Amazon Wants Other Retailers to Go Cashierless With Its Just Walk Out Technology

Amazon has started pitching what it’s calling Just Walk Out technology that powers Amazon Go stores to other retailers and, per a spokesperson, has “several signed deals” already. The premise of “fast and convenient checkout experiences” remains the same. However, instead of using an app to enter as customers do at Amazon Go, shoppers at…

How to Protect Your Amazon Listings From Copycats

There are two ways to sell products–your own or someone else’s–on Amazon: directly, under your company’s name, or by selling to Amazon, which sells for you. There’s also a hybrid option in which a brand or seller sells some SKUs to Amazon and sells others on the platform itself. Amazon has established a Code of…

How Brands Are Battling Knockoffs on Amazon

If you’re a skincare brand, you’ve probably put a lot of thought into how your products smell and feel. So reading reviews on Amazon.com that say one of your creams reminded the consumer of “month-old milk” or that “it literally feels (and smells!) like rubbing your face with ham grease” is bound to be distressing….

‘Amazon Dating,’ a Spot-on Parody Site, Offers to Help You Find Love in Your Prime

Today’s singles have plenty of digital options when it comes to finding each other. But in an era of same-day delivery, who has the time for the back and forth of scheduling a first date? That’s where Amazon Dating comes in. It brings all the conveniences of your Prime subscription to the crowded world of…

How Droga5 London Pulled Off Amazon’s Super Bowl Ad

This year, Amazon once again used its Super Bowl airtime to plug Alexa. While U.K. agency Lucky Generals has taken the creative reins on Alexa’s game day commercial over the past few years, Amazon chose a different British shop for the task this time: Droga5 London. The ad–which landed the No. 7 spot on USA…

These 5 Brands Saw the Biggest Boost on Amazon During and After Super Bowl

In a study of how TV advertising impacts short-term purchasing behavior on Amazon, ecommerce analytics company Profitero found Super Bowl ads prompted viewers to buy both during and after the game. Profitero said it looked at the average market share of 120 products on Amazon from 6 to 11 p.m. ET on Feb. 2 versus…

Life Without Alexa Seems Archaic in Amazon’s Super Bowl 54 Spot

Amazon released its Super Bowl 54 spot on Wednesday, which takes a playful look at what life was like #BeforeAlexa–which, for the record, came out in 2014. The 90-second spot picks up where last week’s teasers left off with the “Alexa, turn down the temperature” gag between comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her wife actress Portia…

Al Pacino Busts Nazis in New York in Amazon Studios’ Super Bowl Ad

Amazon Studios is returning to the Super Bowl with a 60-second preview of its upcoming original series Hunters, which will premiere Feb. 21 on Prime Video. The eponymous Hunters are an anti-Nazi group operating in New York in 1977. When they discover high-ranking Nazi officials are living among them and conspiring to create a Fourth…

Amazon Ponders a Time #BeforeAlexa in Super Bowl Teaser Ads

If these teasers are anything to go by, Amazon is relying on a familiar playbook for its return to the Super Bowl: uniting celebrities with its digital assistant, Alexa. In the videos released Friday, comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, use their Echo Show device to duel over the temperature inside…

Amazon is Reportedly Developing a Hand-Scanning Payment Option

Amazon is reportedly developing checkout terminals that will allow shoppers to pay by scanning the palms of their hands. That’s according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment. The WSJ said Amazon is targeting the terminals, which link credit and debit…

Amazon’s Patrick Gauthier Says Retailers Should Prepare for Voice Commerce

While the history of voice recognition technology dates back to IBM in 1961, the modern era of voice didn’t start for another 50 years when IBM Watson won Jeopardy! and Apple debuted Siri. But even that marquee year, 2011, was almost a decade ago now. Nevertheless, Patrick Gauthier, vice president of Amazon Pay and a…

Retailer Media Networks Are Coming, but Where Are They Coming From?

Like so many changes in commerce to date, the rise of retailer media networks can be traced back to Amazon. The ecommerce giant introduced its media business in 2012 as it sought to monetize its own properties. And, along the way, it not only found additional revenue for other projects that may or may not…

Brands and Agencies Are Bullish on New Walmart Advertising Partners Program

The Walmart Advertising Partners program is officially live, giving brands direct access to Sponsored Product campaigns on Walmart-owned platforms. And although advertisers have seen similar functionality elsewhere–and early partners concede the program is kind of a mess–agencies say they’re committed and brands are chomping at the bit. Early results from some beta API partners, which…

Shaquille O’Neal Likes Ring Doorbells So Much He Has One for His Treehouse

LAS VEGAS–With a resume that boasts four NBA championship titles, three finals MVPs and 15 All-Star appearances, one would think Shaquille O’Neal might take it easy in retirement. But the self-proclaimed Superman’s portfolio has only grown, as he’s currently the Chief Fun Officer for Carnival Cruise Line, a spokesman for Papa John’s (he also sits…

Voice-Enabled Gas Pumps Are Coming to Exxon and Mobil Stations

Amazon’s digital assistant won’t pump gas for you, but thanks to a collaboration between ExxonMobil and fintech company Fiserv, Alexa will soon help you pay for gas without pulling out a credit or a debit card. The technology, which will be on display at CES 2020 this week, will be available “later this year” at…

Amazon India Gets a Major Retail Boost From Future Group

Future Retail, the retail arm of Mumbai-based conglomerate Future Group, announced a “long-term” partnership with Amazon India to bring the retailer to the popular Amazon.in site, focusing on grocery, general merchandise and fashion. As a result of the deal, Amazon.in will become the authorized online sales channel for Future Retail stores, which include banners like…

Analysts Share 5 Retail Predictions for What We Can Expect in 2020

This upcoming year is already shaping up to be a banner year with a new Brexit deadline, the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and, of course, a presidential election. But what about the retail industry? As a new year approaches, we asked analysts what they expect to see from retailers in 2020. Their responses run the…

Amazon’s 5 Biggest Flubs of 2019

Amazon has certainly had a lot of hits in its 25-year history, from its $14-billion acquisition of grocery chain Whole Foods to its growing advertising business and award-winning TV and film distribution arm Amazon Studios. Click here to read more. In addition to Amazon’s willingness to take big swings, what truly sets it apart from…

What Amazon Advertising Will Look Like in 2020

Amazon doesn’t generally speak to future plans, so it didn’t have much to say about what 2020 has in store for its growing advertising business. Agency insiders who work with clients on the platform, however, say they expect big changes in 2020, especially when it comes to data and insights. Amazon got a late start…

5 Ways Amazon Changed Shopping in the 2010s

If it wasn’t for Amazon, we might still be buying books at bookstores or at least from another website. Barnes and Noble could still be independent. Borders might still be around. Your mom and pop could possibly eke out an honest living as independent booksellers. And so on. Click here to read more. But, since…