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Amazon reinstates FedEx Ground as a shipping option for Prime sellers
Amazon is once again allowing third-party sellers to use FedEx Ground for Prime deliveries. Last month, it said it would no longer permit such that delivery method via the courier, citing poor performance. Amazon said FedEx Ground is now consistently meeting its on-time delivery requirements, so it's lifting the ban. Sellers can use that option once again starting today, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed to Engadget.
eBay, Visa and Mastercard pull out of Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency
Stripe and eBay have followed PayPal in backing out of Facebook's cryptocurrency, Libra. They confirmed to the Financial Times that they would pull their support, while Mastercard and Visa have also dropped out.
Toys 'R' Us debuts a new website, but you're really buying from Target
Just in time for the holiday season, the Toys "R" Us website is back, with one big difference: Target is powering the revived ToysRUs.com. When you go to complete a purchase on the latter, it redirects you to Target's website to check out.
Not even Allbirds is safe from Amazon's copycat ways
The tech world's penchant for outright copying successful ideas is well-documented. You only need to look at the last couple of years of Instagram's development path to see just how much Facebook has tried to copy every unique facet of Snapchat. But Amazon may have taken things to an uncomfortable new extreme. In a new instance of copycat behavior first spotted by Tinder's Jeff Morris Jr, the company has released a pair of Allbirds knockoffs. Allbirds makes shoes from Merino Wool, and they've been extremely popular over the last couple of years.
Pinterest's latest Lens update makes it easier to buy items in your photos
Online shopping can be daunting, especially if you're looking for one very specific type of item. Rather than search for "green Jaipur tapestry" or "blue plaid button-down shirt", it might be easier just to snap a photo. Pinterest announced today that it is upgrading its Lens camera search feature to integrate with shoppable pins.
Target’s curbside Drive Up service now available across the US
Target's same-day Drive Up service is now available across all 50 states in the US. If you've never used Drive Up before, the service allows you to order items through the retailer's mobile app and then pick them up at a designated parking spot at your local Target store. Once you're at the store, a Target employee will bring your order to your car.
TikTok offers in-app purchasing of sponsored products
TikTok, the short-form video platform dominated by teens, is now moving steadily into sponsored content. TechCrunch reported today that the app will now let viewers buy products associated with sponsored hashtags without leaving the app. Called Hashtag Challenge Plus, the new feature allows companies who run influencer campaigns on TikTok to directly sell products to the app's users.
FedEx drops Amazon (at least for Express shipments in the US)
FedEx announced today that it won't renew its FedEx Express US contract with Amazon. Instead it will "focus on serving the broader e-commerce market." While Amazon relies on other carriers, usually UPS and the United States Postal Service, FedEx is a big player. Dropping Amazon could foreshadow shipping drama.
eBay’s improved AI translation boosts Spanish-language sales
Since eBay added artificial intelligence translations for product listings in 2014, sales from the US to Spanish-speaking Latin American nations increased by almost 11 percent, according to a study. Researchers from MIT and Washington University in St. Louis scraped data from the ecommerce platform, and found that the translations helped buyers and sellers overcome language barriers.
Alibaba opens e-commerce platform to sellers outside of China
China's e-commerce giant Alibaba is now allowing businesses from a select few other countries to sell goods on its platform. AliExpress, which enabled small and medium-sized companies in China to sell goods to over 150 countries, has opened up to businesses in Italy, Russia, Spain and Turkey reports The Financial Times. The company hopes to expand AliExpress to retailers in other countries.
Google is testing shopping links under YouTube videos
Google is looking at more options to boost its bottom line, and one of them seems to be shopping links tucked under YouTube videos. The company is running a test where it displays recommended products along with prices on its video-sharing platform, according to The Information.
Facebook Marketplace lets sellers ship items across the continental US
Facebook will soon let Marketplace sellers ship items anywhere in the continental US, while you'll be able to pay for purchases directly through the platform. As such, sellers who are happy to ship their goods will be able to cater to customers on the other side of the country. Buyers, meanwhile, should have access to a broader selection of items and perhaps some peace of mind through purchase protection for eligible items.
India wants to keep online shopping data close to home
India published a draft e-commerce policy that could have a big impact on major players like Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart, as well as foreshadow regulations for social media companies like Facebook Inc. and Google. The policy calls for "consumer protections, data privacy and maintenance of a level playing field" -- in other words, data localization, improved privacy safeguards and measures to combat counterfeits.
2018: The year Amazon became even harder to avoid
It's been ages since Amazon was just a place to buy books. But even now, it's still easy to think of the company as a big online store. Resist that urge. Amazon's size and scale mean it's almost preternaturally good at selling and delivering things, but the company's real job is to find ways to make itself indispensable. If you let it, Amazon will sell you groceries and entertain you. It will make clothes and appliances to fill your home with. It will give you a full-time, part-time or super-part-time job, depending on your circumstances. At this point, it seems perfectly feasible to live a life enveloped completely by Amazon. And while the idea of a single company having this many hooks into our lives can be (and for some, absolutely is) alarming, Amazon still found ways to broaden its reach in 2018.
Epic Games will take on Steam with its own digital store
Buoyed by Fortnite's phenomenal success over the last year or so, Epic Games is launching its own digital store to take on the likes of Steam, EA's Origin and Blizzard's Battle.net. However, Epic is giving developers a higher revenue share than most of its competitors. Much like creators who sell items through the Unreal Engine Marketplace, developers will keep 88 percent of revenue and Epic will take a 12 percent cut.
Amazon says Cyber Monday was its biggest shopping day ever
Amazon claims Cyber Monday was its biggest shopping day ever -- it previously said Prime Day in July this year was its largest shopping event. Over the five days from Thanksgiving to Monday, Amazon customers bought more than 180 million items from its online store as they took advantage of cut-price deals.
YouTube lets European creators add a merch store to their channels
Earlier this year, YouTube and Teespring joined forces to launch a shopping hub that allowed US creators to sell custom merchandise directly under their videos. Now, the companies have expanded the merch store to creators in Europe.
eBay's Instant Selling is a hassle-free way to sell your old phone
eBay has launched a new service that gives you a quick way to sell select phone models if you don't want to deal with Craigslist buyers. It's called Instant Selling, and the e-commerce platform says the whole process will only take you a few minutes from start to finish. The downside is you're not getting cold hard cash for your phone -- you're getting an eBay voucher that you can use to purchase items from the website. If that's not a dealbreaker (and you buy stuff from eBay regularly anyway), you might be able to get more for your device than what some trade-in programs offer.
Snapchat will let you shop on Amazon using its camera
Snapchat will soon let you use its camera to shop for products on Amazon, following reports that such a tool was on the way. When you point the camera at a product or barcode and hold your finger on it, an Amazon card will pop up when the tool recognizes the item.
Snapchat is selling tickets from SeatGeek in its app
Through a partnership with SeatGeek, Snapchat will now let users purchase event tickets right in its app. TechCrunch reports that last month, the Los Angeles Football Club was the first to utilize the collaboration, selling 20 tickets to a May 26th game through Snapchat. The team posted a Snapchat Story that let users swipe up to buy the tickets without having to leave the app and posted a Snapcode on its website.
