Top 2020 resources on technology

Best technology resource in 2020.
Learn more about technology to improve your e-commerce strategy.

• 2019 Partner Award Winners: Magento Technology Partners - Drumroll, please…
  Topics: exceptional, value, customers, magento, partners, award, winners, technology, awardwinner, partner, goes.
• 4 Marketing AI Predictions for 2020, According to Experts - According to Gartner, 80% of technology will be built on an AI foundation by 2021.
  Topics: according, content, marketers, tasks, going, tools, ai, technology, predictions, help, seo, experts, marketing.
• 4 ways to leverage IIoT for B2B commerce - Industrial IoT (IIoT) devices are revamping B2B commerce by streamlining the ordering process for manufacturers, contractors and other business buyers. While many engineers and industrial experts are already using the IIoT to get a better picture of their operations, some industry decision-makers and B2B sales reps are missing the full potential of these sensors for commerce. Here are four ways to leverage IIoT for B2B commerce.
  Topics: b2b, business, data, buyer, iiot, maintenance, ways, equipment, iot, commerce, technology, buyers, leverage, youd.
• 45 Emerging Technology Stats to Know in 2020 - As a writer who loves covering emerging technology and human being, I'm surrounded by technology.
  Topics: emerging, technologies, marketing, ar, voice, technology, say, devices, stats, vr, know, smart.
• 5 Content Marketing Ideas for October 2019 - For some business, the challenge is not understanding how content marketing is supposed to work, but rather knowing what to write about or what to make a video about. Thus, this article offers five content marketing ideas for October 2019. You are welcome to use these ideas for your business.
  Topics: company, products, national, future, technology, navy, day, customers, ideas, marketing, content.
• 5 Ways Visual Search Will Change the Way You Market - Hubspot's recent List of Marketing Statistics for 2019 identified an unmistakable trend -- the importance of visual content on social media.
  Topics: customer, search, content, visual, marketing, way, using, customers, ways, technology, image, market, change, google.
• 5 reasons ecommerce should embrace blockchain [infographic] - Blockchain eliminates third-party interference while facilitating most commerce systems today. It’s also cheaper and much faster, making it an ideal model for retailers. Check out this infographic to learn more.
  Topics: blocks, ecommerce, blockchain, chain, infographic, embrace, transaction, data, transactions, financial, reduces, technology, reasons.
• 5 ways cryptocurrency benefits ecommerce - Cryptocurrency opens a new environment, where sellers and buyers can cooperate more efficiently. Encryption methods such as decentralized payments and anonymity provide the potential to change the world of ecommerce.
  Topics: high, technology, ecommerce, money, online, payments, transactions, bitcoin, transaction, impossible, benefits, cryptocurrency, ways.
• 50,000 SKUs Later, Here Are the Lessons We’ve Learned About B2B Ecommerce - Over the past 30 years, our company has served thousands of retailers. But, to grow our business, it became more…
  Topics: ecommerce, technology, going, pdf, skus, management, lessons, inventory, business, online, distributing, learned, later, b2b, weve.
• 7-Eleven is the next retailer to test cashierless stores - 7-Eleven is the latest retailer to test the “cashierless” store concept, following Amazon’s big push into the market with its Amazon Go convenience stores that use technology, instead of people, to monitor stock levels, track purchases and process payments. This week, 7-Eleven announced it’s piloting its own take on the cashierless concept with a 700-square-foot […]
  Topics: retailer, cashierless, technology, customers, test, experience, including, techcrunch, amazon, store, concept, 7eleven, stores.
• AI and machine learning: What’s the Difference? - If you’re just starting your digital journey, the implementation of AI and machine learning can bring a lot of questions. This article takes a look at why AI and machine learning are considered game-changers in ecommerce and what is the basic difference between them.
  Topics: difference, ecommerce, technology, learning, artificial, intelligence, customers, instance, machine, ai, influence, whats.
• AR is the answer to plummeting retail sales during lockdown - The so-called retail apocalypse may seem inevitable, but in these challenging times, it is more important than ever to look at how technology can turn the tide.
  Topics: sales, retail, store, consumers, lockdown, ar, returns, reality, purchase, retailers, plummeting, techcrunch, technology, answer.
• AS Watson and L’Oreal launch virtual makeup try-on service - L’Oreal’s AI and AR firm ModiFace and AS Watson Group have launched a virtual makeup try-on service.
  Topics: service, tryon, virtual, launch, beauty, watsons, products, loreal, mobile, watson, makeup, experience, technology.
