Amazon\u00a0is bringing its checkout-free commerce technology to more schools and stadiums.
\nThis fall, the company\u2019s Just Walk Out technology will be in the most new stores to open at NFL stadiums in a single season, Amazon\u00a0announced\u00a0Tuesday (Sept. 3).
\nIn addition, Just Walk Out (JWO) is being added to\u00a0more college campuses, with more than 30 university stores around the world using the technology, which allows consumers to scan a credit card before entering the store, with Amazon charging them for the items they pick out.
\n\u201cLast season, NFL game attendance reached a peak of nearly 19 million fans showing up to support their teams, and they don\u2019t want to miss a minute of the action,\u201d Amazon said in a news release. \u201cLong lines for concessions have been a growing complaint of fans who want a speedier and more convenient shopping experience.\u201d
\nTo combat this problem, the company is opening six new JWO locations at Seattle\u2019s Lumen Field: five traditional stores and one enabled with\u00a0radio-frequency identification\u00a0(RFID) which allows the \u201ccheckout-free experience to expand to clothing, hats, fan gear, and more.\u201d
\nThese new stores bring Lumen\u2019s JWO total to 15, the most of any venue around the world, Amazon added.
\nAs noted here last month, Amazon has recently introduced a new\u00a0multimodal artificial intelligence\u00a0(AI) system for JWO, designed to enhance the accuracy and scalability of checkout-free retail environments. Compared to its predecessors, which analyzed shopper actions sequentially, this new AI simultaneously processes data from a variety of sources throughout the store.
\n\u201cWe accomplish this by analyzing data from cameras and sensors throughout the store simultaneously, instead of looking at which items shoppers pick up and put back in a linear sequence,\u201d Amazon said.
\nThe system\u2019s ability to learn and adapt is “particularly noteworthy,” PYMNTS wrote. Trained using a three-dimensional map of the store and a catalog of merchandise images it can understand the placement of fixtures and recognize products.
\n\u201cThis continuous learning capability suggests a future where retail environments become responsive to shopper behaviors,\u201d PYMNTS wrote.
\n\u201cMultimodal AI is a significant game changer,\u201d\u00a0Shawn DuBravac, CEO of\u00a0Avrio Institute, a think tank studying emerging technologies, told PYMNTS. \u201cIt will drive advancements across numerous industries, leading to smarter, more adaptive systems that can understand and respond to the world in a more humanlike manner.\u201d
\nThe post Amazon\u2019s Just Walk Out Expands as NFL Season Kicks Off appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Amazon\u00a0is bringing its checkout-free commerce technology to more schools and stadiums.\nThis fall, the company\u2019s Just Walk Out technology will be in the most new stores to open at NFL stadiums in a single season, Amazon\u00a0announced\u00a0Tuesday (Sept. 3).\nIn addition, Just Walk Out (JWO) is being added to\u00a0more college campuses, with more than 30 university stores around the world using the technology, which allows consumers to scan a credit card before entering the store, with Amazon charging them for the items they pick out.\n\u201cLast season, NFL game attendance reached a peak of nearly 19 million fans showing up to support their teams, and they don\u2019t want to miss a minute of the action,\u201d Amazon said in a news release. \u201cLong lines for concessions have been a growing complaint of fans who want a speedier and more convenient shopping experience.\u201d\nTo combat this problem, the company is opening six new JWO locations at Seattle\u2019s Lumen Field: five traditional stores and one enabled with\u00a0radio-frequency identification\u00a0(RFID) which allows the \u201ccheckout-free experience to expand to clothing, hats, fan gear, and more.\u201d\nThese new stores bring Lumen\u2019s JWO total to 15, the most of any venue around the world, Amazon added.\nAs noted here last month, Amazon has recently introduced a new\u00a0multimodal artificial intelligence\u00a0(AI) system for JWO, designed to enhance the accuracy and scalability of checkout-free retail environments. Compared to its predecessors, which analyzed shopper actions sequentially, this new AI simultaneously processes data from a variety of sources throughout the store.\n\u201cWe accomplish this by analyzing data from cameras and sensors throughout the store simultaneously, instead of looking at which items shoppers pick up and put back in a linear sequence,\u201d Amazon said.\nThe system\u2019s ability to learn and adapt is “particularly noteworthy,” PYMNTS wrote. Trained using a three-dimensional map of the store and a catalog of merchandise images it can understand the placement of fixtures and recognize products.\n\u201cThis continuous learning capability suggests a future where retail environments become responsive to shopper behaviors,\u201d PYMNTS wrote.\n\u201cMultimodal AI is a significant game changer,\u201d\u00a0Shawn DuBravac, CEO of\u00a0Avrio Institute, a think tank studying emerging technologies, told PYMNTS. \u201cIt will drive advancements across numerous industries, leading to smarter, more adaptive systems that can understand and respond to the world in a more humanlike manner.\u201d\nThe post Amazon\u2019s Just Walk Out Expands as NFL Season Kicks Off appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-09-03T12:07:24-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-09-03T12:07:24-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Amazon-Just-Walk-Out-NFL.png", "tags": [ "Amazon", "contactless payments", "just walk out", "Lumen Field", "News", "NFL", "PYMNTS News", "Retail", "Technology", "What's Hot" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2078828", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2024/amazon-hits-reported-checkout-snag-amid-labor-day-sale/", "title": "Amazon Hits Reported Checkout Snag Amid Labor Day Sale", "content_html": "Amazon\u2019s checkout reportedly suffered a technical issue as its Labor Day sale began.
\nThe glitch in the eCommerce site happened Friday (Aug. 30), preventing customers from completing their purchases, CNBC reported, citing reports from customers on social media.
\nThe news network said Amazon\u2019s Web Services division did not report any technical problems when the checkout feature was down.\u00a0
\nAmazon had been promoting discounts for a Labor Day weekend sale, though some members of the X social network said they weren’t able to buy products at a discount due to the glitch. Amazon\u2019s Help account on X replied by suggesting users get in touch with the company.
\nPYMNTS has contacted Amazon for comment but has not yet gotten a reply.
\nAccording to the report, Amazon has cautioned investors that technical troubles could drive down sales and harm perceptions of the company\u2019s products and services. The company\u2019s second quarter sales came to nearly $148 billion, a figure the report described as \u201chealthy.\u201d
\nIn other Amazon news, PYMNTS wrote last week about reports that the company was planning an artificial intelligence (AI) overhaul for its Alexa voice assistant. The company plans to transform the free offering into a paid subscription service, according to a Washington Post report, citing internal company documents.
\n\u201cThe bigger picture here is the evolution of Amazon\u2019s strategy for monetizing its AI services,\u201d Ghazenfer Mansoor, founder and CEO of the AI company Technology Rivers, told PYMNTS. \u201cFor a long time, the company\u2019s approach was simple: offer cheap or free services to attract people, then rely on selling products and advertising. But as the cost of developing and maintaining advanced AI capabilities rises, it makes sense for companies to start exploring other revenue streams.\u201d
\nMeanwhile, PYMNTS also wrote last week about efforts by Amazon and rival Walmart to seize on consumers\u2019 demand for digital restaurant ordering to fuel engagement with their paid memberships, providing dining benefits to make subscriptions more attractive.
