Microsoft and Walmart team up to take on Amazon

ronjor · Jun 12, 2019

Jet.com falls by wayside as Walmart focuses on its website, online grocery

Nandita Bose June 12, 2019
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Walmart Inc on Wednesday announced a sweeping overhaul at Jet.com, an online start-up it acquired in 2016 for $3.3 billion, after it failed to live up to the world’s largest retailer’s e-commerce ambitions.
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ronjor · Jun 13, 2019

Target takes aim at Amazon and Walmart with free same-day delivery

By Cale Guthrie Weissman 06.13.19
The big box store, known to many a suburban parent as “tar-zhay,” announced that it will offer same-day delivery for over 65,000 items—as long as the order totals more than $9.99. This is thanks to Target’s $550 million acquisition of the startup Shipt in 2017. (Before this acquisition, Target’s delivery and pickup options were shoddy at best—as we noted in a 2017 feature on the future of retail.)
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guest · Jun 14, 2019

Walmart Grocery is now offering a $98 per year ‘Delivery Unlimited’ subscription
June 14, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/14/w...-98-per-year-delivery-unlimited-subscription/

Walmart is taking aim at Instacart, Target’s Shipt, and Amazon Prime Now/Whole Foods with a new grocery delivery subscription service called simply, “Delivery Unlimited.”
Currently, the retailer is offering a $12.95 per month plan or a $98 per year subscription, both of which include a 15-day trial period.

Everything else about the service is the same.
You’ll still shop online or in the Walmart Grocery app, build a basket, and pick a time slot for your order. There aren’t any restrictions on delivery times, either. It’s just another way to pay for your online orders — and one that could potentially save you money if you order groceries online from Walmart more than once per month.
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guest · Jun 24, 2019

Walmart in Mexico launches grocery orders via WhatsApp
June 24, 2019
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...hes-grocery-orders-via-whatsapp-idUSKCN1TP2R6

Walmart’s Mexico unit has begun offering grocery delivery from its Superama stores via messaging service WhatsApp, the retailer said on Monday, in a new stab at attracting shoppers outside bricks-and-mortar supermarkets.
A Reuters reporter tried the service on Monday, sending a photo of a handwritten grocery list. A company representative responded immediately, punctuating responses with smiley-face and winky-face emojis.

Walmart’s plan to buy Cornershop, which operates in Mexico and Chile, for $225 million, was blocked earlier this month by Mexico’s competition regulator, which said that Walmart could not guarantee an even playing field for rivals also using the app.
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ronjor · Jun 26, 2019

Walmart joins the Amazon Prime Day sale fray

By Steven Musil June 26, 2019
Move over, eBay and Target, there's another Prime Day challenger entering the ring.
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guest · Jun 27, 2019

ronjor said: ↑

Challenging Amazon, Walmart launches free one-day online shipping
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Walmart Expands Next-Day Delivery Service to 13 More U.S. States
June 27, 2019
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...xt-day-delivery-service-to-13-more-u-s-states

Walmart Inc. is expanding its next-day delivery service to more than a dozen new states as the world’s biggest retailer girds up to battle Amazon.com Inc. for back-to-school shoppers.

The offer, which debuted in May for customers in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Southern California, is now available in the South and Midwest, including in parts of Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Wisconsin, according to researcher Marketplace Pulse and Walmart’s website. Walmart has already said it plans to reach about three-quarters of the U.S. by the end of the year.

“They are on a mission to make Walmart as good as Amazon without paying for a Prime membership.”
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ronjor · Jul 3, 2019

Inside the conflict at Walmart that’s threatening its high-stakes race with Amazon

By Jason Del Rey@DelRey Jul 3, 2019
Walmart bought Jet.com to compete with Amazon, but Jet founder Marc Lore is feeling the heat as e-commerce losses surpass $1 billion.
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ronjor · Jul 11, 2019

Walmart-owned Sam’s Club launches same-day pickup across the US

Sarah Perez@sarahintampa 11 July 2019
Walmart’s grocery pickup business has been scaling quickly in recent years, and is now on track to reach 3,100 U.S. stores by year-end. Now, Walmart’s Sam’s Club business is making its own move to satisfy consumers’ demand for online ordering with same-day pickup. The retailer this week announced that same-day Club Pickup is now available at its nearly 600 U.S. locations.
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EASTER · Jul 11, 2019

Microsoft needs to stay the h*ll out of other business. Funny how they run as fast as they can to put the past behind when they would blow the roof off if they scrubbed up their past performance first and honored the loyalty of the early customers who put them on the map in the first place.

guest · Aug 5, 2019

Walmart Takes on Amazon With Free Streaming Video in India
August 5, 2019
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-on-amazon-with-free-streaming-video-in-india

Walmart Inc.’s Flipkart plans to start a free Indian video streaming service in coming months, escalating a fight with Amazon.com Inc. by borrowing its arch-foe’s tactics.