• Adobe Showcases Labs Innovations for eCommerce - At the Imagine Conference, Adobe will give a sneak peek into eCommerce innovations coming out of R&D.; Attendees get an exclusive look at technology that will impact the industry most and what it means for their business.
  Topics: innovations, ecommerce, retailers, furniture, product, shopping, price, labs, online, experience, showcases, shoppers, existing, adobe, technology.
• Alibaba Group eyes 1 billion users within five years - Alibaba Group says it aims to serve more than 1 billion consumers and exceed RMB10 trillion gross merchandise volume by 2024.
  Topics: alibaba, consumer, digital, consumers, million, technology, billion, business, annual, users, zhang, group, china, eyes.
• Alibaba launches 2019 11.11 Global Shopping Festival - Alibaba Group has launched its 2019 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, taking the annual event into its second decade.
  Topics: festival, launches, consumers, brands, million, technology, products, participate, offer, shopping, alibaba, global.
• Amazon is now selling its cashierless store technology to other retailers - Amazon on Monday announced it will now offer its cashierless store technology, called “Just Walk Out,” to other retailers. The technology uses a combination of cameras, sensors, computer vision techniques and deep learning to allow customers to shop, then leave the store without waiting in line to pay. This is the same technology that today […]
  Topics: customers, technology, selling, stores, store, retailers, amazon, techcrunch, walk, system, cashierless, amazons.
• Are drones really the future of delivery? [infographic] - As autonomous vehicle technology becomes more and more advanced, many ecommerce businesses are starting to explore the vast potential of delivery drones to transform their supply chains. This infographic guide from the team at 2Flow examines how the e-commerce sector could benefit from delivery drone technology.
  Topics: times, trucks, cargo, mile, delivery, travel, technology, really, future, consumers, drones, study, infographic.
• Beyond Pricing raises $42M to tell you what to charge on Airbnb - Most people just guess how to price their vacation rental based on minimal research, or take platforms like Airbnb’s suggestions that just want to maximize their own revenue. Beyond Pricing aligns itself with home owners, taking 1% of bookings to optimize their rates on a daily basis. As you might expect of a startup that […]
  Topics: 42m, charge, vacation, pricing, million, rates, property, tell, technology, raises, platforms, hotels, wants, techcrunch, rental, airbnb.
• Burberry and Tencent to open social retail concept store in Shenzhen - Burberry and Tencent have forged an exclusive partnership to develop social retail in China.
  Topics: innovation, social, shenzhen, technology, luxury, concept, burberry, store, media, tencent, retail, open.
• Burberry brings AR technology to Google Search - International luxury brand Burberry has launched an Augmented Reality (AR) shopping tool using Google Search that allows consumers to visualise its products within their immediate surroundings.
  Topics: purchase, google, technology, brings, search, products, tool, variety, burberry, ar, visualise, luxury, images.
• Can African Tech Startups Succeed in a World Dominated by Facebook and Google? - Last year Facebook became the second largest e-commerce company in Africa after Jumia, the industry leader.
  Topics: facebook, technology, google, information, ict, world, succeed, startups, african, tech, dominated.
• Chatbots still have their place, says Microsoft - The early generation of chatbots may have had their day - but the concept is not yet dead, says a senior Microsoft executive.
  Topics: systems, chatbots, retail, store, technology, deploy, microsoft, able, tell, order, place, chatbot.
• Crypto-commerce: banking on blockchain for B2B payments - 35% of B2B buyers and suppliers are interested in blockchain-based payment networks and 26% believe blockchain is the “preeminent payment technology of the future.” What's driving this trend?
  Topics: payment, transactions, technology, smart, fraud, b2b, verification, distributed, blockchain, banks, cryptocommerce, payments, banking.
• Customer Loyalty Blockchain: Ecommerce Shops Take Advantage of Blockchain Rewards Programs - Retailers and ecommerce sellers can’t underestimate the value of a loyal customer. With customer acquisition costs rising and new competitors…
  Topics: shops, loyalty, points, rewards, ecommerce, programs, program, blockchain, customers, customer, technology, advantage.
• Developing a Nigerian computer giant: Leo Stan Ekeh, Founder & CEO, Zinox Group (Video) - Zinox Group in Nigeria is a computing firm that assembles and distributes computers and software across Africa.
  Topics: stan, suit, zinox, video, trying, ekeh, videos, group, nigerian, founder, technology, developing, african, giant, computers, leo, firm.
