Retail & Ecommerce

On today's episode, we discuss what the direct-to-consumer (D2C) playbook 2.0 contains, which D2C players are the ones to watch, and which spaces are ripe for D2C disruption. We then talk about what people currently expect from a loyalty program, how much context really matters, and how to avoid treating customers like data points. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Jeremy Goldman.

Shopify lets merchants go worldwide: A new global commerce hub and a recent investment in marketing tools hint at Shopify’s future.

Intuit and Mailchimp team up to help small and medium-sized businesses: The two combined will provide ecommerce, marketing, customer management, and financial services for those merchants.

Among US adults, cryptocurrency owners and non-owners alike are most interested in using the digital assets to enhance the privacy or security of their online purchases.

By bringing its consumer and merchant bases together, Square can grow its business, improve merchant satisfaction, and contend with fierce feature rivalries.

Kroger and Instacart partner to stand out in the crowded grocery delivery market: Their 30-minute delivery service can help distinguish them from digital grocers like Walmart and Amazon, and from intermediaries like Uber and DoorDash.

Salesforce report shows how small and medium-sized businesses have survived the pandemic: An increasing reliance on ecommerce and the benefits of community and government support is just one of many takeaways.

The government is pushing for a sharper divide between Alipay and Ant Group’s loan business by making the latter spin off the division—which includes short-term loan product Jiebei and virtual credit card Huabei—into a standalone app.

The Epic v. Apple ruling dings both companies, and the fight isn’t over: Apple has to loosen payment restrictions while Epic has to pay a fine, but Fortnite won’t return to the App Store yet.

Amazon operates close to 600 physical stores in the US, the majority of which are locations of grocer Whole Foods Market, which Amazon acquired in 2017.

Walmart Inc. will outsell Amazon in the US digital grocery market this year, generating $35.38 billion in sales over the ecommerce giant’s $29.12 billion.

Quip’s $100 million raise says a lot about D2C's future: The channel is a powerful method to build a brand, but sustainable growth involves the use of retailers and other channels.

Millions of e-cigarette and vaping products go up in smoke: While Juul has been left on the market (for now), the FDA's decision could signal the end of a once red-hot consumer trend.