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Amazon wants to build drive-up grocery stores
If you enjoy the luxury of ordering groceries online but would rather not wait at home for your food deliveries, Amazon might soon come to your rescue. Silicon Valley Business Journal understands that Amazon is working on a drive-up grocery store in Sunnyvale, California (a possible concept rendering is shown here) that will rely solely on internet orders -- you'd schedule pickups instead of wandering aisles. Think of it as an AmazonFresh depot that could save you shipping costs while adapting to your schedule.
Facebook wants you to shop inside its store pages
Here's a mystery: if Facebook thinks store pages are so important, why can't you shop from those store pages? Well, Facebook has finally come to its senses. The social network tells Buzzfeed News that it's testing an option to buy goods directly from stores' Facebook pages, rather than kicking you over to another website. The effort is still early enough that only a few dozen brands are participating (Facebook won't name names), but it could expand to include groups, sports teams and even celebrities.
PayPal explains when it will hit you with robocalls
When PayPal updated its user agreement with language suggesting that it had broad powers to make automated calls (aka robocalls) and texts, customers were understandably nervous. Was the company going to spam you until you bought more stuff using its online wallet? Well, you can relax. PayPal is tweaking the agreement once again to make it clear just when it will (and more importantly, won't) send a recorded message your way. The only times the firm will robocall is when it needs to collect debt, warn you about shady activity or tackle fraud cases. You won't deal with marketing spiels unless you give explicit consent, and you can revoke that permission at any point.
Etsy doesn't want you selling spells
Etsy's online shop is mostly known for its handmade crafts, but it has also developed a reputation among the supernatural crowd as an easy place to find spells, potions and other mysterious goods. Well, those merchants will have to find another place to hawk their wares. Etsy has quietly updated its guidelines to ban all "metaphysical" services that promise a tangible outcome, like revenge or weight loss. The company isn't wasting much time cleaning house, either, as it's kicking out many of these vendors with little to no warning.
Amazon uses machine learning to show you more helpful reviews
Let's be blunt: Amazon's reviews sometimes suck. Many of them are hasty day-one reactions, others are horribly misinformed and a few are out-and-out fakes. The internet shopping giant thinks it knows how to sort the wheat from the chaff, however. It just launched a new machine learning system that understands which reviews are likely to be the most helpful, and floats them to the top. The artificial intelligence typically prefers reviews that are recent, receive a lot of up-votes or come from verified buyers. Amazon hopes that this will show you opinions that are not only more trustworthy, but reflect any fixes. In other words, you'll see reviews for the product you're actually likely to get.
eBay's Apple Watch app puts auctions on your wrist
If you're an eBay veteran, you know that every moment of a late-stage auction counts. You don't want to lose because you couldn't grab your phone quickly enough to make a counter-bid, after all. Appropriately, eBay is rolling out an Apple Watch app to go with its Pebble and Samsung Gear efforts. The wearable software both gives you alerts for auctions and lets you make quick bids -- you might prevent someone from sniping that antique auction without even reaching into your pocket. You can also reply to messages with voice dictation, and keep tabs on your top-level buying and selling activity. The update should hit the App Store today, so check it out if you always have to beat other buyers to the punch.
Apple Pay is reportedly coming to the UK this summer
Apple Pay's tap-to-buy service might not be confined to the US for much longer. The Telegraph's sources hear that Apple will use next week's Worldwide Developer Conference to announce the UK launch of its mobile payment service this summer. Reportedly, the company will flick the switch sometime in the next two months. It's not clear exactly which companies have signed up, but 9to5Mac claims that big bank Lloyds Bank is a launch partner; MasterCard, meanwhile, says that it's "absolutely ready" for an Apple Pay debut in Great Britain. There's no word of a similarly quick introduction for other countries (sorry Canada), but it's evident that Apple wants to spread its shopping tech far and wide before rivals show up.
Lufthansa will charge you extra for booking flights on other websites
Be careful when choosing a website to book that upcoming trip to Munich... you may end up paying more than you have to. Germany's Lufthansa Group is introducing a €16 ($18) fee for flights booked through "global distribution systems," such as Expedia, from September 1st onward. According to the company, it's "several times" more expensive to sell tickets through these providers -- it'd much rather point you toward its own websites. The move will theoretically help slash spiraling costs for Lufthansa, which reportedly pays hundreds of millions of Euros every year to deal with these outside transactions.
Google is adding a 'buy' button to its shopping ads
That rumor of Google adding a "buy" button to shopping ads? It's true. The company's Omid Kordestani has confirmed to Recode that this super-quick purchasing option is "imminent." He didn't describe how it would work in detail, but the leak described "Shop on Google" search ads that take you to a product page the moment you give in to that consumerist impulse. The real mystery may be who's onboard with the program. Google reportedly went the extra mile to court retailers worried that they'd be cut out of the loop, but there's no certainty that you'll see a lot of big-name stores signing on right away. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
Fetch's shopping app puts a smarter concierge on your wrist
Talking into a smartwatch still isn't the most socially acceptable thing to do, but a pair of startups is hell-bent on at least making it worthwhile. Fetch and Expect Labs -- a personal shopping service and a purveyor of a voice-driven AI, respectively -- have teamed up to make shopping on your Apple Watch a little less tedious with an improved concierge that works from your wrist.