• Did New York lose anything with Amazon’s rejection? It’s complicated. - Now that Amazon has said that it’s taking its ball and going home rather than deal with mean, pushy New Yorkers, outside observers are giving off the sense that the city (and its local politicians) are losing out for their recalcitrance. They’re wrong. New York City is running at about a 4.3 percent unemployment rate […]
  Topics: amazon, york, complicated, city, lose, local, cities, companies, technology, rejection, queens, amazons, tech, jobs.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: January 15, 2020 - Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-January from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on sponsored search ads, social networking tools, customer ...
  Topics: cloud, technology, ad, magento, ecommerce, data, commerce, releases, experience, tools, platform, product.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: September 15, 2019 - Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-September from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on shipping, warehousing, fulfillment, cross-channel marketing, last-mile delivery, and visual search.
  Topics: fulfillment, systems, million, search, marketing, nextroll, ecommerce, platform, data, product, tools, technology, releases.
• Experience Disruptors: A New Breed of Growth Leaders - I’ve been doing a lot of research and thinking this year about how consumer behavior has changed, and how businesses can take advantage of these shifts to grow better and faster. So often, sweeping shifts in business strategy begin with subtle shifts in our own lives.
  Topics: experience, business, better, chewy, disruptors, companies, leaders, product, growth, customer, breed, company, technology.
• Experience-driven commerce and its impact on B2B - Great CX is rooted in personalization, and the goal of “one experience per customer” through effective implementation can transform B2B ecommerce solutions to deliver high ROI. This article addresses how brands and businesses can connect content, context and commerce for better ROI.
  Topics: team, marketing, technology, commerce, effective, b2b, customer, impact, data, context, experiencedriven, content, personalization.
• Facebook and Libra are Preparing to Shakeup the E-commerce World - Libra would allow even the unbanked to shop online.
  Topics: merchants, ecommerce, unbanked, financial, shakeup, preparing, world, facebook, data, libra, stores, digital, technology, aml.
• Farfetch China opens flagship on JD - Farfetch China has opened a flagship store on JD, one of its strategic investors.
  Topics: opens, luxury, flagship, platform, farfetch, market, technology, strategic, china, jd, access, chinese.
• Fave buys startups CutQ and FoodTime - Southeast Asian mobile payment and reward platform Fave has acquired CutQ and FoodTime, two startups specialising in F&B table ordering and takeaway pre-ordering.
  Topics: fb, startups, takeaway, table, merchants, technology, ordering, buys, fave, foodtime, solutions, cutq.
• Former Stitch Fix COO Julie Bornstein is rewriting the e-commerce playbook - Backed by Forerunner Ventures, NEA and True Ventures, The Yes is an AI-powered shopping platform.
  Topics: officer, techcrunch, capital, fix, coo, playbook, rewriting, bornstein, julie, yes, chief, technology, ecommerce, shopping, ventures, stitch.
• FreshToHome raises US$11 million, led by Hong Kong’s CE Venture - Indian online fresh fish and meat retailer FreshToHome has raised US$11 million in funds led by Hong Kong-based CE Ventures.
  Topics: freshtohome, fish, fresh, million, chain, technology, supply, raises, kongs, hong, indian, us11, led, venture, food, industry, using, ce, fishermen.
• How 5G will revolutionse retail as a great enabler - Thanks to 5G, mobile communication is about to experience its greatest revolution in the 12 years since Apple invented the smartphone.
  Topics: ar, technology, technologies, retail, customers, 5g, experience, data, great, enabler, revolutionse, online, product, consumers.
• How Blockchain Is Changing Loyalty Programs - Ecommerce merchants have hundreds of potential technologies and techniques to encourage customer loyalty, but blockchain technology and blockchain-based crypto tokens offer unique advantages.
  Topics: retailers, consumers, businesses, points, changing, crypto, technology, blockchain, loyalty, tokens, programs.
• How HubSpot's Recruitment Team Aims to Use Greenhouse to Mitigate Interview Bias - Diversity, inclusion, and belonging are major points of growth for most businesses right now, and for good reason -- diverse teams can help companies increase revenue by 19% and enable companies to outperform industry norms by 35%.
  Topics: inclusion, technology, sharing, help, hubspots, interview, mitigate, pilot, bias, tool, recruitment, process, team, teams, aims, greenhouse.
• How Pomelo is redefining O2O retailing in Asia - Pomelo, a technology company that makes fashion, is changing the way Southeast Asian women shop.
  Topics: technology, retailing, asia, brand, customer, partner, o2o, pomelo, customers, fashion, redefining, omnichannel, stores, retail.
• How Suning has developed unmanned logistics to weather coronavirus crisis - Chinese retail giant Suning’s unmanned logistics and contactless delivery services have come to the forefront during the coronavirus outbreak.
