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Target uses augmented reality to help you shop for furniture
Target has been introducing high-tech ways to shop for months, including real-time maps of its stores and a Pinterest-powered visual search tool. Now, it has added an augmented reality feature to its mobile website to help you shop for the perfect furniture for your home. Target calls the feature "See It In Your Space," because, like Ikea's Place app for iOS, you can literally use it to see what a piece of furniture would look like in your home.
Order from Target nationwide by chatting with Google Assistant
For the past few years, Target has been testing the Google Express service in California and New York City. Now, the service is expanding nationwide. Starting today, you can now use Google's same-day home delivery service at Targets all across the continental US (but not Alaska or Hawaii). You can also use Google Assistant to shop with your voice; it's coming soon to eligible Android and iPhone devices and available now on Google Home devices and Android TV.
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.
Why buy the cow when you can biofabricate the milk for free?
Thought to have been Lord Krishna's favorite animal, the cow has achieved a uniquely sacred status in India. Their slaughter is prohibited through most of the country, beef consumption is largely outlawed as well and woe be the unlucky soul accused of breaking those taboos. In the US, however, that's not the case. We Americans love our cows. We love them so much that we ate a whopping 25.668 billion pounds of beef in 2016, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. There are 93.5 million heads of cattle in this country, but thanks to emerging biofabrication technologies, they could soon be as safe from the slaughterhouse as the cows of Delhi.
Target expands next-day delivery service to eight more cities
Target continues to try and outcompete digital retailer and competitor, Amazon. The red bullseye-logo company has been testing its own Prime Pantry-like delivery service for a few months now, offering faster times than Amazon. Dubbed Restock, Target's offering expanded to customers Denver and Dallas last month. Now the next-day delivery system is growing, with new availability in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis and the Washington, DC and Baltimore areas.
Target's app will soon guide you to the item you're looking for
While Target has to keep up with Amazon to compete in a tough retail market, it may have just found something its competitor cannot do. The company is rolling out its previously tested Bluetooth-powered Beacons to give its customers a real-time map of their current store via the Target app. Now you can find your way to anything you need at Target using your smartphone just like you do when you're driving and using Google or Apple Maps. The system will go live in about half of Target's stores for the holidays.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 hits stores today
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 fans, the day is here. The phone hits stores today after breaking series pre-order records in the US and abroad. Samsung announced earlier this week that it sold over 650,000 phones in the first five days of its presale, outselling the Note 7 over the same time period.
Walmart is slowly expanding its Uber-powered grocery delivery
Walmart has been testing a grocery delivery service since 2013, when it expanded from San Francisco and San Jose to the Denver market. It's been using ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft to deliver the goods since last year, in Denver and Phoenix. The company is now expanding the delivery service to two new cities: Customers in Dallas or Orlando can now order groceries from Walmart.com and have them delivered via an Uber ride.
Target's Prime Pantry competitor expands to Denver and Dallas
Amazon may have introduced Instant Pickup today, but Target has news of its own. Yesterday, we reported that Target had purchased Grand Junction, a same-day delivery company. Now, the company has announced that its next-day delivery service, Target Restock, is expanding to Denver and Dallas.
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.
Dick's Sporting Goods is the latest retailer to price match Amazon
In what's yet another sign of the shifting retail landscape, Dick's Sporting Goods is now matching prices from Amazon and other competitors online. The new program, aptly named "Best Price Guarantee," is a necessary move by the company to compete with ecommerce giant Amazon and retailers like FinishLine, Footlocker, Target and Walmart. In addition to that, Dick's will also start price-matching sportswear brands, most of which are clients, including Adidas, Nike and Under Armour.
Target is testing its own Prime Pantry-like delivery service
Target is taking on Amazon's Prime Pantry with its own version called "Restock." The company announced a trial run of its new service today, which it tested with employees earlier this year. Like Prime Pantry, with Restock, customers can fill a box with up to 45 pounds of loot for a flat added fee. But Target is undercutting Amazon by a dollar, pricing their box at just $5. Additionally, Target is offering next-day service with their boxes, whereas Amazon's usually arrive within four business days.
The rise of electric cars will kill the gas station
Gas stations are a lifeline. They not only fuel our cars but us, too -- whether it's with lukewarm coffee during the morning commute or the salty-sweet buffet during road trips. They're a glowing oasis when the gas tank is empty and our bladders are full. It's going to be a long while before the handy service station goes away, but its days are numbered -- because electric cars are going to change everything.
eBay will match prices from Amazon and Walmart on certain items
eBay announced a new Price Match Guarantee today, ensuring many of its items will cost the same or less than those offered by other major retail competitors. It's the company's latest move in the ongoing business battle with giants like Amazon and Walmart.
Target settles with 47 states over its 2013 data breach
Believe it or not, Target still isn't done paying the price for the 2013 breach that exposed the shopping data of tens of millions of customers. The retailer has reached a settlement with 47 states (and the District of Columbia) that will have it pay a collective $18.5 million and institute key reforms. It'll have to separate its card data from the rest of its network, further control access to its network (such as by implementing two-factor authentication) and run "appropriate" encryption policies. It'll also have to implement a "comprehensive" info security program with a dedicated executive, and hire an outside firm for security reviews.
Anova acquisition could mean a sous vide chicken in every pot
You might see even more smart cooking gadgets at your favorite retail outlet soon thanks to industry giant Electrolux's purchase of popular sous vide maker Anova.The $250 million acquisition allows the smaller company to continue as a brand with Electrolux's resources and reach.
Target shuts down its 'Store of the Future' project
An effort to bring Target stores into future has reportedly been nixed before it could ever see the light of day. As Recode reports, Target's aptly named "Store of the Future" project, which would have put the retailer in direct competition with Amazon's forthcoming cashier-free Go stores, was abruptly canceled after a disappointing holiday season.
Mobile shopping reaches an all-time high on Black Friday
Did you get some of your holiday gift shopping done on your phone, instead of your PC? You're far from alone. Adobe has determined that mobile shopping (both phone and tablet) was responsible for $1.2 billion in US online sales on Black Friday -- the first time it has ever crossed the $1 billion mark, in fact. It's still in the minority, representing 36 percent of the total $3.34 billion, but that's still a huge 33 percent spike over the shopping frenzy from last year.
The best deals for Black Friday
Black Friday, the shopping mania that occurs the day after American Thanksgiving, may be more important than ever in 2016. Between 4K TVs, new game consoles, media hubs, mobile devices and wearables, there are many potential gifts this year -- those discounts could be crucial to splurging on someone or treating yourself. But where do you go to find the best bargains? Never fear, as we're rounding up some of the bigger deals you'll see on and around November 25th. And many of these deals will be online, so you might not have to brave packed stores and shopping malls to save some cash.
Tesla's self-driving future, and more in the week that was
Tesla is making several big announcements this month, and Elon Musk just delivered the first: From now on, all new Tesla cars will be self-driving. The electric automaker also teamed up with Panasonic to build solar panels for its Powerwall home battery, which it's set to update next week. Hyperloop One is forging ahead on its futuristic transportation system by raising $50 million and hiring Uber's former CFO as an advisor. It looks like Apple has scrapped plans to build a self-driving car, and BMW showcased plans for a next-gen smart motorcycle that will never crash or tip over.
