OnlineShopping
Latest
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.
'Zero-waste' Loop delivers Coke and Häagen-Dazs in reusable packaging
A lineup of the world's biggest consumer brands are joining a zero-waste online shopping project that delivers items in refillable and reusable containers. Loop -- announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week -- is an online shopping platform that wants to save customers the hassle of recycling by adopting the age-old model of the milkman.
Walmart opens its first online store in Japan
Walmart has opened its first online store in Japan with the help of local e-commerce giant Rakuten. Over 1,200 items will be available to Japanese customers on the "Walmart Rakuten Ichiba Store," including clothing, outdoor items and toys from US brands. It marks the latest step in the duo's strategic alliance, announced in January, which also spans an online grocery delivery service in Japan and the sale of e-readers, audiobooks and e-books from Rakuten-owned Kobo in the US.
Nike's new NYC flagship store is fueled by its mobile app
New York City's 5th Avenue shopping district is home to iconic brands like Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Versace and Adidas, but for the past few months a big member of that list has been missing: Nike. The company closed its flagship NikeTown store at the end of 2017, reportedly in part because it didn't want to be a tenant of the Trump Organization. But Nike never planned to leave 5th Avenue for good, and now it's back with a 68,000-square-foot, six-story space called the "House of Innovation 000." The store, which opened today, was designed with the Nike app in mind -- in what the company is calling a blueprint for its future retail locations.
Walmart offers free two-day shipping for hundreds of third-party sellers
It's that time of the year again when retailers wave perks and promos in your face to earn your business. Walmart is hoping to lure you away from Amazon by offering free two-day shipping for millions more items sold by third-party Marketplace sellers on top of the ones it's selling directly. The retailer has teamed up with hundreds of top-selling third-party merchants to expand its free shipping offer for purchases worth $35 and above. You don't need to pay a membership fee to take advantage of it, the company kept stressing in its announcement, perhaps in an effort to remind you that Amazon Prime now costs $119 a year in the US.
GOAT sneaker marketplace partners with NBA player Kyle Kuzma
Online sneaker marketplace GOAT announced that Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma will serve as the company's brand ambassador. Today's announcement marks the first partnership between a sneaker reselling platform and a professional athlete. During this NBA season, GOAT will outfit Kuzma with 'rare and highly-coveted Nike sneakers,' which he'll wear both on and off the court
Amazon rolls out collaborative wish lists to everyone
Back in July, The Verge discovered that Amazon was testing a collaborative wish list feature. Now, Engadget has learned that the feature is available for all users. "Amazon is excited to share that now ALL customers can build their Shopping Lists or Wish Lists together in one convenient location," the company said in a release.
Amazon removes Nazi and white supremacist listings
Amazon's policy prohibits the sale of racist and 'hatred-glorifying' goods, but a couple of watchdog groups recently found Nazi and white supremacist products sold on the platform. Those products include jewelry adorned with Nazi swastikas and even a children's book normalizing racist beliefs written by George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party. Now the company has told Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison in a letter that it has already reviewed and removed those listings. Amazon said that it has also permanently blocked the sellers who violated its policies and has put a restriction on the goods the watchdogs found to prevent them from being sold again.
Google invests $550 million in China's second biggest online retailer
Google has revealed plans to pour $550 million into JD.com -- one of China's e-commerce titans. It's a crucial partnership for Google, which gains leverage within the important Chinese consumer market, while sending a message to competitors like Amazon. But that's not to say that JD.com won't also reap rewards from the union.
Amazon needs to get a handle on its counterfeit problem
Chances are you wouldn't suspect that whatever you're buying from Amazon, whether it be clothing, sunglasses or a handbag, is fake. And, for the most part, that tends to true. But that doesn't mean you should trust that every product is legit. In fact, right now if you search for "Yeezys," a highly coveted pair of Adidas shoes, you'll get more than a thousand results that are clearly fake. Two dead giveaways are design flaws and an unlikely low price -- trust me, Adidas doesn't sell them for $20. The worst part is that some of them bear the seemingly trustworthy Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) label. But all that really means is that the company is acting as the middleman between you and the actual seller.