  Topics: unmanned, firm, delivery, coronavirus, logistics, services, obstacles, weather, developed, crisis, stores, suning, technology, increased.
• How Technology Can Help You Create A Winning Product Content Strategy in 2019 - Product content has always been key to standing out on the very cluttered, very competitive digital shelf. Consumers expect an…
  Topics: strategy, digital, brands, team, help, brand, sales, create, technology, content, information, management, winning, product.
• How location-based technology can bridge the gap between online and in-store shopping - Retail marketers are increasingly using location-based technology to bridge the gap between online and in-store shopping.
  Topics: online, instore, locationbased, gap, customers, digital, brands, shopping, physical, data, strategy, retail, omnichannel, customer, technology, bridge.
• How small retailers can compete with the giants of retail - The giants of retail - like Walmart, Target, Amazon, Asos, Tesco, Alibaba and JD - might be trailblazers, but they are still fair game for the little guys.
  Topics: small, retailers, giants, shopping, technology, compete, retail, experience, system, online, processes, data, needs.
• How the Fourth Industrial Revolution Could Affect Marketers - All around us, we're seeing implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on our daily routines. When was the last time you used Google Maps to get someplace? Or asked Siri a simple math question, or picked something to watch from your Netflix recommendations?
  Topics: revolution, technology, social, systems, means, fourth, data, industrial, marketers, media, affect.
• How the Workplace Could Change for Marketers in 2020 [and Beyond] - Remember the TV show Mad Men?
  Topics: creative, change, marketers, workplace, employees, skills, youre, team, help, work, soft, technology, job.
• How to Implement Affordable AI in 3 Steps, According to the Marketing AI Institute Director - Artificial intelligence is continuing to make an impact on the business world. In fact, McKinsey predicts that up to $2.6 trillion in value will be unlocked by AI in marketing and sales alone.
  Topics: institute, ai, tools, need, implement, affordable, youre, marketing, according, director, learning, machine, help, technology, steps, search.
• Ikea acquires AI imaging startup Geomagical Labs to supercharge room visualisations - Ikea, the Swedish home furnishings and decor giant, has been one of the leaders among retailers when it comes to adapting to tech innovations that impact its business, being one of the first to launch augmented reality applications, partnering with others to develop smart home devices and launching a business unit to build that out […]
  Topics: technology, room, visualisations, tech, supercharge, ikea, companies, imaging, totty, acquisition, retailers, ai, startup, labs, techcrunch, geomagical, number.
• Ikea buys AI innovator Geomagical Labs - International furniture and homewares retailer Ikea’s investment arm Ingka has bought US-based AI innovator Geomagical Labs, known for its hi-tech solutions that inspire consumers shopping for furnishings.
  Topics: design, ikea, work, furnishing, innovator, purchase, geomagical, solutions, buys, technology, labs, digital, ai.
• Inside Calendar.com: Exploring the Power of Magento with Founder John Rampton - How a move from Yahoo Stores helped build a $100 Million company
  Topics: customers, ecommerce, platform, inside, founder, john, power, exploring, rampton, able, work, ability, technology, magento, business, calendarcom, experience.
• Introducing the Technology Partner Contribution Program - To further support Partner contributions to code, special projects, and the entire community, we are expanding with a new Technology Partner Contribution Program
  Topics: contributors, community, contributions, contribution, partners, projects, technology, program, special, partner, magento, introducing, support.
• JD and Sony testing AR foot-measurement tool for online shoppers - Chinese online e-commerce platform JD and Sony Semiconductor Solutions are working together to develop AR technology to measure foot size online.
  Topics: platform, innovations, testing, service, customers, technology, sony, ar, jd, shoppers, footmeasurement, tool, online, foot.
• Jack Ma steps down from Alibaba divisions in ‘goodwill’ move - Alibaba founder Jack Ma has stepped back from active roles in five subsidiary companies.
  Topics: ma, jack, say, goodwill, away, executive, divisions, day, chairmanship, steps, active, software, alibaba, technology.
• LG TV lets you shop fashion you see in TV shows - Video commerce firm TheTake has partnered with smart TV manufacturer LG Electronics and a range of media companies to allow viewers to “shop shows” for fashion and other goods.
  Topics: fashion, products, shows, smart, video, shop, lets, various, tv, thetakes, thetake, lg, technology.
• Magento Acquires New B2B Technology - Magento launches a new B2B technology released for eCommerce.  Accorin, a Magento innovator developed a new workflow approval process for B2B clients, fulfilling a commen requirement for B2B purchasing. Read more about this the new B2B capabilities. 