India’s biggest online retailer plans to roll out video streaming for members of its Flipkart Plus loyalty program by September ahead of the peak Diwali shopping season, people familiar with its plans said. The service is currently in beta mode, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing internal strategy.
Flipkart Online Services Pvt is getting into a red-hot market but playing catch-up by taking a page from Amazon’s playbook.

In a departure from Amazon Prime, Flipkart Plus video-streaming will come free just like its no-subscription fee loyalty program. Flipkart shoppers can become members by amassing 300 “super coins,” at a rate of 2 for every 100 rupees ($1.40) spent on its platform.
Unlike giant markets such as China that’re largely closed to foreign operators, India is the frontline of a battle between the world’s largest online retailers.
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ronjor · Aug 13, 2019

Walmart tops U.S. online grocery market, with 62% more customers than next nearest rival

Sarah Perez@sarahintampa
Walmart is dominating the U.S. online grocery market, according to new research out this week from the analysts at Second Measure. The nationwide retailer today offers grocery pickup and delivery in nearly every U.S. state, and had 62% more customers in June than its next nearest rival. And no, in this case, that rival is not Amazon — it’s Instacart.
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ronjor · Aug 15, 2019

Walmart’s next-day delivery now available to 75% of U.S. population, escalating shipping race with Amazon

by Nat Levy on August 15, 2019
Walmart and Amazon are locked in a race to bring one-day shipping to the masses, and today Walmart hit a major milestone.
The retail giant said its NextDay shipping program launched in May now covers approximately 75 percent of the U.S. population. Walmart got to that milestone ahead of the original goal of the end of the year.
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guest · Aug 23, 2019

ronjor said: ↑

Target takes aim at Amazon and Walmart with free same-day delivery
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Target’s same-day pickup and delivery services growing at double the rate of 2018
August 23, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/23/t...-services-growing-at-double-the-rate-of-2018/

Target’s investment in same-day pickup and delivery options is paying off. The company, which today offers same-day in-store pickup, drive-up, and same-day delivery through its acquisition of Shipt, said this week that these services combined have more than doubled their sales in the last year. In addition, they accounted for more than a third of Target’s digital sales, up from about 20% last year.

“These options offer speed, convenience and reliability and as a result, they are quickly becoming the preferred fulfillment choices for our guests,” said Target CEO Brian Cornell, speaking to investors about Target’s Q2 earnings.
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guest · Sep 10, 2019

Walmart is done trying to buy small retailers to compete with Amazon
September 9, 2019
https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/9/9/20857900/walmart-amazon-marc-lore-interview-code-commerce

When Marc Lore started running Walmart’s e-commerce division three years ago, he went on a buying spree, snapping up a series of smaller retailers. Those days are over.

Instead of looking to acquire commerce companies like the semi-upscale men’s apparel company Bonobos, Walmart is going to create its own “digital first” brands, Lore told Recode’s Jason Del Rey at the 2019 Code Commerce conference on Monday.
Lore thinks his company can incubate new concepts and then bring them to both Walmart.com and Walmart’s network of thousands of retail outlets.

Asked about a recent Wall Street Journal investigation into Amazon’s marketplace, which found “thousands of banned, unsafe or mislabeled products,” Lore said that Walmart has a “pretty high bar” for its third-party sellers and that his company was “doing a lot to really tighten up the quality of stuff we sell on the site.”
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guest · Sep 12, 2019

Walmart Grocery is expanding its $98 per year ‘Delivery Unlimited’ subscription across the U.S.
September 12, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/11/w...-98-per-year-delivery-unlimited-subscription/

Walmart is expanding its brand-new “Delivery Unlimited” grocery delivery membership program to more stores across the U.S., with plans to reach over 50% of the country by year-end. The new program allows regular grocery delivery customers to pay either an annual fee of $98 or $12.95 on a monthly basis instead of paying the usual $9.99 per delivery fee.