US continues to blacklist China’s eBay over counterfeit goods
Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba's counterfeit goods problem refuses to go away. Despite noting improvements on takedown efforts, the Office of the US Trade Representative has again blacklisted Alibaba's eBay-like Taobao shopping site.
SCOTUS will hear a case on internet sales tax
One of the benefits of internet shopping for many consumers is not having to pay sales tax. But the Supreme Court has just agreed to hear South Dakota v. Wayfair, which may reverse the 1992 ruling that prevents state and local governments from requiring retailers to collect sales tax for online purchases.
Amazon shipped over 5 billion items with Prime in 2017
As we close out one year and welcome another, Amazon has a few stats for us to better reflect on how we spent 2017 -- evidently by sending each other a colossal volume of stuff. The company announced today that Prime members shipped over 5 billion items using the service this year.
How the 'Grinch bots' stole Christmas
Resellers have existed since way before the internet. But with the surge of online shopping, they have found the perfect weapon to aid their business: bots, automated software that can add products to a virtual cart and purchase them faster than any human. Even if your browser autofills personal information, like your address and credit card, and it only took you one minute to get to the checkout page -- that's too slow. Bots can buy almost anything in a matter of seconds, which is why they've become the ideal tool for people who make money by snatching up coveted items and selling them on eBay, Amazon and Craigslist for a profit.
Amazon Australia starts taking orders
While Amazon Australia didn't open by Black Friday as rumors predicted, the marketplace is live in time for the Christmas shopping season. It started taking orders on Tuesday (local time) and offers free shipping across Australia for orders over $50 AUD (or about $37 US).
Shopify’s Arrive app tracks your online orders on a live map
Now that Amazon's smart-home-synced delivery service is unlocking doors for parcel drop-offs, we never have to worry about missing packages again. For anyone freaked out by the idea of a stranger entering their pad, there's Shopify Arrive for iOS: A free app that taps in to your email e-receipts to provide online-order tracking from over 400 carriers. All the big guns are present, including UPS, USPS, FedEX, DHL, Canada Post, and Amazon -- which should come in handy for those awaiting multiple items (it is the frantic holiday season, after all).
Amazon adds its own discounts to third-party seller products
For the first time, Amazon is cutting the prices of third-party seller items at its own expense to be more competitive with other online sites, a move first spotted by the WSJ. Such items are labelled as "Discount provided by Amazon," marking a new policy that even many of the retailers aren't aware of. "I do not know if this is new or if I just never noticed it before," wrote reseller Rock Creek Gifts on Amazon's seller forum. The discounts are less than 10 percent, and appear to only be applied for sellers that use Amazon's fulfillment service.
'Pay With Google' makes shopping on Android less of a hassle
As promised, Google is streamlining online purchases made through Android devices by rolling out Pay with Google. The feature lets you use any of the credit or debit cards you've previously logged on the web titan's products (like Chrome, Android Pay, YouTube, or Google Play) to checkout in just a few clicks -- verifying your purchase with a security code or your Android device. That way, you don't have to type in your lengthy card info on a website or app payment form. Instead, Google just sends the merchant your payment details and shipping address from your account.
Walmart's Jet.com has its own grocery brand just for millennials
Walmart has been battling it out with Amazon for some time now and last year it purchased Jet.com to give it an online edge. At the time, Walmart said that the acquisition would bring "fresh ideas and expertise, as well as an attractive brand with proven appeal, especially for millennials." Now it's using Jet.com to actively target "metro millennials," whatever those are, with a new grocery brand called Uniquely J.
Hilton Honors members can spend their points on Amazon
Folks in the Hilton Honors reward program have a new reason to hoard points: They can now pay with them when shopping on Amazon. Not for everything, mind you, as most digital content (Kindle downloads, music, Amazon Video, and so on) are off-limits. But you can spend your Hilton Honors points on the rest of your oddball needs and late-night purchases.