  Topics: approval, acquires, process, business, commerce, capabilities, b2b, technology, orders, order, magento.
• Magento Unveils Hands-Free Shopping, Robot-Assisted Retail and Other Commerce Innovations at MagentoLive Europe - Over the last decade, great strides have been made in narrowing the “experience gap” between online and in-store shopping. The industry is beginning to tap into maturing technologies like AI/machine learning and augmented reality (AR).  Learn about Magento's Hand Free Shopping.
  Topics: pepper, using, innovations, checkout, robotassisted, commerce, experience, customers, technology, retail, shopping, magento.
• Moda Operandi, an online marketplace for high-end fashion, raises $100M led by NEA and Apax - Moda Operandi, an online marketplace that specialises in right-off-the-runway luxury fashion, accessories and home decor, is today announcing a high-priced event of its own: it’s raised $100 million, a mix of equity and debt that it will use to invest in its platform and technology as well as to continue growing business overall. Founded in […]
  Topics: statement, nea, luxury, business, marketplace, led, highend, runway, model, today, technology, operandi, techcrunch, online, fashion, moda, raises.
• Mythbusters Ecommerce Edition: Debunking the Misconceptions of Running an Ecommerce Site - Running a successful ecommerce website isn’t easy, but it’s made harder by a few myths — some of which are deeply…
  Topics: ecommerce, freeze, myths, platform, holidays, sunk, making, cost, technology, decision, misconceptions, teams, common.
• Net-a-Porter launches global quest to find tomorrow’s female fashion entrepreneurs - Online luxury retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter Group has launched a competition to find the next female fashion entrepreneurs set to take the fashion industry by storm.
  Topics: young, world, global, yoox, launches, entrepreneurs, netaporter, female, industry, technology, fashion, quest, tomorrows, tech, competition, women.
• New Lazada CEO named - Southeast Asian e-commerce platform Lazada has appointed Chun Li as its new CEO, succeeding Pierre Poignant, who will head to parent Alibaba Group.
  Topics: technology, southeast, named, li, region, ecommerce, lazadas, group, digital, ceo, lazada.
• New Retail model boosts Vietnam’s Seedcom - Vietnam retail-management company Seedcom's revenue has grown by 520 per cent in just four years, driven by its focus on New Retail.
  Topics: house, vietnams, coffee, boosts, vietnam, business, chain, technology, businesses, retail, stores, seedcom, model.
• Nigerian-founded fintech firm Flutterwave raises $35M, partners with Worldpay - San Francisco and Lagos-based fintech startup Flutterwave has raised a $35 million Series B round and announced a partnership with Worldpay FIS for payments in Africa.
  Topics: technology, nigerianfounded, raises, worldpay, expertise, flutterwave, partners, firm, company, 35m, travel, fintech, payment.
• Online retail turns 25, but physical stores are more relevant than ever - Online retail turns 25 this month - but the importance and relevance of brick-and-mortar stores is more relevant now than ever before.
  Topics: turns, physical, relevant, retailers, online, shopping, store, brick, data, retail, stores, technology.
• PayPal to acquire shopping and rewards platform Honey for $4B - PayPal announced today it has agreed to acquire Honey Science Corporation, the makers of a deal-finding browser add-on and mobile application, for $4 billion, mostly cash. The acquisition, which is PayPal’s largest to date, will give the payments giant a foothold earlier in the customer’s shopping journey. Instead of only competing on the checkout page […]
  Topics: paypal, consumers, paypals, technology, techcrunch, shopping, rewards, platform, offers, 4b, million, honeys, ventures, acquire, honey.
• Pomelo debuts in-app livestream technology - Pomelo has debuted in-app livestream technology for customers in Singapore and Thailand, the first fashion brand to launch it in Southeast Asia.
  Topics: inapp, pomelos, brands, innovation, debuts, technology, livestream, pomelo, realtime, southeast, launch.
• Preventing click fraud with blockchain - It’s true that blockchain might represent the future of online ad buying. We’re far from widespread adoption, though. In the meantime, it’s important that you take steps to mitigate your risk and remain proactive.
  Topics: theres, fraudsters, traffic, technology, users, preventing, ad, click, system, fraud, blockchain.
• Rapyd, which offers fintech-as-a-service via a single API, adds $20M more to its coffers at a $1.2B valuation - One of the biggest trends in the world of financial technology has been an ongoing push towards consolidation, where larger fish are snapping up smaller fish (including a proliferation of interesting startups) to get improved economies of scale in a business model where every transaction brings incremental returns. But today, a startup that has built […]
  Topics: shtilman, logistics, technology, fintechasaservice, adds, rapyd, api, offers, range, financial, coffers, company, companies, million, single, services, valuation, 20m, techcrunch.