The program also gives Walmart a better way to compete with rival grocery delivery services including Amazon Prime Now/Whole Foods, Instacart, and Shipt, all of which offer subscription memberships.
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guest · Sep 18, 2019

Walmart launches two new credit cards offering 5% back on digital purchases
September 18, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/18/w...t-cards-offering-5-back-on-digital-purchases/

Walmart is partnering with Capital One to launch a new credit card program, which rolls on September 24, and includes both co-branded and private-label cards. The former, the Capital One Walmart Mastercard, includes 5% back on purchases made on Walmart.com or paid for in-store using Walmart Pay (the latter for the first 12 months.)

After the 12-month introductory period, the co-branded Mastercard will drop to 2% on Walmart purchases in stores, instead of 5%. However, it will continue to offer 5% on Walmart.com purchases, including Walmart Grocery.
Through Capital One, customers will receive purchase notifications, security alerts, 0% fraud liability, and the ability to lock/unlock a lost or stolen card from the Capital One app.

Credit card partnerships are an area of importance to major retailers, including Walmart’s chief rival, Amazon.
And of course both retailers today are, to some extent, challenged by Apple, which just entered the credit card space, too.
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Walmart: Capital One and Walmart Reimagine the Retail Credit Card Program

guest · Sep 23, 2019

Microsoft helps retailers battle Amazon with new AI and IoT tools for Dynamics 365
September 23, 2019
https://www.geekwire.com/2019/microsoft-helps-retailers-battle-amazon-new-ai-iot-tools-dynamics-365/

Microsoft is doubling down on retail, and it wants to be the first place companies turn to beef up their tech offerings to compete with Amazon.

Today, Microsoft unveiled several new retail- and logistic-centric tools from Dynamics 365, the company’s enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management offering. The new capabilities focus on helping retailers connect their in-store and digital experiences and using technology to gain new insights for the business.
In addition to the retail tools, Microsoft unveiled Dynamics 365 tools for automating customer service and using IoT sensors to predict maintenance needs for manufacturing equipment before something goes wrong.
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VentureBeat: Microsoft Dynamics 365’s AI tracks customer behavior in retail stores

guest · Oct 6, 2019

Walmart sells ModCloth just two years after buying it
October 4, 2019
https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/4/20899540/walmart-sells-modcloth-acquisition-compete-amazon

Walmart is selling off women’s clothing company and online retailer ModCloth, just two years after acquiring it. The brand will now be a part of investment firm Go Global Retail, though it will continue to operate independently.

“We expect they will continue in the same direction as before,” Christian Feuer, managing director of Go Global Retail, told The Verge. “I don’t think the customer will see a change. If they do, I hope they’ll be happy with what they see.”
For Walmart, the deal was part of a larger strategy to ramp up its e-commerce business in an effort to compete with Amazon. “When we acquired ModCloth, our primary focus was to build assortment through proprietary, digitally-native brands,” a Walmart spokesperson told The Verge.

Hours after the ModCloth deal was announced, The Wall Street Journal reported Walmart was also looking to sell its personal shopping brand Jetblack.
As of early this summer, Jetblack was losing around $15,000 per member annually,” The Wall Street Journal wrote.
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guest · Oct 7, 2019

Walmart paid $300 million for Bonobos. Two years later, the men’s fashion brand is laying off staff.
Walmart is currently trying to turn its money-losing digital brands into profitable businesses
October 7, 2019
https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/10/7/20903400/bonobos-layoffs-walmart-andy-dunn-marc-lore

“Today we made the difficult decision to part ways with valued members of the Bonobos team,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “These decisions are not taken lightly, but we believe they are necessary to set the brand and business up for long-term success.”
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported news of the layoffs.

The Bonobos acquisition was one of several Walmart purchases of digital-first brands under the leadership of US e-commerce chief Marc Lore, who himself came to Walmart when it acquired his startup Jet.com for $3 billion in late 2016
But all three brands are still unprofitable, Recode reported this summer, and Walmart recently sold ModCloth for less than half of the low-$40 million number it paid for the clothing brand in 2017, according to a source.
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guest · Oct 15, 2019

Walmart will take on Amazon with discounted third-party products
Sellers will still get their items' full price under the new program
October 15, 2019
https://www.engadget.com/2019/10/15/walmart-amazon-discounted-third-party-products/

Walmart wants some of your holiday shopping money, and it has launched a new program that could make you think twice about buying everything from Amazon.
According to Bloomberg, the retail giant plans to offer limited time sales on items from third-party vendors on its website. The vendors will still get the full amount they listed their item for, though, which means the company will eat the difference.