\nFor example, Walmart recently announced a partnership with Burger King, its first Walmart+ dining collaboration, while Amazon earlier this year expanded its arrangement with Grubhub to provide Prime members with free Grubhub+ subscriptions on an ongoing basis.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to make it really simple for our members to not only find out about what value they have in their Prime membership, but also to actually benefit from it on monthly, weekly, daily basis \u2014 however it fits into their busy lives,\u201d Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, said in an interview with PYMNTS at the time.
\n\u00a0
\nThe post Amazon Hits Reported Checkout Snag Amid Labor Day Sale appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Amazon\u2019s checkout reportedly suffered a technical issue as its Labor Day sale began.\nThe glitch in the eCommerce site happened Friday (Aug. 30), preventing customers from completing their purchases, CNBC reported, citing reports from customers on social media.\nThe news network said Amazon\u2019s Web Services division did not report any technical problems when the checkout feature was down.\u00a0\nAmazon had been promoting discounts for a Labor Day weekend sale, though some members of the X social network said they weren’t able to buy products at a discount due to the glitch. Amazon\u2019s Help account on X replied by suggesting users get in touch with the company.\nPYMNTS has contacted Amazon for comment but has not yet gotten a reply.\nAccording to the report, Amazon has cautioned investors that technical troubles could drive down sales and harm perceptions of the company\u2019s products and services. The company\u2019s second quarter sales came to nearly $148 billion, a figure the report described as \u201chealthy.\u201d\nIn other Amazon news, PYMNTS wrote last week about reports that the company was planning an artificial intelligence (AI) overhaul for its Alexa voice assistant. The company plans to transform the free offering into a paid subscription service, according to a Washington Post report, citing internal company documents.\n\u201cThe bigger picture here is the evolution of Amazon\u2019s strategy for monetizing its AI services,\u201d Ghazenfer Mansoor, founder and CEO of the AI company Technology Rivers, told PYMNTS. \u201cFor a long time, the company\u2019s approach was simple: offer cheap or free services to attract people, then rely on selling products and advertising. But as the cost of developing and maintaining advanced AI capabilities rises, it makes sense for companies to start exploring other revenue streams.\u201d\nMeanwhile, PYMNTS also wrote last week about efforts by Amazon and rival Walmart to seize on consumers\u2019 demand for digital restaurant ordering to fuel engagement with their paid memberships, providing dining benefits to make subscriptions more attractive.\nFor example, Walmart recently announced a partnership with Burger King, its first Walmart+ dining collaboration, while Amazon earlier this year expanded its arrangement with Grubhub to provide Prime members with free Grubhub+ subscriptions on an ongoing basis.\n\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to make it really simple for our members to not only find out about what value they have in their Prime membership, but also to actually benefit from it on monthly, weekly, daily basis \u2014 however it fits into their busy lives,\u201d Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, said in an interview with PYMNTS at the time.\n\u00a0\nThe post Amazon Hits Reported Checkout Snag Amid Labor Day Sale appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-09-01T18:12:27-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-09-01T18:13:40-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Amazon-checkout.jpg", "tags": [ "Amazon", "Amazon checkout", "Amazon Prime", "Amazon Web Service", "checkout", "ecommerce", "Labor Day", "News", "PYMNTS News", "Retail", "walmart", "What's Hot" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2063140", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2024/amazon-refreshes-catalog-of-kid-focused-content-on-amazon-kids/", "title": "Amazon Refreshes Catalog of Kid-Focused Content on Amazon Kids+", "content_html": "Amazon is updating its kid-focused content service, Amazon Kids+, to include new shows, books, podcasts and games, the company said in a Friday (Aug. 23)\u00a0press release.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re constantly refreshing our catalog and making sure that we keep delivering new titles that keep kids really excited,\u201d\u00a0Jon Lyon, leader of the content and business development teams at Amazon Kids+, said in the release.
\nTo keep this digital environment safe for kids, Amazon Kids+ is ad-free, offers parental controls to prevent in-app purchases and provides a safe web browser that ensures kids don\u2019t stumble across inappropriate content or social media, according to the release.
\nThe digital subscription service is available in five countries \u2014 the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan \u2014 and can be used across compatible Echo, Fire tablet, Fire TV, Kindle, Android and iOS devices, the release said.
\nIt offers age-appropriate content for preschool to preteen kids, per the release.
\n\u201cWe want to be a positive contribution to a child in their development, in whatever way they want and need us to be,\u201d\u00a0Monte Babington, leader of content and child engagement for\u00a0Amazon Kids, said in the release. \u201cIf you\u2019re interested in … fill in the blank … we probably have a book, video or app related to it.\u201d
\nAmazon also offers a\u00a0Parent Dashboard that lets parents or guardians create profiles for up to four children, configure settings, set screen-time limits, monitor their child\u2019s activities, and find age-appropriate content.
\nIn addition, Amazon\u2019s\u00a0Family Trust team provides parents and guardians with information about Amazon digital devices and content, and how to safely navigate the digital world, through Amazon\u2019s\u00a0Family Digital Well-Being Hub.
\nIt\u2019s\u00a0important that retailers tailor their marketing strategies to the specific needs of different\u00a0household types, PYMNTS reported in July.
\nFor example, merchants are adapting to the fact that married parents are emerging as the leading demographic for apparel retailers, demonstrating a preference for clothing and accessories purchases compared to other household types, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence report, \u201cThe Last Transaction: Family Spending Habits Reveal Merchant Opportunities in Retail and Travel.\u201d
\nThe post Amazon Refreshes Catalog of Kid-Focused Content on Amazon Kids+ appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Amazon is updating its kid-focused content service, Amazon Kids+, to include new shows, books, podcasts and games, the company said in a Friday (Aug. 23)\u00a0press release.\n\u201cWe\u2019re constantly refreshing our catalog and making sure that we keep delivering new titles that keep kids really excited,\u201d\u00a0Jon Lyon, leader of the content and business development teams at Amazon Kids+, said in the release.\nTo keep this digital environment safe for kids, Amazon Kids+ is ad-free, offers parental controls to prevent in-app purchases and provides a safe web browser that ensures kids don\u2019t stumble across inappropriate content or social media, according to the release.\nThe digital subscription service is available in five countries \u2014 the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan \u2014 and can be used across compatible Echo, Fire tablet, Fire TV, Kindle, Android and iOS devices, the release said.\nIt offers age-appropriate content for preschool to preteen kids, per the release.\n\u201cWe want to be a positive contribution to a child in their development, in whatever way they want and need us to be,\u201d\u00a0Monte Babington, leader of content and child engagement for\u00a0Amazon Kids, said in the release. \u201cIf you\u2019re interested in … fill in the blank … we probably have a book, video or app related to it.\u201d\nAmazon also offers a\u00a0Parent Dashboard that lets parents or guardians create profiles for up to four children, configure settings, set screen-time limits, monitor their child\u2019s activities, and find age-appropriate content.\nIn addition, Amazon\u2019s\u00a0Family Trust team provides parents and guardians with information about Amazon digital devices and content, and how to safely navigate the digital world, through Amazon\u2019s\u00a0Family Digital Well-Being Hub.\nIt\u2019s\u00a0important that retailers tailor their marketing strategies to the specific needs of different\u00a0household types, PYMNTS reported in July.\nFor example, merchants are adapting to the fact that married parents are emerging as the leading demographic for apparel retailers, demonstrating a preference for clothing and accessories purchases compared to other household types, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence report, \u201cThe Last Transaction: Family Spending Habits Reveal Merchant Opportunities in Retail and Travel.\u201d\nThe post Amazon Refreshes Catalog of Kid-Focused Content on Amazon Kids+ appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-08-23T13:56:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-23T13:56:07-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Amazon-Kids.jpg", "tags": [ "Amazon", "Amazon Kids", "children", "Connected Economy", "digital transformation", "entertainment", "News", "PYMNTS News", "Streaming", "Technology", "What's Hot" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2062440", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2024/amazon-touts-faster-delivery-ahead-of-big-deal-days/", "title": "Amazon Touts Faster Delivery Ahead of Big Deal Days", "content_html": "Amazon says its Prime Big Deal Days sales event will return in October.