• Reading List: Ben Houston of ThreeKit - “Reading List” is an occasional series where we ask ecommerce professionals to name some of their favorite books and blogs and tell us why. For this installment, we corresponded with Ben Houston, chief technology officer of ThreeKit.
  Topics: product, software, great, reading, clear, ben, houston, list, favorite, management, contains, threekit, book, technology, enterprise.
• Reading List: Mark Fitzsimmons of Xigen - For this installment of "Reading List," we corresponded with Mark Fitzsimmons. He is managing director at Xigen, a U.K.-based digital agency offering web design, development, ecommerce, and online marketing services.
  Topics: reading, read, web, online, provides, technology, ecommerce, help, fitzsimmons, business, favorite, xigen, mark, marketing, list.
• Real estate startup Homie plans to expand to more cities with $23 million in Series B funding - Homie has made an impression among younger, first-time home buyers in the Utah and Arizona markets for cutting out the traditional closing costs, 6% real estate commissions and arduous paperwork associated with traditional home sales. It now plans to explore opening up in three new markets and will begin a Vegas launch in March with […]
  Topics: funding, vegas, commission, startup, work, technology, million, series, traditional, homie, real, plans, company, techcrunch, estate, expand, process.
• Restaurant website builder BentoBox raises $16.4M - BentoBox, which helps restaurant owners build mobile-friendly websites, has raised $16.4 million in Series B funding. This might not seem like the biggest opportunity, particularly because consumers are connecting with restaurants in so many other places online — reading reviews on Yelp, making reservations on OpenTable, ordering delivery on GrubHub and so on — but […]
  Topics: raises, revenue, technology, builder, 164m, website, websites, online, restaurants, bentobox, mobayeni, taking, ordering, restaurant.
• Retail Auto-Replenishment: the Pros and Cons - With a lot of retailers still undecided on auto-replenishment, there are arguments for both sides, but what is clear is that retailers need to put their customers at the heart of what they are doing and implement technology that their consumers will embrace.
  Topics: experience, technology, consumers, retailers, customer, stock, automation, cons, pros, retail, brands, autoreplenishment.
• Sam’s Club to test new Scan & Go system that uses computer vision instead of barcodes - In October, Walmart-owned Sam’s Club opened a test store in Dallas where it planned to trial new technology, including mobile checkout, an Amazon Go-like camera system, in-store navigation, electronic shelf labels and more. This morning, the retailer announced it will now begin testing a revamped Scan & Go service as well, which leverages computer vision […]
  Topics: store, uses, scan, barcodes, test, technology, vision, computer, scanning, sams, dallas, app, item, instead, club, system.
• Shopify buys warehouse automation tech developer 6 River Systems for $450 million - Shopify, the shopping technology developer that’s quickly becoming the anti-Amazon, has taken another step up the sales supply chain with its $450 million acquisition of the warehouse automation and management technology developer, 6 River Systems. The acquisition will serve to boost efficiencies among Shopify’s Fulfillment Network service, which launched in June. The acquisition gives Shopify […]
  Topics: robotics, shopify, systems, developer, technology, million, including, automation, acquisition, partners, buys, techcrunch, warehouse, tech, river, statement.
• Signpost nabs $52M to help SMBs collect reviews and marketing collateral like bigger rivals - Creating products aimed at smaller business users is a promising but challenging category in the area of enterprise software — they make up the vast majority of businesses today, but collectively are a fragmented customer base that is price sensitive and individually represents small ARPU. Today, a company that has found a way to tap […]
  Topics: collect, marketing, smbs, nabs, techcrunch, collateral, customer, small, technology, company, help, growth, signpost, business, rivals, businesses, reviews, local.
• Singapore virtual fashion festival planned for August - The Front Row, a Singapore virtual fashion festival, has been announced for August 20, showcasing regional and local labels.
  Topics: boey, planned, virtual, festival, technology, row, visitors, singapore, digital, fashion, platform, regional.
• SoftBank Vision Fund invests $275M in India’s Lenskart - Lenskart, an omni-channel retailer in India that sells eyewear products, said on Friday that it has raised $275 million in a new financing round from SoftBank Vision Fund as it looks to expand its business in the nation. As part of the new financing round — dubbed Series G — some of the nine-year-old startup’s […]
  Topics: softbank, lenskart, startup, round, vision, invests, million, users, stores, indias, fund, 275m, india, technology, techcrunch.
