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On-demand package delivery service 'Doorman' goes live in Chicago
Doorman, a San Francisco startup founded in 2013, is bad news for whoever makes those "Sorry we missed you!" sticky notes. Doorman allows subscribers to schedule deliveries for times that fit their own schedules, for $4 per package or up to $30 per month, and it's live in Chicago right now with a New York roll-out incoming. The service attempts to eliminate missed or stolen packages for people who don't have doormen themselves -- send your order to a personal Doorman address (a spot in the service's warehouse) and schedule a convenient time for it to be delivered, any day between 6PM and midnight. Doorman sends a push notification to users when their packages have arrived and are ready for scheduling. It's "ding" rather than "ding-dong." [Image credit: Shutterstock]
Etsy helps sellers produce more by connecting them with manufacturing
In recent months, Etsy announced a few new initiatives to make selling goods on its site a bit eaiser. Following crowdfunding and same-day delivery efforts, the online retail hub plans to take on manufacturing next. With a beta phase that'll begin in late 2015, Etsy will connect sellers with manufacturers in printing, apparel/textile, machining/fabrication, and jewelry and metalwork to handle the making of goods and increasing production capacity. Those areas are just the beginning, though, as the company plans to add more "industries" in the future. During the test period, Etsy Manufacturing will link sellers and manufacturers for free, but when the service goes live, it'll take a cut (no pricing yet) for its role as matchmaker. What's more, the trial will only be available to manufacturing outfits in the US and Canada, but plans are for the program to expand internationally later. Etsy can also reject any partnership if it violates the company's ethical expectations that keep an eye out for child labor, involuntary labor, inhumane working conditions, discrimination and sustainability. [Image credit: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Amazon reimburses you for Dash Buttons after your first purchase
In late July, Amazon quietly made its Dash Buttons available to all Prime members, without any announcement or fanfare. Today, the company finally made its new program official, and added products from 11 new brands in the process, though it's still limited to Prime subscribers only. The new additions bring the total to 29 brands that tally over 500 products -- all of which can be ordered with the push of a button. What's more, Amazon will also reimburse you for the $5 buttons when you use them to make your first purchase. In other words, you can give it a shot and if you end up not liking it (or even if you do), you'll get your money back. In addition to household items like laundry detergent and food, you can now use the buttons to order mints, gum and protein powder, among other things. For a full list of the available items, take a look here.
Amazon, eBay and others to stop selling Confederate flags (update)
Many prominent online retailers have vowed to remove all items bearing the Confederate flag from their websites following a mass shooting last week at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina. So far, eBay, Wal Mart, Sears and Kmart have announced plans to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise online and in their brick-and-mortar stores. CNBC reports that Amazon and Etsy will also remove Confederate flag items from their online marketplaces, though the companies have yet to officially announce any plans. In addition to these online retailers, prominent US flag maker Valley Forge Flag today promised to stop producing and selling Confederate flags, Reuters reports.
Bookindy Chrome extension lists local options for books on Amazon
There's no question that Amazon is hurting independent bookstores. It's hard to compete with the convenience of quick shipping. If you live in the UK, though, a Chrome extension uses the online retailer's listings to give you a local option during the hunt for a new book. The add-on is called Bookindy and leverages info on independent retailers from locally-focused site Hive. Not only does it display the spot with the best price, but how far you'll have to travel in order to pick up the title in person, too. "I wanted to build something that doesn't compete head-on with the Amazon machine, but embraces it, augments it and nudges you towards the local option to buy," explains Bookindy's creator Will Cookson. Unfortunately, it's only useful in the UK, so here's to hoping another creative soul devises a similar plug-in for other locales.
Shopping online doesn't mean you have to skip the tailor
Before the end of the year, Macy's and Bloomingdale's will offer custom tailoring for clothes you purchase online. How does that work? Well, thanks to a new startup from Men's Warehouse founder George Zimmer, you just buy the clothes, and when they're delivered a tailor comes to you to ensure the proper fit. As you might expect, the on-demand option is only available in certain areas... for now. Los Angeles is the first pilot city, with other trials planned for New York City, San Diego, San Franciso and the states of Washington, Oregon and Florida. Don't live in any of those places? Fret not, the option is set to go nationwide this fall.
eBay's testing Amazon Prime-like shipping service in Germany
Amazon Prime offers many benefits to its subscribers, starting with super-fast shipping on web purchases. Not surprisingly, retail competitor eBay must try to match this. Over in Germany, the company has started trialling a program slightly similar to Prime, reportedly called eBay +, which will be launching in the second half of this year. Buyers there are said to have to pay between €15 and €20 (roughly $17 and $22) per year, an amount that would be reasonable considering the service's main purpose: free, fast shipping and other undisclosed exclusive benefits.