\nThe event will give Prime members early access to holiday deals, the eCommerce giant announced Thursday (Aug. 22), with the launch planned for 19 countries \u2014 Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Turkey and the United States.
\nIn its announcement, Amazon touted some of the benefits of Prime membership, such as faster and free delivery.
\n\u201cWe hit our fastest Prime delivery speeds ever so far this year, with more than 5 billion items arriving on the same or next day globally \u2014 a new record,\u201d the company said.
\nRecent research by PYMNTS Intelligence examined data from this summer\u2019s Amazon Prime Day and Walmart+ Week sales events to glean insights for executives, merchants and consumers alike.
\n\u201cAmazon Prime Day and Walmart+ Week are seen by most consumers as opportunities to snag good deals on frequently purchased items rather than motivators to join these paid memberships,\u201d PYMNTS wrote earlier this week.
\nThe data shows that about three-quarters of consumers took part in these events primarily to get deals on products they regularly purchase. But these sales were not the primary reason consumers subscribe to Amazon Prime or Walmart+.
\nAccording to the research, 80% of Amazon Prime subscribers point to free shipping as their main reason for joining, with 57% specifically citing it as the most important factor. Similarly, 61% of Walmart+ members value free shipping, while 49% appreciate grocery delivery. Just 30% of Walmart+ subscribers and 23% of Amazon Prime members signed up for the sales events themselves.
\n\u201cThis suggests that while these events are attractive perks, they are not strong drivers of membership,\u201d PYMNTS wrote. \u201cFor Amazon Prime and Walmart+, there is an opportunity to enhance the impact of these sales to convert more non-subscribers into members.\u201d
\nAlso Thursday, PYMNTS wrote about Amazon\u2019s expansion of its grocery delivery subscription service, which now offers an annual plan for Prime members and an extension for its discounted subscription to all Prime Access members.
\nThese new offerings expand upon the success the grocery subscription has seen since its debut in April, the company said.
\n\u201cSince launch, we continue to see strong sign-ups for the grocery subscription and a positive customer response,\u201d the company said in a news release. \u201cCustomers see immediate value in the subscription as it saves them money on grocery delivery fees and makes their grocery shopping experience more convenient.\u201d
\nThe post Amazon Touts Faster Delivery Ahead of Big Deal Days appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Amazon says its Prime Big Deal Days sales event will return in October.\nThe event will give Prime members early access to holiday deals, the eCommerce giant announced Thursday (Aug. 22), with the launch planned for 19 countries \u2014 Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Turkey and the United States.\nIn its announcement, Amazon touted some of the benefits of Prime membership, such as faster and free delivery.\n\u201cWe hit our fastest Prime delivery speeds ever so far this year, with more than 5 billion items arriving on the same or next day globally \u2014 a new record,\u201d the company said.\nRecent research by PYMNTS Intelligence examined data from this summer\u2019s Amazon Prime Day and Walmart+ Week sales events to glean insights for executives, merchants and consumers alike.\n\u201cAmazon Prime Day and Walmart+ Week are seen by most consumers as opportunities to snag good deals on frequently purchased items rather than motivators to join these paid memberships,\u201d PYMNTS wrote earlier this week.\nThe data shows that about three-quarters of consumers took part in these events primarily to get deals on products they regularly purchase. But these sales were not the primary reason consumers subscribe to Amazon Prime or Walmart+.\nAccording to the research, 80% of Amazon Prime subscribers point to free shipping as their main reason for joining, with 57% specifically citing it as the most important factor. Similarly, 61% of Walmart+ members value free shipping, while 49% appreciate grocery delivery. Just 30% of Walmart+ subscribers and 23% of Amazon Prime members signed up for the sales events themselves.\n\u201cThis suggests that while these events are attractive perks, they are not strong drivers of membership,\u201d PYMNTS wrote. \u201cFor Amazon Prime and Walmart+, there is an opportunity to enhance the impact of these sales to convert more non-subscribers into members.\u201d\nAlso Thursday, PYMNTS wrote about Amazon\u2019s expansion of its grocery delivery subscription service, which now offers an annual plan for Prime members and an extension for its discounted subscription to all Prime Access members.\nThese new offerings expand upon the success the grocery subscription has seen since its debut in April, the company said.\n\u201cSince launch, we continue to see strong sign-ups for the grocery subscription and a positive customer response,\u201d the company said in a news release. \u201cCustomers see immediate value in the subscription as it saves them money on grocery delivery fees and makes their grocery shopping experience more convenient.\u201d\nThe post Amazon Touts Faster Delivery Ahead of Big Deal Days appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-08-22T15:08:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-22T15:08:22-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Amazon-Prime-Big-Deal-Days.jpg", "tags": [ "Amazon", "Amazon Prime", "Big Deal Days", "ecommerce", "holidays", "News", "online shopping", "Prime Big Deal Days", "PYMNTS News", "Retail", "walmart", "What's Hot" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2062090", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2024/amazon-adds-annual-plan-to-grocery-delivery-subscription-service/", "title": "Amazon Adds Annual Plan to Grocery Delivery Subscription Service", "content_html": "Amazon has expanded its grocery delivery subscription service by adding an annual plan for Prime members and extending its discounted subscription to all Prime Access members.
\nThese new offerings build upon the success the grocery subscription has seen since its launch in April, Amazon said in a Wednesday (Aug. 21) press release.
\n\u201cSince launch, we continue to see strong sign-ups for the grocery subscription and a positive customer response,\u201d the company said in the release. \u201cCustomers see immediate value in the subscription as it saves them money on grocery delivery fees and makes their grocery shopping experience more convenient.\u201d
\nThe subscription includes unlimited grocery delivery on orders over $35 from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and local grocery and specialty retailers on Amazon.com, according to the release. It is available in 3,500 cities and towns in the United States.
\nWhen it was launched, the subscription was available at $9.99 per month for Prime members and $4.99 per month for customers with a registered Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT card), the release said.
\nNow, with the addition of the annual plan, Prime members can also select that plan for $99.99 per year, per the release.
\n\u201cThis new annual plan allows Prime members to choose the grocery delivery subscription benefit that best fits their needs and budget,\u201d the release said. \u201cThe monthly option offers Prime members flexibility and lower upfront costs, while the annual plan offers the best savings.\u201d
\nThe other new offering announced Wednesday makes the discounted, $4.99-per-month grocery delivery subscription available to all Prime Access members, regardless of their qualifying form of government assistance, according to the release.
\n\u201cWe have many different customers with many different needs, and we want to save all of them time and money so they can focus on what matters most,\u201d Amazon said in the release.
\nAmazon launched its grocery delivery subscription service in April after testing it in Denver, Sacramento and Columbus, Ohio, in 2023.