• South Africa's Naspers invests $500M in American tech company Letgo - Top secondhand app Letgo passes 100M downloads and 400M listings. Users have sent each other over 6B messages on Letgo's app since its 2015 launch, up to 13M daily. New financing will accelerate growth, product evolution, expansion into new verticals and monetization.
  Topics: company, tech, space, naspers, letgos, app, africas, growth, invests, 500m, technology, secondhand, letgo, american, startups, south, users.
• Starbucks China and Sequoia Capital launch technology investment plan - Starbucks is to partner with investment company Sequoia Capital to invest in new technologies which will propel the company’s digital innovation in Mainland China.
  Topics: innovations, digital, retail, investment, starbucks, china, sequoia, launch, companies, technologies, technology, capital, plan.
• Target marketing: Taking digital knowledge into real-life experiences - While it’s an exciting time for marketers as we leverage personal insights to add relevance to modern marketing experiences, we also need to be mindful that we upkeep the highest standards of both content and privacy.
  Topics: experiences, taking, advertise, technology, knowledge, ad, digital, target, networks, reallife, exciting, marketers, companies, marketing, advertising, customers.
• Target’s same-day pickup and delivery 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 […]
  Topics: rate, growing, order, stores, sales, fulfillment, store, pickup, delivery, services, targets, double, target, technology, techcrunch, sameday, week.
• The Rapid Growth of Digital Business in Africa: Acha Leke, Partner, McKinsey - Jumia, an e-commerce platform with over 4 million customers in 14 African countries, saw its shares jump by around 70% on its NYSE debut day on April 12th.
  Topics: africa, nyse, digital, number, partner, growth, technology, business, acha, market, rapid, million, leke, mobile, mckinsey, revolution, africas.
• The State of the Marketing Industry in 2019: 7 Trends to Watch Out For - If you work in content marketing, you probably know that its booming growth and ever-evolving ecosystem forces us to constantly be on the lookout for the next big thing.
  Topics: service, traffic, state, marketing, content, industry, customer, technology, posts, customers, way, watch, trends, blog.
• The Ultimate Guide to Platforms and How They Can Benefit Your Business - Once upon a time, the typical business tool belt was sprinkled with digital tools: email marketing software here, website CMS there, and perhaps software for accounting and tracking sales.
  Topics: businesses, model, products, ultimate, platform, benefit, business, platforms, content, guide, tools, create, technology.
• The future of voice recognition [infographic] - The future of voice recognition is looking bright. Given its current usage both in the home and on the move, it seems as though this technology will only get bigger over the next few years.
  Topics: growing, voice, technology, google, future, devices, voiceenabled, whats, amazon, infographic, smart, recognition.
• Three reasons why Asian retailers are upgrading their e-commerce platforms - There is currently an almost endless array of technologies and innovations that Asian retailers can invest in as they look to future-proof their business.
  Topics: ecommerce, retail, investment, invest, retailers, reasons, stores, upgrading, online, asian, technology, digital, platforms, omnichannel.
• Thrift Books CEO on $150 Million of Annual Used Book Sales - Anyone who has purchased used books on Amazon likely encountered Thrift Books. It launched in 2003 as a pure-play Amazon seller. It is now the largest used-book seller in the world. I recently spoke with Thrift Books’ CEO, Mike Ward, about the company and the logistics of selling tens of millions of books every year.
  Topics: book, books, website, ceo, sales, sell, amazon, youre, million, annual, used, thrift, technology.
• To beat Amazon Go, Standard Cognition buys cashierless DeepMagic - Valued at $535 million, autonomous retail startup Standard Cognition has emerged as a soon-to-be tech giant and the best hope for merchants to compete with Amazon Go. Cashierless checkout is poised to transform brick-and-mortar commerce, and shop owners fear having to battle Amazon’s technology alone or partner with it, exposing data it could use against […]
  Topics: deepmagic, standard, space, beat, technology, cognition, techcrunch, market, startup, think, buys, amazon, retail, cashierless, fisher.
• Trigo raises $22M for an automated grocery check-out platform, similar to Amazon Go - Automated check-out systems in supermarkets, where cashiers are replaced by barcode-readers and touchscreen interfaces for taking payments, have become a commonplace fixture in many parts of the world. But today, a startup that’s building what many believe will be the next generation of such systems — computer-vision-powered platforms that monitor what you take from the […]
  Topics: techcrunch, automated, platform, trigos, raises, checkout, amazon, retailers, stores, company, 22m, similar, trigo, systems, grocery, shopping, technology.