As Bloomberg notes, the move is likely a response to similar Amazon programs introduced in the past. Just before the holiday shopping season in 2017, Amazon rolled out "Discount provided by Amazon," which cuts the prices of third-party products without affecting the money sellers get.
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guest · Nov 22, 2019

Walmart subsidiary Jet.com is shutting down its fresh-food delivery business
Jet hasn't been a high priority for Walmart since its 2016 acquisition
November 22, 2019
https://www.techspot.com/news/82894-walmart-subsidiary-jetcom-shutting-down-fresh-food-delivery.html

In brief: Walmart subsidiary Jet is shutting down its fresh food delivery business in New York City after launching it just a year ago. Given Walmart's recent success with its own branded grocery delivery service, the development isn't too terribly surprising.

A source familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the shutdown will result in the loss of between 200 and 300 jobs. Jet will continue to sell dry groceries and will still fulfill existing fresh orders that have already been placed.
The development isn’t entirely surprising. Three others familiar with the matter said the service has struggled since launch.

The cost of doing business in the country’s most densely populated city also forced Jet to raise prices, we’re told. One person said the company was losing about $20 per order. That’s far from a sustainable business model, even for a new service desperate to gain market share.
Walmart in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg said they learned a lot by testing Jet fresh grocery delivery, adding that they’ll continue to test bold concepts that can offer convenience to customers.
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guest · Dec 13, 2019

The founder of Bonobos was supposed to help reinvent Walmart. 2 years later, he’s leaving
Andy Dunn, who sold Bonobos to Walmart in 2017, is leaving the giant retailer
December 12, 2019
https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/12/...nobos-leaving-departure-digital-native-brands

Andy Dunn, the founder of menswear brand Bonobos, is leaving Walmart two years after selling his company to the retail giant for $310 million, according to a source.

Dunn was most recently overseeing what was, at one point, supposed to be a key component of Walmart’s digital reinvention: a collection of digital-native brands like Bonobos and Eloquii that were meant to connect with a different demographic of shoppers and provide Walmart with more merchandise that customers couldn’t find on competing sites like Amazon.
The Business of Fashion first reported Dunn’s departure.

Recode reported this summer that Bonobos and Eloquii were still unprofitable, a fact not popular with Walmart corporate leadership, who are used to printing profits.
Still, the company is continuing to invest in some big e-commerce initiatives.
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guest · Dec 21, 2019

Walmart's Amazon attack plan could put 5G antennas, servers in stores
The cloud is coming to you
December 21, 2019
https://www.engadget.com/2019/12/21/walmart-amazon-servers-5g-data/

Now that Walmart and others are chasing Amazon's convenience with shipping that's nearly instantaneous, deep discounts for third parties and convenient in-store pickup of online orders, what's next? According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Walmart might use its stores to go after AWS.

Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently CEO Doug McMillon's pitch is that the large footprint and locations of Walmart's superstores gives it an advantage in "edge computing," where servers are physically closer to where the data is needed.
The plan doesn't sound like it's a certain thing, but it is surprising, and strikes Amazon in the heart of a business that brought in $25 billion last year.
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guest · Jan 10, 2020

ronjor said: ↑

Walmart is testing an automated system to fulfill online grocery orders
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Walmart's Alphabot grocery picker goes fully operational in first store
The system picks groceries and delivers them to staff for packing
January 10, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/10/walmart-alphabot-grocery-picker-operational/

The automated grocery selection robots have now moved beyond testing and into the real world, where they're working alongside staff in a warehouse behind the Salem superstore.

The Alphabot enables order picking within the warehouse using autonomous carts to pick refrigerated and frozen items as well as groceries stored at room temperature. The system locates an item, picks it and brings it to a workstation to be checked and bagged by a staff member.
Walmart says that the Alphabot will work alongside staff who will continue to pick items by hand, but that it will make the retrieval process easier and faster.

As reported by Bloomberg, the Alphabot in Salem is currently working at 20 percent capacity, with thirty bots in use, and is handling approximately 170 orders per day. It can't yet handle fresh produce or perishables, so that work is still done by human staff.
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ronjor · Feb 27, 2020

Walmart to unveil Amazon Prime rival as early as next month

By Shawn Knight 27 Feb 2020
Walmart+ has been in the works for more than 18 months
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