\nTony Hoggett, senior vice president of worldwide grocery stores at Amazon, said in an April press release that the company aims to build \u201ca best-in-class grocery shopping experience \u2014 whether shopping in-store or online.\u201d
\nThe post Amazon Adds Annual Plan to Grocery Delivery Subscription Service appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Amazon has expanded its grocery delivery subscription service by adding an annual plan for Prime members and extending its discounted subscription to all Prime Access members.\nThese new offerings build upon the success the grocery subscription has seen since its launch in April, Amazon said in a Wednesday (Aug. 21) press release.\n\u201cSince launch, we continue to see strong sign-ups for the grocery subscription and a positive customer response,\u201d the company said in the release. \u201cCustomers see immediate value in the subscription as it saves them money on grocery delivery fees and makes their grocery shopping experience more convenient.\u201d\nThe subscription includes unlimited grocery delivery on orders over $35 from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and local grocery and specialty retailers on Amazon.com, according to the release. It is available in 3,500 cities and towns in the United States.\nWhen it was launched, the subscription was available at $9.99 per month for Prime members and $4.99 per month for customers with a registered Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT card), the release said.\nNow, with the addition of the annual plan, Prime members can also select that plan for $99.99 per year, per the release.\n\u201cThis new annual plan allows Prime members to choose the grocery delivery subscription benefit that best fits their needs and budget,\u201d the release said. \u201cThe monthly option offers Prime members flexibility and lower upfront costs, while the annual plan offers the best savings.\u201d\nThe other new offering announced Wednesday makes the discounted, $4.99-per-month grocery delivery subscription available to all Prime Access members, regardless of their qualifying form of government assistance, according to the release.\n\u201cWe have many different customers with many different needs, and we want to save all of them time and money so they can focus on what matters most,\u201d Amazon said in the release.\nAmazon launched its grocery delivery subscription service in April after testing it in Denver, Sacramento and Columbus, Ohio, in 2023.\nTony Hoggett, senior vice president of worldwide grocery stores at Amazon, said in an April press release that the company aims to build \u201ca best-in-class grocery shopping experience \u2014 whether shopping in-store or online.\u201d\nThe post Amazon Adds Annual Plan to Grocery Delivery Subscription Service appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-08-22T11:14:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-22T11:14:25-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Amazon-grocery-delivery.jpg", "tags": [ "Amazon", "Amazon Fresh", "Amazon Prime", "delivery", "grocery", "grocery delivery", "News", "PYMNTS News", "Retail", "subscriptions", "What's Hot", "Whole Foods Market" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2055185", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2024/jassy-touts-amazon-pharmacys-resonance-with-customers/", "title": "Jassy Touts Amazon Pharmacy\u2019s \u2018Resonance\u2019 With Customers", "content_html": "For Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Amazon Pharmacy has made big strides and provides a stellar customer experience.
\nDuring the company\u2019s second-quarter earnings call on Aug. 1, Jassy noted Amazon Pharmacy\u2019s progress since it launched in November 2020.
\n\u201cOn the pharmacy side, you\u2019re seeing that business continue to grow and to get more resonance with customers,\u201d Jassy explained. \u201cIt was always a relatively natural extension for us to build a pharmacy offering from our retail business. But I think a lot of what you see in the business has grown really quickly, a lot of what you\u2019ve seen is that the work that the team has done on the customer experience over the last 18 months has really paid off.\u201d
\nJassy\u2019s latter point is crucial for Amazon.
\n\u201cCustomers love the customer experience of Amazon Pharmacy,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhen you think about the experience and the speed and ease with which you can order versus walking into a pharmacy in a physical store, if you walk into pharmacies in cities today, it\u2019s a pretty tough experience with how much is locked behind cabinets, where you have to press a button to get somebody to come out and open the cabinets for you. So, the combination of what\u2019s happening in the physical world and how much improved we\u2019ve made our pharmacy experience is driving a lot of customer resonance and buying behavior. Also, you see us continuing to expand there.\u201d
\nAmazon Pharmacy offers a streamlined way to manage prescriptions via Amazon.com and its app. Users can search for medications, create profiles, and transfer prescriptions while viewing details such as cash prices, prescription requirements, and eligibility for free Prime shipping. The service provides various payment options, including insurance and discounts for Prime members. For eligible generic medications, Amazon Pharmacy\u2019s \u00a0RxPass program now offers Prime members on Medicare unlimited consumption of 60 broadly used prescription medications for just $5 a month.
\nLaunched in early 2023, RxPass expanded with plans to increase same-day delivery of prescriptions to additional U.S. cities beyond current offerings in major metro areas like Los Angeles and New York.
\n\u201cWe continue to launch same-day delivery of medications to cities,\u201d Jassy explained. \u201cWe have them in eight cities, including Los Angeles and New York today, with plans to expand to more than a dozen cities by the end of the year. So, we\u2019re seeing a lot of growth there and we\u2019re very optimistic about it.\u201d
\nIn an interview with PYMNTS, Greg Zakowicz, senior eCommerce expert at Omnisend, said he\u2019s not surprised to see Amazon make progress with prescription drug services.
\n\u201cWhile many people may point to the number of Prime members as the catalyst for their success, which certainly helps, I think they are reaping the rewards by improving upon what insurers have been doing for years,\u201d Zakowicz explained. \u201cInsurers have been conditioning consumers to adopt mail-order prescriptions by offering discounts, but even with the slight discounts, prices still remain high. Amazon swooped in and tackled the more important aspect of the two, price.\u201d
\nZakowicz noted the inclusion of Medicare beneficiaries as a \u201cmajor win\u201d for the company, adding, \u201cBaby boomers, still a sizeable cohort, are often the ones bearing the brunt of high-cost prescriptions. If Amazon continues to expand its drug offerings, combined with its current subscriber base, it could become the top one or two pharmacies in the U.S.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\nMeanwhile, Neil Saunders, managing director, retail, at research firm\u00a0GlobalData, told PYMNTS \u201conline remains a very small part of the pharmacy market and, while it is growing, Amazon has not disrupted it in the way it has disrupted other parts of retail. That said, traditional drugstore chains are doing themselves no favor by worsening their in-store experiences across both general merchandise and within pharmacy. This is playing right into Amazon\u2019s hands by driving more people online.\u201d
\nFor all PYMNTS retail coverage, subscribe to the daily Retail Newsletter.