• UK delivery software startup Sorted raises €17 million - Sorted, a delivery software startup from the United Kingdom, has raised 17 million euros in a funding round that was led by Praetura Ventures and NVM Private Equity. This follows after a year of 400 percent revenue growth. Sorted is based in Manchester and offers data-driven delivery software for retailers… Continue reading
  Topics: delivery, funding, revenue, company, euros, raises, startup, million, uk, technology, software, sorted, offers.
• Walmart acquires adtech startup Polymorph Labs to scale up its ad business - Amazon has a large and growing advertising business, but rival Walmart’s own ad business is much smaller. It’s now working to change that. Earlier this year, the retailer consolidated ad sales for its stores and websites and said it was ready to start monetizing its shopper data on a grander scale. Today, its efforts continue […]
  Topics: polymorphs, acquires, walmart, business, technology, online, walmarts, adtech, scale, ads, brands, polymorph, startup, advertising, labs, ad.
• Walmart to expand in-store tech, including Pickup Towers for online orders and robots - Walmart is doubling down on its technology innovations in its brick-and-mortar stores in an effort to better compete with Amazon. The retailer today announced the expanded rollout of several technologies — ranging from in-store Pickup Towers to help customers quickly grab their online orders to floor-scrubbing robots. These jobs were, in many cases, previously handled […]
  Topics: walmart, online, instore, pickup, total, expand, including, technology, store, robots, tech, towers, orders, jobs, customers, stores.
• What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know About Visual Search - From Amazon to Pinterest, the entire e-commerce ecosystem is making the switch.
  Topics: search, technology, tagging, entrepreneur, ecommerce, making, needs, youre, fryman, content, visual, know, picture.
• Why Google’s acquisition of Irish startup Pointy is big news for retailers - Google has acquired Irish start-up Pointy, a firm that allows physical stores to make their products discoverable online.
  Topics: retailers, acquisition, big, pointy, users, physical, stores, firm, irish, googles, google, significant, startup, step, potential, technology.
• Why a consistent and frictionless buying journey is essential in modern retail - Focusing on a consistent and frictionless buying journey, is integral to offering consumers the experience they would expect from any modern retailer.
  Topics: hong, physical, consumers, technology, essential, consistent, instore, buying, modern, respondents, shop, retail, shopping, frictionless, journey, stores, kong.
• Why eCommerce Is Losing Its Head - Peter Sheldon, former Forrester analyst – and now senior director of commerce strategy at Adobe – shares his perspective on headless commerce and its impact on the future of eCommerce. Read more.
  Topics: frontend, technology, really, ecommerce, products, headless, experience, commerce, think, business, losing, head, connected.
• Why lack of retail innovation is tied to stagnant growth - Retailers are letting financial factors dictate their digital strategies to solve common challenges. While they are heavy users of mobile technology, this tends to be driven more by mobile technology ubiquity and consumer expectations than a desire to innovate the customer experience. Realizing the rewards of smart technology deployments, however, requires bolder thinking and more agile and proactive strategy and tactics to recognize the biggest revenue gains and preparedness against technology-led disruption.
  Topics: tied, mobile, retail, innovation, technology, risk, retailers, lack, partners, innovators, stagnant, right, financial, growth, knot.
• Zalora Fashion Festival scheduled for Singapore - A pop up, The Zalora Fashion Festival will be held this Saturday in Singapore featuring a raft of labels.
  Topics: technology, interactive, vans, fashion, zaloras, singapore, festival, scheduled, zalora, world, brands, beauty.
• Zycada emerges from stealth with $19M and a bot that speeds up e-commerce and other interactive services - Shopping cart abandonment — when a person shopping online moves away from a site or mobile app before completing a sale — remains one of the biggest hurdles to e-commerce, with some 70% of all visits with an intention to buy never resulting in actual transactions. Now, a startup called Zycada is emerging from stealth […]
  Topics: emerges, work, sites, technology, ecommerce, zycada, amazon, techcrunch, bot, speeds, stealth, typical, services, 19m, company, online, interactive.
• ‘Alexa, pay for gas’ command to work at over 11,500 Exxon and Mobil stations this year - Pumping gas is not that difficult, but Amazon thinks the process could be even easier by way of a voice command, spoken aloud when you arrive at the pump: “Alexa, pay for gas.” Today, Amazon, alongside ExxonMobil and Fiserv, announced a new voice experience for pumping gas that will roll out to more than 11,500 […]
  Topics: pay, payment, alexa, amazon, mobil, pump, pumping, voice, gas, techcrunch, command, alexaenabled, stations, technology, exxon, work.