Alexa is getting its first celebrity voice, and it’s Oprah. Before you get too excited, Oprah won’t respond to your day-to-day questions, as Alexa does – instead, the addition of Oprah’s voice is part of a holiday shopping promotion between Oprah’s O magazine and Amazon, where Oprah will help Alexa customers shop her “Favorite Things.”
O, The Oprah… Read More
Category: eCommerce
Battery Ventures leads $75M Series D in travel activities platform GetYourGuide
Right after Berlin-based travel activities booking platform GetYourGuide announced its $50 million Series C, one of Europe’s biggest tourist draws, the city of Paris, was rocked by a series of terrorist attacks. The awful events in Paris were clearly not good news for a tourism-dependent business. Read More
Another blockbuster quarter for Alibaba as revenue surges 61%
Alibaba’s stellar financial performance continues unabated after the Chinese e-commerce giant again beat analyst expectations thanks to impressive growth in its core business at home. The firm reported total revenue of RMB 55.1 billion ($8.3 billion), beating expectations of RMB 52.2 billion according to a Reuters poll with 61 percent growth. Net profit for the period increased by… Read More
Rebagg loses a ‘g’ to rebrand luxury handbag marketplace
Who needs two g’s when you can get by with one? Luxury handbag marketplace Rebagg is now Rebag because the startup “really wanted to elevate our game,” said Charles Gorra, founder and CEO. “Dropping the ‘g’ is a big symbol.” He believes that the shorter Rebag is more representative of the “simplicity” of the brand. “We also like the… Read More
Amazon adds an AR shopping feature to its iOS app
Amazon today is introducing a new feature called AR View that lets customers visualize online products in their own living space, using their smartphone camera. Launched today in the Amazon app for iOS devices, AR View offers the ability to view thousands of products for the home or office – including furniture, electronics, toys, games, home décor and more – in augmented reality.… Read More
Target, Walmart, and Ebay are pushing Christmas way too early
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Halloween’s over, and Christmas is right around the corner.
At least that’s how the retail gatekeepers of America’s ever-elongating holiday shopping season now see it.
Ebay and Walmart are already breaking out the tinsel this week with yuletide promotionsAmazon’s Black Friday deals are already being teased. Meanwhile, Target has outdone them both by vowing to keep festivities within a respectable window (*at a small number of stores) and then immediately decorating its sales racks with an an odd mix of candy corn and canes days before it was even time to trick-or-treat.
“There’s simply no reason to wait for Black Friday to find the best prices or top gifts this holiday season when shoppers can start AND finish early with eBay,” Ebay chief marketing officer Suzy Deering said in the site’s holiday deal announcement. Read more…
More about Amazon, Christmas, Halloween, Ecommerce, and Ebay
View More Target, Walmart, and Ebay are pushing Christmas way too earlyChina’s JD.com leads $19M investment in Southeast Asian online fashion brand Pomelo
This year has seen unprecedented interest in Southeast Asia’s startups from Chinese tech firms, and today we can add another deal to the pile. JD.com, the close rival to Alibaba, has led a $19 million investment in Bangkok-headquartered online fashion brand Pomelo. The deal, which is the largest Series B for a Thai startup to date, is co-led by Indonesia’s Provident Capital… Read More
Your mailman could soon deliver packages on this electric scooter
An electric three-wheel scooter with a compartment for packages could one day become the preferred method for parcel delivery. With the eCommerce industry rapidly expanding, it’s never been more crucial to find ways to reduce bulk as well as emission…
View More Your mailman could soon deliver packages on this electric scooterYour mailman could soon deliver packages on this electric scooter
An electric three-wheel scooter with a compartment for packages could one day become the preferred method for parcel delivery. With the eCommerce industry rapidly expanding, it’s never been more crucial to find ways to reduce bulk as well as emission…
View More Your mailman could soon deliver packages on this electric scooterCircleUp announced $125 million venture fund
CircleUp, what’s been a marketplace for consumer and retail investing, is announcing that it now has a $125 million growth fund to invest in companies directly. Using machine learning technology called Helio, CircleUp Growth Partners says it will be able to identify potential investments using data about companies to predict success. CircleUp co-founder and COO Rory Eakin said that… Read More
Target store staff can now create online orders for customers when local merchandise is unavailable
Amazon and Walmart aren’t the only major U.S. retailers looking to better merge online with brick-and-mortar operations. Today, Target announced a new app called “myCheckout” for its store staff that will allow them to process online transactions on the customer’s behalf, including taking payments, right from the store’s floor when merchandise is unavailable… Read More
Target store staff can now create online orders for customers when local merchandise is unavailable
Amazon and Walmart aren’t the only major U.S. retailers looking to better merge online with brick-and-mortar operations. Today, Target announced a new app called “myCheckout” for its store staff that will allow them to process online transactions on the customer’s behalf, including taking payments, right from the store’s floor when merchandise is unavailable… Read More