\nThe post Jassy Touts Amazon Pharmacy\u2019s \u2018Resonance\u2019 With Customers appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "For Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Amazon Pharmacy has made big strides and provides a stellar customer experience.\nDuring the company\u2019s second-quarter earnings call on Aug. 1, Jassy noted Amazon Pharmacy\u2019s progress since it launched in November 2020.\n\u201cOn the pharmacy side, you\u2019re seeing that business continue to grow and to get more resonance with customers,\u201d Jassy explained. \u201cIt was always a relatively natural extension for us to build a pharmacy offering from our retail business. But I think a lot of what you see in the business has grown really quickly, a lot of what you\u2019ve seen is that the work that the team has done on the customer experience over the last 18 months has really paid off.\u201d\nJassy\u2019s latter point is crucial for Amazon.\n\u201cCustomers love the customer experience of Amazon Pharmacy,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhen you think about the experience and the speed and ease with which you can order versus walking into a pharmacy in a physical store, if you walk into pharmacies in cities today, it\u2019s a pretty tough experience with how much is locked behind cabinets, where you have to press a button to get somebody to come out and open the cabinets for you. So, the combination of what\u2019s happening in the physical world and how much improved we\u2019ve made our pharmacy experience is driving a lot of customer resonance and buying behavior. Also, you see us continuing to expand there.\u201d\nAmazon Pharmacy offers a streamlined way to manage prescriptions via Amazon.com and its app. Users can search for medications, create profiles, and transfer prescriptions while viewing details such as cash prices, prescription requirements, and eligibility for free Prime shipping. The service provides various payment options, including insurance and discounts for Prime members. For eligible generic medications, Amazon Pharmacy\u2019s \u00a0RxPass program now offers Prime members on Medicare unlimited consumption of 60 broadly used prescription medications for just $5 a month.\nLaunched in early 2023, RxPass expanded with plans to increase same-day delivery of prescriptions to additional U.S. cities beyond current offerings in major metro areas like Los Angeles and New York. \n\u201cWe continue to launch same-day delivery of medications to cities,\u201d Jassy explained. \u201cWe have them in eight cities, including Los Angeles and New York today, with plans to expand to more than a dozen cities by the end of the year. So, we\u2019re seeing a lot of growth there and we\u2019re very optimistic about it.\u201d\nIn an interview with PYMNTS, Greg Zakowicz, senior eCommerce expert at Omnisend, said he\u2019s not surprised to see Amazon make progress with prescription drug services.\n\u201cWhile many people may point to the number of Prime members as the catalyst for their success, which certainly helps, I think they are reaping the rewards by improving upon what insurers have been doing for years,\u201d Zakowicz explained. \u201cInsurers have been conditioning consumers to adopt mail-order prescriptions by offering discounts, but even with the slight discounts, prices still remain high. Amazon swooped in and tackled the more important aspect of the two, price.\u201d\nZakowicz noted the inclusion of Medicare beneficiaries as a \u201cmajor win\u201d for the company, adding, \u201cBaby boomers, still a sizeable cohort, are often the ones bearing the brunt of high-cost prescriptions. If Amazon continues to expand its drug offerings, combined with its current subscriber base, it could become the top one or two pharmacies in the U.S.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nMeanwhile, Neil Saunders, managing director, retail, at research firm\u00a0GlobalData, told PYMNTS \u201conline remains a very small part of the pharmacy market and, while it is growing, Amazon has not disrupted it in the way it has disrupted other parts of retail. That said, traditional drugstore chains are doing themselves no favor by worsening their in-store experiences across both general merchandise and within pharmacy. This is playing right into Amazon\u2019s hands by driving more people online.\u201d \nFor all PYMNTS retail coverage, subscribe to the daily Retail Newsletter.\nThe post Jassy Touts Amazon Pharmacy\u2019s \u2018Resonance\u2019 With Customers appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-08-19T20:42:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-19T20:42:55-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Amazon-Pharmacy.jpg", "tags": [ "Amazon", "Amazon Pharmacy", "Amazon Prime", "Andy Jassy", "customer experience", "digital transformation", "ecommerce", "GlobalData", "Greg Zakowicz", "Neil Saunders", "News", "Omnisend", "Online Pharmacy", "PYMNTS News", "Retail", "RxPass" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2020837", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2024/amazon-q3-hedge-supports-case-for-cautious-consumer-spending/", "title": "Amazon Q3 Hedge Supports Case for Cautious Consumer Spending", "content_html": "While Wall Street didn\u2019t like what it saw or heard from Amazon\u2019s Q2 earnings, from a consumer spending standpoint there was a lot to like. For now.
\nAcross all operating segments the retail, cloud, AI and multimedia company reported net sales climbing 10% year over year to $148 billion, bolstered by a 19% surge in AWS sales to $26.3 billion. Operating income nearly doubled to $14.7 billion, up from $7.7 billion in the same period last year. Net income also saw significant growth, reaching $13.5 billion, or $1.26 per diluted share, compared to $6.7 billion, or $0.65 per diluted share, in the previous year. Notably, the company\u2019s operating cash flow surged 75% to $108 billion over the trailing 12 months, while free cash flow increased to $53 billion. The North America and international segments posted sales growth of 9% and 7%, respectively.
\n\u201cWhile consumers are being careful on price, our North American unit growth is meaningfully outpacing our sales growth as our continued work on selection, low prices and delivery has resonated so far this year,\u201d CEO Andy Jassy told the company\u2019s Q2 earnings call.
\n\u201cOur speed of delivery for Prime customers has been faster than ever before, with more than 5 billion units arriving the same day or next day. As more customers experience our fast delivery, they look to Amazon for more of their shopping needs and the continued acceleration of our everyday essentials business.\u201d
\nWhat Wall Street didn\u2019t like \u2014 and punished the stock for in after-hours trading \u2014 was the relatively tepid outlook on Q3 prospects. It also didn\u2019t like results and outlook on two newer initiatives, artificial intelligence (AI) and advertising.
\nThe companies advertising revenue came in below Wall Street estimates and below the result posted by other Big Tech companies so far, Alphabet and Meta. On the AI front, Jassy went to great lengths during the earnings call to connect model and chip development to the fortunes of AWS.\u00a0
\nJassy emphasized a strategy of offering diverse tools and options rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Jassy noted the demand for Amazon\u2019s custom silicon chips, Tranium and Inferentia, which offer compelling price-performance advantages. He also pointed to Amazon Sagemaker\u2019s new HyperPods feature, which enhances networking performance for large models, and Amazon Bedrock, which boasts the largest selection of generative AI models.
\nJassy also emphasized the impact of AI in various areas, from enhancing customer shopping decisions with AI-powered tools to improving operational efficiency in fulfillment centers. He underscored Amazon\u2019s commitment to ongoing investment in AI, driven by its potential to transform customer experiences and business operations.
\n\u201cWe remain very bullish on the medium- to long-term impact of AI in every business we know and can imagine,\u201d he said. \u201cThe progress may not be one straight line for companies. Generative AI, especially, is quite iterative, and companies have to build muscle around the best way to solve actual customer problems. But we see so much potential to change customer experiences.\u201d
\nAmazon\u2019s purchases of property and equipment, a measurement of its capital spending, was $17.62 billion in the second quarter. That is more than 50% higher than the year-earlier level and the highest quarterly spending since 2021.
\nJassy and CFO Brian Olsavsky were coy about the prospects for Q3. Net sales are expected to be between $154 billion and $158.5 billion, or to grow between 8% and 11% compared with third quarter 2023. Operating income is expected to be between $11.5 billion and $15 billion, compared with $11.2 billion in third quarter 2023. However, some of those results will depend on final sales from the company\u2019s July 16-17 Prime Day event and the advertising expenses to promote it.
\nThe call was notable for its mention of Expanded Amazon Pharmacy\u2019s RxPass program, which now offers Prime members on Medicare unlimited consumption of 60 broadly used prescription medications for $5 a month.
