Alexa, How Was Prime Day? Prime Day 2019 Surpassed Black Friday and Cyber Monday Combined

This year, Prime Day was once again the largest shopping event in Amazon history with more than one million deals exclusively for Prime members. Over the two days of Prime Day, on July 15 and 16, sales surpassed the previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. Prime members purchased more than 175 million items throughout the event. Prime Day was also the biggest event ever for Amazon devices, when comparing two-day periods – top-selling deals worldwide were...

Amazon Continues to Change the Face of Retail with Prime Day 

According to the NPD Group, more than half of Amazon Prime members plan to purchase products from Amazon during the Prime Day shopping event on July 15th and 16th. While retailers including Target and Walmart are following Amazon's lead with deals of their own during these dates, only 15 percent of these consumers intend to shop at both Amazon and other retailers.

When surveyed, 70 percent of Amazon Prime members reported to look for deals in advance of Prime Day, and nearly two-thirds are doing so to get an idea of what they wish to buy ahead of time. This planning includes comparing prices with other retailers, with nearly a quarter of consumers purchasing items elsewhere if a lower price is found prior to Prime Day. However, those that do not shop on Prime Day, 69 percent, claim...

The New Black Friday? Prime Day's Halo Effect Spans Beyond Gadgets (And Amazon Itself)

Remember when shopping was primarily a chore? If you’re a Millennial, you might never have thought this way, but it really wasn’t that long ago that shopping was more of a task than an experience—let alone something to look forward to.

Historically, Black Friday was the year’s sole shopping experience. Today, however, the abundance of choice, access and creative marketing give brands and retailers all the ammunition they need to inspire consumers to shop at any time they choose...

Whole Foods Celebrates Prime Members with Exclusive Deals on Customer Favorites Through Prime Day 

Amazon and Whole Foods Market are offering some of the deepest discounts of the year on summertime favorites in celebration of Prime Day. In addition, Prime members who spend $10 at Whole Foods Market in store or on Prime Now will receive a $10 credit to use on Amazon for Prime Day. This offer is available until July 16. Visit wholefoods.com/primeday to learn more. 

“To celebrate our Prime members in an even bigger way this year we will add an additional week..."

AmazonFresh Expands to Las Vegas with 1- And 2-Hour Delivery

Amazon today announced that AmazonFresh has expanded to Las Vegas. Starting today, Prime members in Las Vegas can shop tens of thousands products from meat and seafood to fresh produce and everyday essentials for ultrafast one- and two-hour delivery from AmazonFresh.

“We’re thrilled to introduce AmazonFresh to Prime members in Las Vegas,” said Stephenie Landry, Vice President, AmazonFresh and Prime Now. “Prime members tell us they want their stuff even faster. We're happy to deliver on that ask and can’t wait for customers in Las Vegas to take advantage of one- and two-hour delivery from AmazonFresh.”

With AmazonFresh, Prime members can combine grocery and other shopping into one seamless experience that easily fits into their busy lives. Customers can choose from tens of thousands of items across produce, meat, grocery, plus Amazon.com bestsellers from Amazon devices to electronics, health and personal care, home & kitchen, toys and more...

Amazon Expands Grocery Delivery from Whole Foods Market to Thirteen Metros

Amazon and Whole Foods Market today launched delivery of natural and organic products from Whole Foods Market through Prime Now in Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tenn., Destin and Tallahassee, Fla., Greensboro and Wilmington, N.C., Allentown, Pa., Fort Collins, Colo., Huntsville and Montgomery, Ala., Jackson, Miss., Palm Desert, Calif., and Portland, Maine.

Starting today, Prime members in those cities can shop through Prime Now for thousands of bestselling items including fresh produce, high-quality meat and seafood, everyday staples and other locally sourced items from Whole Foods Market and enjoy delivery in as little as an hour. The service is now available in...

Amazon.com Announces First Quarter Sales

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2019.