Luxury brands sue Chinese online shopping giant for allowing fakes
It's no secret that luxury designers see Chinese online stores as a haven for fake goods, but they're now taking concerted action to shut down these less-than-official outlets. Kering, the parent company behind brands like Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, is suing shopping giant Alibaba for allegedly letting counterfeiters sell their wares in the US and elsewhere. The company did nothing to shut these operations down even when told what was going on, according to the complaint. Kering had tried suing Alibaba last July, but it dropped the case in hopes of hashing out a deal -- clearly, those negotiations didn't get very far.
WSJ: Google will add buy buttons to search results on mobile
Google's getting ready to face Amazon and eBay, according to The Wall Street Journal, and will be adding buy buttons directly to its search results. You'll see those buttons accompanying sponsored results under a "Shop on Google" heading -- they won't be used for non-sponsored links returned by the algorithm -- when you search for products on mobile devices. Upon clicking one, a separate product page will load where you can pick sizes, colors and ultimately complete your purchase. Any product you buy will still come straight from retailers, the WSJ says, so it doesn't sound like Google's stocking up warehouses with goods like Amazon does.
At last, Amazon's voice-guided speaker buys things for you
You'd think that an internet shopping giant like Amazon would have baked purchasing into its voice-controlled Echo speaker at the very start, but nope -- the best you could do until now was add items to a shopping list. At long last, though, that hands-free shopping feature is here. So long as you're an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can tell the Echo to re-order items you've purchased in the past. You can't buy whatever you like as a result, but the speaker will offer an alternative (or at worst, put something on your shopping list) if it doesn't find what you were looking for. Suffice it to say that this could save you a lot of clicks if Amazon is your one-stop supply shop.
Samsung's Wallet service folds shut on June 30th
Now that Samsung Pay is nearly here, the company is riding its two-year-old Wallet service into the sunset. Samsung is now telling users that Wallet will stop taking purchases on June 30th. Any reservations and tickets you score before then will still be valid, but you'll otherwise be left out of the loop. The move isn't all that surprising given how much more advanced Samsung Pay should be, but it's a blunt reminder of just how quickly the mobile payment world is evolving -- technology that was promising in 2013 is already old hat.
Court tosses United Airlines lawsuit over a cheap ticket website
United Airlines can't sue Skiplagged for exposing a loophole in ticket prices... at least, for now. A Chicago court has tossed out United's lawsuit because the airfare website doesn't operate in that jurisdiction. The move lets site owner Aktarer Zaman breathe a little, although he may only get a temporary reprieve. While United hasn't said whether or not it will sue again, it notes that the dismissal was based purely on "procedural grounds." The company still believes that Skiplagged's "hidden city" ticket shopping (where you stop at connecting cities, not the final destination) is verboten -- don't be surprised if it finds another way to take legal action. [Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images]
Nordstrom tests curbside pickups for online orders
Store pickups give you the luxury of shopping online without waiting days for deliveries, but there's still one big hassle involved: you have to, y'know, enter the store. That won't be a problem if Nordstrom's latest experiment pans out. Several of the retail chain's locations (including its Seattle flagship) are testing an option that lets you pick up an internet order while staying in your car. All you do is call or text when you're near the shop, and a staffer will wait for you outside. There's no word on whether or not Nordstrom will expand the streetside option, but here's hoping that it does. This would not only save you time picking up a new wardrobe when you're in a rush, but spare you from hunting for that elusive downtown parking spot. [Image credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]
PayPal's simple One Touch payments reach the web
PayPal helped fast-track your online shopping when it rolled out One Touch payments on phones last year, and today it's bringing that simpler system to the web. As with mobile apps, you shouldn't have to sign in more than once to use your PayPal balance for purchases on any device with a browser -- it'll remember your details, so you only need to acknowledge that you're draining your account. You should see One Touch today at numerous web-based shops that already take PayPal, and it should reach other countries in the months ahead. [Image credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu]
Amazon trial delivers packages directly to Audi cars
Tired of having to stay home (or ship to the office) just to collect your online orders? If you live in Germany and drive the right car, you might not have to. In an expansion of what Volvo tried last year, Amazon is teaming up with Audi and DHL for a trial that delivers Amazon Prime purchases directly to connected Audi cars in the Munich area. All you have to do is provide the rough location of your car during the delivery window -- after that, the DHL courier gets temporary access to the trunk of your vehicle to drop off your packages. Suffice it to say that this could be more than a little handy if you're busy working or visiting family. The trial will only involve a handful of people when it kicks off in early May, but here's hoping that it expands quickly... the days of staring anxiously at your front door could eventually come to an end.
Amazon is ready to offer pro services for your home
Need a plumber, or a tire swap? Amazon is ready to help. The internet giant has launched its promised Amazon Home Services, a one-stop shop that lets you order professionals in categories ranging from home maintenance to tech support -- there's even goat grazing, in case you need to clear an overgrown field. The offering promises to be more trustworthy than what you'd get just by searching the web or the phone book, since Amazon is relying on hand-picked pros that deliver up-front pricing. You also won't pay until the job is done properly, so workers shouldn't be tempted to cut corners.
Best Buy is shutting down Canada's biggest tech store chain
Best Buy is a mainstay of tech shopping in the US, but it knows that it's small potatoes in Canada -- it kept the country's better-known Future Shop chain going for years after a takeover, even after opening shops of its own. However, the American retailer is now making its presence felt in a big way by shutting down Future Shop altogether. It'll convert 65 of the locations into Best Buy stores within a week, and 66 others are closing immediately.