\n\u201cWhen you think about the experience and the speed and ease with which you can order versus walking into a pharmacy in the physical store \u2014 if you walk into pharmacies in cities today, it\u2019s a pretty tough experience with how much is blocked behind cabinets where you have to press a button to get somebody to come out and open the cabinets for you, and a lot of shoplifting going on in the stores,\u201d Jassy said. \u201cSo, the combination of what\u2019s happening in the physical world and how much improved we\u2019ve made our pharmacy experience is driving a lot of customer resonance and buying behavior. I think also you see us continuing to expand there.\u201d
\nThe post Amazon Q3 Hedge Supports Case for Cautious Consumer Spending appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "While Wall Street didn\u2019t like what it saw or heard from Amazon\u2019s Q2 earnings, from a consumer spending standpoint there was a lot to like. For now. \nAcross all operating segments the retail, cloud, AI and multimedia company reported net sales climbing 10% year over year to $148 billion, bolstered by a 19% surge in AWS sales to $26.3 billion. Operating income nearly doubled to $14.7 billion, up from $7.7 billion in the same period last year. Net income also saw significant growth, reaching $13.5 billion, or $1.26 per diluted share, compared to $6.7 billion, or $0.65 per diluted share, in the previous year. Notably, the company\u2019s operating cash flow surged 75% to $108 billion over the trailing 12 months, while free cash flow increased to $53 billion. The North America and international segments posted sales growth of 9% and 7%, respectively.\n\u201cWhile consumers are being careful on price, our North American unit growth is meaningfully outpacing our sales growth as our continued work on selection, low prices and delivery has resonated so far this year,\u201d CEO Andy Jassy told the company\u2019s Q2 earnings call. \n\u201cOur speed of delivery for Prime customers has been faster than ever before, with more than 5 billion units arriving the same day or next day. As more customers experience our fast delivery, they look to Amazon for more of their shopping needs and the continued acceleration of our everyday essentials business.\u201d\nWhat Wall Street didn\u2019t like \u2014 and punished the stock for in after-hours trading \u2014 was the relatively tepid outlook on Q3 prospects. It also didn\u2019t like results and outlook on two newer initiatives, artificial intelligence (AI) and advertising. \nThe companies advertising revenue came in below Wall Street estimates and below the result posted by other Big Tech companies so far, Alphabet and Meta. On the AI front, Jassy went to great lengths during the earnings call to connect model and chip development to the fortunes of AWS.\u00a0 \nJassy emphasized a strategy of offering diverse tools and options rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Jassy noted the demand for Amazon\u2019s custom silicon chips, Tranium and Inferentia, which offer compelling price-performance advantages. He also pointed to Amazon Sagemaker\u2019s new HyperPods feature, which enhances networking performance for large models, and Amazon Bedrock, which boasts the largest selection of generative AI models.\n Jassy also emphasized the impact of AI in various areas, from enhancing customer shopping decisions with AI-powered tools to improving operational efficiency in fulfillment centers. He underscored Amazon\u2019s commitment to ongoing investment in AI, driven by its potential to transform customer experiences and business operations.\n\u201cWe remain very bullish on the medium- to long-term impact of AI in every business we know and can imagine,\u201d he said. \u201cThe progress may not be one straight line for companies. Generative AI, especially, is quite iterative, and companies have to build muscle around the best way to solve actual customer problems. But we see so much potential to change customer experiences.\u201d\nAmazon\u2019s purchases of property and equipment, a measurement of its capital spending, was $17.62 billion in the second quarter. That is more than 50% higher than the year-earlier level and the highest quarterly spending since 2021. \nJassy and CFO Brian Olsavsky were coy about the prospects for Q3. Net sales are expected to be between $154 billion and $158.5 billion, or to grow between 8% and 11% compared with third quarter 2023. Operating income is expected to be between $11.5 billion and $15 billion, compared with $11.2 billion in third quarter 2023. However, some of those results will depend on final sales from the company\u2019s July 16-17 Prime Day event and the advertising expenses to promote it. \nThe call was notable for its mention of Expanded Amazon Pharmacy\u2019s RxPass program, which now offers Prime members on Medicare unlimited consumption of 60 broadly used prescription medications for $5 a month. \n\u201cWhen you think about the experience and the speed and ease with which you can order versus walking into a pharmacy in the physical store \u2014 if you walk into pharmacies in cities today, it\u2019s a pretty tough experience with how much is blocked behind cabinets where you have to press a button to get somebody to come out and open the cabinets for you, and a lot of shoplifting going on in the stores,\u201d Jassy said. \u201cSo, the combination of what\u2019s happening in the physical world and how much improved we\u2019ve made our pharmacy experience is driving a lot of customer resonance and buying behavior. I think also you see us continuing to expand there.\u201d \nThe post Amazon Q3 Hedge Supports Case for Cautious Consumer Spending appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-08-01T21:36:57-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-01T21:36:57-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Amazon-AWS.jpg", "tags": [ "AI", "Amazon", "Andy Jassy", "artificial intelligence", "Brian Olsavsky", "Earnings", "Featured News", "Inferentia", "News", "online advertising", "PYMNTS News", "RxPass", "Tranium" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2019028", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2024/amazon-sees-30percent-rise-in-same-day-and-next-day-delivery-speeds/", "title": "Amazon Sees 30% Rise in Same-Day and Next-Day Delivery\u00a0", "content_html": "Amazon\u00a0says it has seen a sharp rise in the speed of its Prime deliveries this year.
\nThe eCommerce giant\u00a0announced\u00a0Tuesday (July 30) that it made more than 5 billion same-day or next-day deliveries so far this year, up more than 30% year over year and a company record.
\nMost of the 5 billion items were delivered \u201con behalf of independent sellers using\u00a0Fulfillment by Amazon,\u201d the company said in a news release. \u201cMore than 60% of the units sold in Amazon\u2019s store come from independent sellers.\u201d
\nAmazon says it reached this goal by expanding its same-day delivery service to more than 120 metro areas in the U.S., shortening the distance deliveries had to travel by\u00a0regionalizing its fulfillment network.
\nThe company announced last year that it was doubling its same-day delivery centers, along with plans to recruit smaller, local businesses to assist in its\u00a0last-mile delivery efforts.
\nIn addition, the company says it has also improved inventory placement and ensured that in-demand products are stocked locally and in the proper buildings for each region.
\nThe 5 billion figure is up from the\u00a02 billion-plus number the company reported for the first quarter of 2024 in April.
\nPYMNTS last week wrote about Amazon Prime as an example of\u00a0\u201cproduct market fit,\u201d\u00a0the concept of recognizing the importance of aligning products with market demands.
\n\u201cMany loyalty initiatives flounder because they focus inwardly on the program mechanics rather than outwardly on understanding genuine customer needs,\u201d that report said.
\nPrime, launched in 2005, was originally designed to ease customer frustration with shipping times, focusing at first on delivering the loyalty program perks that its top customers desired, gradually expanding its offerings as time went on.
\n\u201cAmazon listened to its customers, understood their pain points, and continually invested to acquire and retain more members and transform them into brand advocates,\u201d PYMNTS wrote.
\n\u201cThe emphasis here is on investing in the customer rather than the product. In today\u2019s landscape, instant gratification holds heightened significance, particularly evident in subscription loyalty programs like Amazon Prime, where members receive instant benefits.\u00a0Amazon Prime members\u00a0spend nearly twice as much annually compared to non-Prime members.\u201d
\nFor all PYMNTS retail coverage, subscribe to the daily\u00a0Retail Newsletter.