Operating cash flow increased 89% to $34.4 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $18.2 billion for the trailing twelve months ended March 31, 2018. Free cash flow increased to $23.0 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $7.3 billion for the trailing twelve months ended March 31, 2018. Free cash flow less principal repayments of finance leases and financing obligations increased to $15.1 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $1.1 billion for the trailing twelve months ended March 31, 2018. Free cash flow less equipment finance leases and principal repayments of all other finance leases and financing obligations increased to an inflow of $11.8 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with an outflow of $3.0 billion for the trailing twelve months ended March 31, 2018.

On January 1, 2019, we adopted accounting guidance amending the accounting for leases, which did not have a material impact on our first quarter operating results. Prior period amounts were not retrospectively adjusted. Under this new guidance...

Amazon Expands Grocery Delivery from Whole Foods Market

Amazon and Whole Foods Market today launched delivery of natural and organic products from Whole Foods Market through Prime Now in Asheville, Charlottesville, Columbia, Lexington, Little Rock, Manchester, Mobile, Naples and Savannah. Starting today, Prime members in those cities can shop through Prime Now for thousands of bestselling items including fresh produce, high-quality meat and seafood, everyday staples and other locally sourced items from Whole Foods Market and enjoy delivery in as little as an hour. The service is now available in 75 U.S. metros and will continue to expand throughout 2019.

Today also marks another expansion of grocery pickup from Whole Foods Market to Columbus, Ohio. Grocery pickup from Whole Foods Market is available in 30 U.S. metros, with plans for ...

Amazon's Next Push into Grocery Biz Faces Stout Headwinds, Expert Says

While its brick-and-mortar supermarket strategy is likely to add to the pressure, Amazon is hardly set to steamroll top grocers with its purported plans to open stores under a new, more mainstream brand, advised Joe McKeska, Senior Managing Director at A&G Realty Partners.

Observers are buzzing about Amazon's plans, originally reported in The Wall Street Journal, to open "dozens" of grocery stores in leading U.S. markets. However, McKeska cautioned, it's important to remember that existing grocers boast years of experience. They have also been heavily investing in their digital and online capabilities, said the Oak Brook-based executive, whose firm assists retailers with portfolio strategy, due diligence, value-add lease negotiations, and real estate disposition, subleasing, and ...

Checkers & Rally’s Launches Deepest and Most Franchisee-Friendly Delivery Platform in QSR

Checkers & Rally’s Restaurants, Inc., today announced the launch of the brand’s new delivery platform, the most comprehensive and franchisee-friendly delivery system in all of QSR. The platform brings five national delivery services – Uber Eats, DoorDash, Postmates, Grubhub and Amazon Restaurants – together under one single, seamless point-of-sale (POS) system. Integrations via Olo will give guests the ability to order the brand’s “Crazy Good Food” from their favorite delivery service, while giving franchisees and restaurant operators a profitable and operationally simple way to fulfill those orders.

“While some of the biggest brands in QSR have committed to a single delivery service, we wanted to give Checkers & Rally’s guests more ways to bring our amazing burgers, famous seasoned fries and exciting flavors to their front doors ...

The Amazon Effect - Nine in Ten Brits Shop on Amazon 

Amazon is the retail phenomenon which started in a garage and now, nearly a quarter of a century later, new research from Mintel reveals that almost nine in ten (86%) Brits are Amazon users/shoppers*. Highlighting the ongoing popularity of the retail giant, according to Mintel, more Amazon shoppers have increased their shopping (21%) with the retailer than decreased it (13%) over the past year. Overall, most (70%) Amazon customers shop with the retailer at least once a month, while just under a fifth (17%) use the retailer on a weekly basis.

In terms of what’s in the basket, hardcopy media (books, DVDs or video games) (39%) remains Amazon’s most popular purchases. This is followed by electricals (30%), fashion/jewellery (30%), and toys (20%). An impressive 45% of ...