This app reminds you to drunkenly buy stuff at 2 am
The best kind of Amazon deliveries are often the ones you were too drunk to remember ordering. And with the help of the Drunk Shopping app, you'll never miss another opportunity to do so...just as long as that opportunity occurs at 2am on a Saturday night. Developed by the same guy that brought us Troll The NSA and Unbaby.me, Drunk Shopping isn't an app in the traditional sense; it's really more of a service.
Etsy's counterfeit problem is getting worse
News of Etsy's battle against sellers pedaling knockoff goods on its site isn't a recent revelation, but an analyst report this week details the extent of the problem. Investment firm Wedbush says that up to 2 million items listed on the marketplace may be counterfeit or infringe on either a copyright or trademark -- items like these. That's around 5 percent of all goods promoted there. It's not just fashion and jewelery brands, either: products with pro sports, cartoon and comic book artwork abound on Etsy as well. The company recently went public, and as you might expect, its stock fell in response to the report. What's more, a class action lawsuit was filed against the site for making "false and misleading statements" about the counterfeit issue. Etsy took aim at questionable merchandise in the past, banning the sale of Washington Redskins items back in September. However, if it wants to continue being the go-to place for handmade goods, it'll need to do some spring cleaning. [Image credit: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via 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]
Frederick's of Hollywood closes stores in shift to web-only sales
One of the big names in bedroom wear is closing all of its retail stores and moving forward on the web. Frederick's of Hollywood announced this week that it plans to close all of its physical shops and transition to an online-only business. The name might be synonymous with lingerie and other intimates shopping for some, having been around for decades, but Frederick's fell way behind the competition -- like Victoria's Secret and others. Moving from brick-and-mortar locations to just selling goods on the web is a move we've seen before, and it's becoming increasingly more common. However, not being able to benefit from curious foot traffic means a massive shift in marketing, which some experts believe was Frederick's problem in recent years. [Image credit: Steve Rhodes/Flickr]
Etsy's massive IPO puts big money behind small sellers
Selling handmade stuff on the internet is big business, and Etsy's IPO shows just that. The online marketplace completed its initial public offering today, raising over $270 million towards a total valuation of more than $3.5 billion -- not too shabby for a company that's not yet profitable. If you're not familiar, Etsy offers folks who deal in "handmade goods, vintage items and craft supplies" a place to sell their goods online. Sure, the site takes a cut, and it generates revenue from ads, shipping and payment processing. What's more, it has attracted 1.4 million active sellers and 19.8 million active buyers (as of December) in its 10 years handling those sales. The company was clear about its history of losses when it first announced plans to go public, admitting that it may never turn a profit. However, as the popularity of handmade and unique wares continues to grow, eager sellers are likely to opt for the site's community as a means for promotion as much as its e-commerce tools. It's also poised to make a big splash in mobile, recently hiring one of Pandora's top executives to lead that charge. [Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images]
Visa's secure payment system is expanding to online shopping
Visa's move to protect your credit card numbers was apparently pretty popular. How do we know that? Well, it's coming to a bunch of places that aren't adorned with the Apple logo -- that's how. The company has announced that "other leading device manufacturers and technology companies" will adopt Visa Token Service this year. What's more, the company says it plans to use its secure payment system (one that doesn't any of your actual credit card info, but randomized data) on Visa Checkout transactions online as well. Even better? The outfit says that it expects some of the biggest online retailers to adopt VTS too. Oh, and banks and credit unions in the Latin America, the Pacific region of Asia and the United States are also supposed to come on board with the tech in 2015. If that means less worrying after the next inevitable data breach, hey alright! [Base image credit: OrphanJones/Flickr]
Engadget Daily: HP's super-slim laptop, the fight over online sales tax, and more!