\nThe post Amazon Sees 30% Rise in Same-Day and Next-Day Delivery\u00a0 appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Amazon\u00a0says it has seen a sharp rise in the speed of its Prime deliveries this year.\nThe eCommerce giant\u00a0announced\u00a0Tuesday (July 30) that it made more than 5 billion same-day or next-day deliveries so far this year, up more than 30% year over year and a company record.\nMost of the 5 billion items were delivered \u201con behalf of independent sellers using\u00a0Fulfillment by Amazon,\u201d the company said in a news release. \u201cMore than 60% of the units sold in Amazon\u2019s store come from independent sellers.\u201d\nAmazon says it reached this goal by expanding its same-day delivery service to more than 120 metro areas in the U.S., shortening the distance deliveries had to travel by\u00a0regionalizing its fulfillment network.\nThe company announced last year that it was doubling its same-day delivery centers, along with plans to recruit smaller, local businesses to assist in its\u00a0last-mile delivery efforts.\nIn addition, the company says it has also improved inventory placement and ensured that in-demand products are stocked locally and in the proper buildings for each region.\nThe 5 billion figure is up from the\u00a02 billion-plus number the company reported for the first quarter of 2024 in April.\nPYMNTS last week wrote about Amazon Prime as an example of\u00a0\u201cproduct market fit,\u201d\u00a0the concept of recognizing the importance of aligning products with market demands.\n\u201cMany loyalty initiatives flounder because they focus inwardly on the program mechanics rather than outwardly on understanding genuine customer needs,\u201d that report said.\nPrime, launched in 2005, was originally designed to ease customer frustration with shipping times, focusing at first on delivering the loyalty program perks that its top customers desired, gradually expanding its offerings as time went on.\n\u201cAmazon listened to its customers, understood their pain points, and continually invested to acquire and retain more members and transform them into brand advocates,\u201d PYMNTS wrote.\n\u201cThe emphasis here is on investing in the customer rather than the product. In today\u2019s landscape, instant gratification holds heightened significance, particularly evident in subscription loyalty programs like Amazon Prime, where members receive instant benefits.\u00a0Amazon Prime members\u00a0spend nearly twice as much annually compared to non-Prime members.\u201d\n\nFor all PYMNTS retail coverage, subscribe to the daily\u00a0Retail Newsletter.\n\nThe post Amazon Sees 30% Rise in Same-Day and Next-Day Delivery\u00a0 appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-07-30T09:30:59-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-31T11:47:30-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Amazon-Prime-same-day-delivery.jpg", "tags": [ "Amazon", "Amazon Prime", "delivery eCommerce", "Fulfillment by Amazon", "last-mile delivery", "News", "next-day delivery", "PYMNTS News", "Retail", "same-day delivery", "What's Hot" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2015257", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2024/report-amazon-nearing-launch-of-alexa-paid-tier/", "title": "Report: Amazon Nearing Launch of Alexa Paid Tier", "content_html": "Amazon reportedly plans to launch a paid tier of Alexa as soon as this month.
\nThe paid tier will offer a version of the voice assistant that has been dubbed \u201cRemarkable Alexa,\u201d is built on a new tech stack and offers greater capabilities, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Tuesday (July 23), citing unnamed sources.
\nRemarkable Alexa will incorporate more generative artificial intelligence (AI) than the current version of the voice assistant and will provide users with more seamless control of smart home devices by using their voice, according to the report.
\n\u201cAlexa is about to get a lot smarter,\u201d Jeff Bezos said in December 2023 during a podcast interview, hinting that a new version may be on the way, per the report.
\nThe company has not yet determined a price for the new paid tier, the report said.
\nThe development of Remarkable Alexa began when Amazon CEO Andy Jassy urged teams to find a way to monetize Alexa and Amazon\u2019s Echo speakers, according to the report.
\nCurrently, although hundreds of millions of people own Alexa-enabled devices, the Echo speakers are not delivering a payoff for the company because people are using them for free apps, the report said.
\nJassy\u2019s effort to monetize the devices and the voice assistant mark a change from Amazon founder\u2019s Jeff Bezos\u2019s strategy to develop devices based on \u201cdownstream impact,\u201d or DSI, per the report.
\nThat strategy allowed selling devices at cost or at a loss if they generated sales down the line \u2014 as when the sale of a Kindle eReader leads to the sale of eBooks to read on that device, according to the report.
\nThe DSI strategy has not paid off in the case of Echo because customers have used it primarily for free services such as checking the weather rather than to place a meaningful amount of eCommerce orders, the report said.
\nAn Amazon spokeswoman told the WSJ that the company\u2019s devices business has established profitable businesses and is prepared to continue doing so, per the report.
\n\u201cHundreds of millions of Amazon devices are used by customers around the world, and to us, there is not greater measure of success,\u201d the spokeswoman said in the report.
\nAmazon has been clear about its intentions to charge a subscription for a tiered Alexa service since September 2023, and improvements to voice technology driven by AI may force the issue, PYMNTS reported in April.
\nThe post Report: Amazon Nearing Launch of Alexa Paid Tier appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "Amazon reportedly plans to launch a paid tier of Alexa as soon as this month.\nThe paid tier will offer a version of the voice assistant that has been dubbed \u201cRemarkable Alexa,\u201d is built on a new tech stack and offers greater capabilities, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Tuesday (July 23), citing unnamed sources.\nRemarkable Alexa will incorporate more generative artificial intelligence (AI) than the current version of the voice assistant and will provide users with more seamless control of smart home devices by using their voice, according to the report.\n\u201cAlexa is about to get a lot smarter,\u201d Jeff Bezos said in December 2023 during a podcast interview, hinting that a new version may be on the way, per the report.\nThe company has not yet determined a price for the new paid tier, the report said.\nThe development of Remarkable Alexa began when Amazon CEO Andy Jassy urged teams to find a way to monetize Alexa and Amazon\u2019s Echo speakers, according to the report.\nCurrently, although hundreds of millions of people own Alexa-enabled devices, the Echo speakers are not delivering a payoff for the company because people are using them for free apps, the report said.\nJassy\u2019s effort to monetize the devices and the voice assistant mark a change from Amazon founder\u2019s Jeff Bezos\u2019s strategy to develop devices based on \u201cdownstream impact,\u201d or DSI, per the report.\nThat strategy allowed selling devices at cost or at a loss if they generated sales down the line \u2014 as when the sale of a Kindle eReader leads to the sale of eBooks to read on that device, according to the report.\nThe DSI strategy has not paid off in the case of Echo because customers have used it primarily for free services such as checking the weather rather than to place a meaningful amount of eCommerce orders, the report said.\nAn Amazon spokeswoman told the WSJ that the company\u2019s devices business has established profitable businesses and is prepared to continue doing so, per the report.\n\u201cHundreds of millions of Amazon devices are used by customers around the world, and to us, there is not greater measure of success,\u201d the spokeswoman said in the report.\nAmazon has been clear about its intentions to charge a subscription for a tiered Alexa service since September 2023, and improvements to voice technology driven by AI may force the issue, PYMNTS reported in April.\nThe post Report: Amazon Nearing Launch of Alexa Paid Tier appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-07-23T12:11:33-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-23T12:11:33-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Amazon-Alexa-paid-tier.png", "tags": [ "Alexa", "Amazon", "Amazon Alexa", "ecommerce", "News", "PYMNTS News", "Retail", "subscriptions", "voice assistants", "voice technology", "What's Hot" ] }, { "id": "https://www.pymnts.com/?p=2014627", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2024/crowdstrike-outage-hits-amazon-at-a-key-moment-for-shopper-loyalty/", "title": "CrowdStrike Outage Hits Amazon at a Key Moment for Shopper Loyalty", "content_html": "With the CrowdStrike outage having come just one day after the close of Amazon\u2019s blockbuster Prime Day event, the eCommerce giant could see the outage impact deliveries at a critical time on the company\u2019s calendar.
