restock. The retailer's new service undercut Amazon by a dollar for a 45-pound box full of goodies, and even offered next-day service to beat out Amazon's four-business-day deliveries. According to Bloomberg, Target is taking the next step in its competition by agreeing to purchase Grand Junction, a startup that manages local and same-day deliveries. The San Francisco-based business already handles same-day delivery for Target's Tribeca store in Manhattan.
Etsy slashes almost a quarter of its staff in attempt to refocus
Etsy is widely recognized as perhaps the premiere place online to go for handmade goods from sellers big and small. But despite the company's ubiquity and influence, Etsy may have taken on too many projects that aren't relevant to its core business. To that end, CEO Josh Silverman announced this morning that Etsy was laying off 15 percent of its workforce. That's in addition to layoffs that were announced in early May; the total workforce reduction comes in at 22 percent, or about 230 employees.
Chinese online retail giant 360buy spreads worldwide, may keep Amazon on its toes
Many of us who live in North America and Europe consider Amazon synonymous with online retail -- yet we forget that the company barely even registers in some parts of the world. That misconception is about to be cleared up now that one of China's largest online retailers, 360buy, is going global. A just-launched English version of the store is initially shipping China-made goods for free to 36 countries that include obvious candidates like Australia, Canada, the UK and the US as well as France, Germany and southeast Asia. You're unlikely to find a Kindle Fire HD equivalent in the selection, but the mix could still make Amazon nervous when the brand-agnostic can already find real bargains. Combined with long-term plans to set up local distribution points, 360buy's international expansion could get more of us comfortable with buying from China and heat up a retail race that some thought had already been won.
Google Search As You Type gives retailer websites instant search
Google's search engine and its almighty Omnibox in Chrome have given the public instant search capabilities for some time, and now Google's sharing that same search goodness with its retail partners. Called Google Search As You Type, it's a pilot program providing AdWords advertisers access to Google's predictive and instant search on their own websites. That means customers can find what they're looking for more quickly and sellers can separate said buyers from their money faster than ever. Search As You Type is free for the first 25 million searches each year, so you'll likely be seeing this widespread on retail websites soon. That said, if you simply cant wait to witness your online retailing future, check out the video after the break.
Google rolls out Trusted Stores verification program for online retailers
Along with talking up 3D images and other new features for Maps, Google is pushing its new Trusted Stores program this week. The service, which has been in testing for the last nine months, monitors online retailers and awards those with good shipping and service records a "trusted" badge. In addition to giving online shoppers some reassurance that a vendor is, well, trustworthy, Trusted Stores will offer users assistance in resolving issues with sellers, plus up to $1,000 of purchase protection. For the retailers, the company says the value proposition is an increase in sales "by showing you're a great place to shop." Google will be rolling out badges for approved stores in the US starting today, and clicking on those little seals of approval will let you view a merchant's "report card" for shipping and customer service reliability.
Three brings 3LiveShop to Denmark, offers webcam chat and heads-up product display (video)
Well, it appears that Three's call center agents in Denmark won't be able to wear pajamas into work anymore. Following the introduction of 3LiveShop in Sweden, the mobile carrier's other Scandinavian group is introducing this rather novel way of shopping for new phones to Danes. Properly situated consumers may now elect to participate in live video chats with Three employees, who manipulate product photos and information on a heads-up display for customer convenience. (We'd like to imagine this nice lady has placed the Galaxy S II and iPhone 4 into the "maybe" pile.) Thankfully, shoppers won't have to look presentable at all, as participating in two-way video conferences is entirely optional -- along with more traditional voice and chat methods. If you're curious to see a demo of the system in action, just check the video after the break. [Thanks, Jonas]
Apple becomes UK's #2 online retail store
Apple.com has become the second most trafficked online retail site in the UK, according to a report by website tracking firm Experian Hitwise and IMRG. The #2 spot puts Apple.com only behind Internet retail juggernaut Amazon.co.uk and ahead of retail discounter Argos.co.uk. Experian Hitwise tracking numbers are for website traffic recorded between August and October.The #2 spot represents a six-spot move for Apple.com. In July, Apple.com ranked as the #8 most trafficked online retail site in the UK. Experian Hitwise said Apple moved up to the #2 spot thanks to its five-fold increase in hits. The web tracking firm does point out that Apple's rapid rise to the #2 spot could be an anomaly spurred by Steve Jobs death and the resulting surge of interest in Apple. In October, the month Steve Jobs passed away, Apple.com/uk received 14 million hits -- one for every 250 visits made by UK-based browsers. However, Experian Hitwise Marketing Research Analyst James Murray acknowledges that the iPhone 4S announcement was also responsible for Apple's massive traffic numbers. "The tech world mourned the death of Steve Jobs this quarter but Apple goes on, and the launch of the iPhone 4S has helped push Apple to its highest ever ranking in the Hot Shops list," he said in a press release. "Amazon UK and Apple are now the two biggest brands in online retail, and this Christmas they will go head-to-head in the gadget wars as the Amazon Kindle contends with the Apple iPad. Our data shows that iPad is the more popular gadget online but the Kindle's lower price point may entice shoppers this Christmas."
3LiveShop woos you into phone contracts by touching your screen from the other side (video)
Feeling lonely? Got some Swedish kronor to burn? Now you can kill two birds with one stone thanks to Three's Scandinavian arm. Hold up, we're not talking about online dating here; but you could certainly start by buying a phone from 3LiveShop, which lets you interact virtually face to face with a human sales rep. Better yet, these folks are equipped with eccentric multitouch workstations (pictured after the break) to let them drag phones and spec sheets around your screen. We had a go on this service just now and apart from a couple of hiccups later on, our Hong Kong-to-Sweden call was surprisingly fluid and fun. Sadly, we didn't get around to filming our intimate conversation with Adam here, but you can watch a promotion video by B-Reel -- the folks behind the touchscreen's Flash interface -- after the break to see how it works. [Thanks, Johan]
Online retailer quits selling games, blames industry
DVD Empire, where the completely addicted go for digital entertainment (it says here), has axed its games division and placed the blame on the slouching shoulders of an apathetic games industry. The online retailer has set up a Myspace page detailing its reasons for doing so, as well as highlighting a newly announced "20% off all games" sale. The overarching reason for calling it quits is rooted in DVD Empire's classification as a "small" retailer compared to the likes of Gamestop and Best Buy. Consequently, the site claims to have difficulty with things like timely distribution, "industry greed," price protection and returning unsold games to pubishers. It seems reasonable for the most part, but choice phrases like "we all know how fast games devalue in prices; this is due to the fact that 80% of the games created are crap," or " it is impossible for us to make money selling video games," sound akin to the thumping fists of a child in the midst of a tantrum. In an effort to gain a clearer understanding of the situation, however, we contacted Tronix, a small retailer based in New York, and asked them to comment on each of the points made by DVD Empire. For the most part, Tronix reinforces the complaints, but also makes it clear that the industry isn't entirely the success-stomping villain it's been painted out to be.