HP's newest laptop, the EliteBook Folio 1020, is thinner than a Macbook Air, super sexy and tough enough to meet military ruggedness standards. The only problem? You'll have to wait until 2015 to snag one. Read on for the rest of our news highlights from the last 24 hours, including Intel's collaboration with SwiftKey, a fitness-tracking compression shirt and the deal with online sales tax.
Twitter Offers delivers discounts you can nab from tweets
Twitter has been dabbling in timeline-based purchases already, and its latest effort will boost commerce-driven tweeting. Twitter Offers serves up discounts from participating retailers that you'll be able to grab right from the tweet -- so long as you've linked a credit or debit card to sort the funds, of course. To leverage the deal, all you have to do is pay online or at a physical location with the same card. The social network will charge companies to promote their offer-packed messages, and could later opt to bill for every deal that's claimed according to Re/code. Twitter acquired online coupon/payment startup CardSpring earlier this year to power the offering, and discounts will begin appearing as early as today. Perfect timing for the Black Friday scrum, no?
Walmart's Amazon price-match policy is less open to abuse now
Well, that didn't take long: Earlier this week, the internet caught wind of a few less-than-legitimate sellers listing PlayStation 4s on Amazon at ridiculously low prices -- we're talking $90 or less for a $400 item -- and took advantage of Walmart's new price-matching policy. Now the retail giant has adjusted said policy regarding such. The company says it'll only honor pricing from 30 "major" online retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Cabela's and Kohl's from here on out. Marketplace vendors, third-party sellers (one of the ways this ordeal started), etailers requiring a membership and auction sites including eBay aren't eligible under the new revision. A Walmart spokesperson tells Wall Street Journal that it was a significant enough amount to change the policy "quickly," but, wouldn't say exactly how much the alleged fraud cost the company.
Amazon lends Prime perks to other online retailers
In an effort to get Prime in more places around the web, Amazon announced its first effort with an outside retailer today at the Money2020 Conference. AllSaints, a British clothing retailer, is the first to opt in to the online shopping giant's paid membership. Customers can sign-in and pay with an Amazon account all while the same free next shipping that comes from shopping at the mothership (with no minimum purchase). AllSaints products show up in search results on Amazon, but the transaction happens at its own site, and it handles the logistics. "Prime could be the VIP pass to the Internet," AllSaints' Rich Ascott told Recode.
Travelocity apparently saves the best deals for iOS shoppers
Like with most everything, online shopping has its pros and cons. One of the best elements of going the digital route, though, is that you usually end up saving more money than at a brick-and-mortar store. Having said that, according to a recent study by Northeastern University, a number of websites are charging some users more than others. The findings point out that travel-booking companies such as Cheaptickers and Orbits were bumping hotel prices for people who weren't logged in to their site, with prices going up by as much as $12 extra per night to every user without an account. Even more interesting is the fact Travelocity, which is among the most popular places to book travel on the web, was found to be charging iOS users an average of $15 less on hotels compared to those browsing from another mobile platform. Which is to say, you should probably use an iPhone or iPad during your next Travelocity order -- and with the holidays coming up, the timing couldn't be any better. [Image credit: Kasaa/Flickr]
Groupon Basics offers deals for bulk shopping at home
Groupon has tackled localized offers and sorted reservations, so now the deals site is looking to offer discounts for those who shop in bulk. The new effort -- appropriately called Basics -- allows you to stock up on over 100 household, hygiene and health products from companies like Gillette, Dove and Burt's Bees. To sweeten the deal(s), all purchases made through the new channel will earn 5 percent back in Groupon Bucks for future use. Right now, the service is only available in the continental US, but carts that tally over $25 will ship for free. As you might expect, options are a bit limited at launch, but the company says more options are on the way -- including grocery items. If you're anxious to get shopping, don't let us hold you up any longer. You can started browsing right here.
Google Shopping Express starts selling gadgets, continues same-day delivery until December 24th
Hey, Bay Area residents: Mountain View's hoping you'll bring its online shop your business instead of braving the crowds for some last-minute holiday shopping. Google's Shopping Express will continue doing same-day deliveries until 5PM Pacific on December 24th, so long as you place an order before noon. Even better, the portal now sells gadgets straight from Google Play. The selection's pretty slim at the moment, but if you have a relative dying for a Nexus 7/10 or a Chromecast, then you've got it made. Sadly, the service has yet to expand to other locations, so everyone else will have to find an alternative, or, you know, grab a Red Bull on the way to the mall.