\nIn the wake of the outage, eCommerce retailers have themselves in an unfortunate position. The disruption impacted shipping giants UPS and FedEx, leading them to warn consumers about potential delays, which could impact merchants\u2019 ability to meet their customers\u2019 demand for fast and reliable delivery.
\nFor Amazon\u2019s part, Prime Day deliveries may also be delayed. For instance, a self-described participant in the company\u2019s Seller Fulfilled Prime program, which enables businesses to sell via Prime from their own warehouses, recently took to the official seller discussion board noting that Next Day Delivery orders are facing delays.
\n\u201cThis is something that we cannot foresee and control. Unfortunately, there is no news from Amazon on what things to do with this situation,\u201d the seller stated. \u201c\u2026I hope someone gives us some information about this. This will mess up our metrics and it\u2019s causing us a lot of stress.\u201d
\nAmazon posted a workaround on Friday (July 19). According to the post, the outage affected both Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances and Amazon WorkSpaces personal virtual desktops that run on Windows and use the CrowdStrike software. It recommended users fix the issue by allowing the CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor agent to update correctly.
\nThe post also noted that if a user\u2019s device uses what\u2019s called instance store volumes \u2014 a type of storage directly attached to the host computer \u2014 any data on those volumes will be lost if the device is stopped, put into hibernation or terminated. In such cases, the data is securely erased. For further details, it referred users to the information on Amazon EC2 instance store.
\nSlower than expected shipping can have a significant impact on shoppers\u2019 satisfaction. The report \u201cTracking the Digital Payments Takeover: Catching the Coming eCommerce Wave,\u201d a PYMNTS Intelligence and\u00a0Amazon Web Services (AWS) collaboration, found that 27% \u00a0of consumers cited delivery delays as issues they experienced with online purchases.
\nThis spells bad news for Amazon: the outage, which began late Thursday (July 18) came just one day after the close of Amazon\u2019s Prime Day event July 16 and 17. As such, impact on shipping could affect customers\u2019 satisfaction with the eCommerce giant at a time when considerably more shoppers will feel the impact than they would at other times of the year.
\nDuring the saving event, Amazon saw surging sales. In a typical day, the company averages about $1.6 billion in sales, per data from its Q1 2024 earnings report\u00a0 \u2014 the most recent period on record \u2014 showing that the eCommerce giant brought in $143.3 billion in sales in the three-month span. In contrast, over the Prime Day two-day event, the retailer is estimated to have brought in $14.2 billion in sales \u2014 nearly five times the company\u2019s average haul for a two-day period.
\nThese shipping delays are far from the only way that the CrowdStrike outage could be affecting retail merchants. Reports have circulated of the event impacting retailers\u2019 ability to do everything from accepting payments to analyzing sales data to even staying open.
\nThe CrowdStrike outage comes at a particularly inopportune moment for Amazon, right on the heels of its highly anticipated Prime Day. As merchants and consumers alike navigate this turbulence, the incident underscores the fragility of modern digital infrastructures and the far-reaching consequences that technical failures can have on even the most resilient retail giants.
\nThe post CrowdStrike Outage Hits Amazon at a Key Moment for Shopper Loyalty appeared first on PYMNTS.com.
\n", "content_text": "With the CrowdStrike outage having come just one day after the close of Amazon\u2019s blockbuster Prime Day event, the eCommerce giant could see the outage impact deliveries at a critical time on the company\u2019s calendar.\nIn the wake of the outage, eCommerce retailers have themselves in an unfortunate position. The disruption impacted shipping giants UPS and FedEx, leading them to warn consumers about potential delays, which could impact merchants\u2019 ability to meet their customers\u2019 demand for fast and reliable delivery.\nFor Amazon\u2019s part, Prime Day deliveries may also be delayed. For instance, a self-described participant in the company\u2019s Seller Fulfilled Prime program, which enables businesses to sell via Prime from their own warehouses, recently took to the official seller discussion board noting that Next Day Delivery orders are facing delays.\n\u201cThis is something that we cannot foresee and control. Unfortunately, there is no news from Amazon on what things to do with this situation,\u201d the seller stated. \u201c\u2026I hope someone gives us some information about this. This will mess up our metrics and it\u2019s causing us a lot of stress.\u201d\nAmazon posted a workaround on Friday (July 19). According to the post, the outage affected both Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances and Amazon WorkSpaces personal virtual desktops that run on Windows and use the CrowdStrike software. It recommended users fix the issue by allowing the CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor agent to update correctly.\nThe post also noted that if a user\u2019s device uses what\u2019s called instance store volumes \u2014 a type of storage directly attached to the host computer \u2014 any data on those volumes will be lost if the device is stopped, put into hibernation or terminated. In such cases, the data is securely erased. For further details, it referred users to the information on Amazon EC2 instance store.\nSlower than expected shipping can have a significant impact on shoppers\u2019 satisfaction. The report \u201cTracking the Digital Payments Takeover: Catching the Coming eCommerce Wave,\u201d a PYMNTS Intelligence and\u00a0Amazon Web Services (AWS) collaboration, found that 27% \u00a0of consumers cited delivery delays as issues they experienced with online purchases.\nThis spells bad news for Amazon: the outage, which began late Thursday (July 18) came just one day after the close of Amazon\u2019s Prime Day event July 16 and 17. As such, impact on shipping could affect customers\u2019 satisfaction with the eCommerce giant at a time when considerably more shoppers will feel the impact than they would at other times of the year.\nDuring the saving event, Amazon saw surging sales. In a typical day, the company averages about $1.6 billion in sales, per data from its Q1 2024 earnings report\u00a0 \u2014 the most recent period on record \u2014 showing that the eCommerce giant brought in $143.3 billion in sales in the three-month span. In contrast, over the Prime Day two-day event, the retailer is estimated to have brought in $14.2 billion in sales \u2014 nearly five times the company\u2019s average haul for a two-day period.\nThese shipping delays are far from the only way that the CrowdStrike outage could be affecting retail merchants. Reports have circulated of the event impacting retailers\u2019 ability to do everything from accepting payments to analyzing sales data to even staying open.\nThe CrowdStrike outage comes at a particularly inopportune moment for Amazon, right on the heels of its highly anticipated Prime Day. As merchants and consumers alike navigate this turbulence, the incident underscores the fragility of modern digital infrastructures and the far-reaching consequences that technical failures can have on even the most resilient retail giants.\nThe post CrowdStrike Outage Hits Amazon at a Key Moment for Shopper Loyalty appeared first on PYMNTS.com.", "date_published": "2024-07-22T14:57:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-22T14:57:20-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "PYMNTS", "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/author/pymnts/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f05cc0fdcc9e387e4f3570c17158c503?s=512&d=blank&r=g" }, "image": "https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Amazon-Prime-Day-CrowdStrike-outage.jpg", "tags": [ "Amazon", "Connected Economy", "CrowdStrike", "Crowdstrike outage", "delivery", "ecommerce", "FedEx", "News", "online shopping", "Prime Day", "PYMNTS News", "Retail", "UPS" ] } ] }