Amazon Introduces "Amazon Day" to Reduce Shipping Costs and Carbon Footprint 

Amazon is bringing a new level of delivery convenience and predictability to Prime members with the launch of Amazon Day, available today to all Prime members in the U.S. This new delivery innovation enables Prime members to choose a day of the week to be their delivery day, which makes it easier to get purchases grouped and delivered together and, in many cases, in fewer packages. Members can also choose from Prime’s fast, free shipping options for any item they don’t want to include as part of their Amazon Day shipment. The program is one of many sustainability initiatives to help achieve Shipment Zero, the company’s vision to make all Amazon shipments net zero carbon, with 50% of all shipments net zero by 2030.

“Amazon Day makes shopping throughout the week so easy,” said Susan T. from Wilmington, DE, one of the Prime members who received early access to ...

Amazon.com Announces Fourth Quarter Sales up 20% to $72.4 Billion

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced financial results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018.

Operating cash flow increased 67% to $30.7 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $18.4 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2017. Free cash flow increased to $19.4 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $8.3 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2017. Free cash flow less lease principal repayments increased to $11.6 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $3.3 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2017. Free cash flow less finance lease principal repayments and assets acquired under capital leases increased to ...

Amazon Introduces New Delivery System 

At Amazon, we continually invest in new technologies to benefit customers. We’ve been hard at work developing a new, fully-electric delivery system – Amazon Scout – designed to safely get packages to customers using autonomous delivery devices. These devices were created by Amazon, are the size of a small cooler, and roll along sidewalks at a walking pace. Starting today, these devices will begin delivering packages to customers in a neighborhood in Snohomish County, Washington.

How will delivery by Amazon Scout work? Customers in Snohomish County order just as they normally would and their Amazon packages will be delivered either by one of our trusted partner carriers or by Amazon Scout. Customers can shop on the Amazon App or amazon.com and ...

Key by Amazon Introduces New Products and Services to Expand Keyless Entry Offerings to Customers 

Amazon today announced new products, features and services supporting Key by Amazon, which puts security, convenience, and control in the hands of customers to offer one common benefit that everyone can enjoy—the magic of being key-free. New offerings include the all-new Schlage Encode Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt, the first WiFi-enabled smart lock for Key; Key for Garage with Chamberlin Group (CGI); compatibility with the Ring app for access control; and Key for Business, a smart fob for drivers delivering Amazon packages to commercial and residential properties.

“For the past year, we’ve been thrilled to see how customers have benefited from Key by Amazon. We started with the idea of in-home package delivery and quickly learned that our customers found peace of mind and delight from the control Key gives them over their most important place—their homes—even when they aren’t there themselves,” said Rohit Shrivastava, GM of Key by Amazon. “Key puts security, convenience, and ...

Retail Feedback Group Online Grocery Shopper Study Finds Growing Number Purchasing Fresh Food Items

Supermarkets Continue to Lag Behind Amazon and Walmart in Key Satisfaction Measures

The Retail Feedback Group (RFG), a leader in providing actionable stakeholder feedback, today released the 2018 U.S. Online Grocery Shopper Study. This year's research found about half of online shoppers plan to purchase grocery items more often in the coming year and rate their overall satisfaction ordering food and grocery items online highest with Amazon (4.70 on a five-point scale where five is highest), followed by Walmart (4.54) and Supermarkets/Food Stores (4.36). The research also captured generational differences with online shopping for food and groceries, finding Boomers are the most satisfied (4.65), followed by Gen X (4.51) and Millennials (4.43)...

Amazon Expands Grocery Delivery From Whole Foods Market To Columbus, Dayton, Portland, Greater Washington D.C. And Additional New York City Neighborhoods

Prime members in 28 cities can enjoy delivery in as little as an hour from Whole Foods Market

AUSTIN, Texas & SEATTLE—Amazon and Whole Foods Market today launched delivery of natural and organic products from Whole Foods Market through Prime Now in Columbus, Dayton, Portland, Greater Washington D.C. and additional areas of New York City, including Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Union Square and Murray Hill. Starting today, Prime members in those cities can shop through Prime Now for thousands of bestselling items including fresh produce, high quality meat and seafood, everyday staples and other locally sourced items from Whole Foods Market. Now available in 28 cities, the service launched earlier this year with plans for continued expansion across the U.S. throughout...

Walmart, Amazon, Target Named America's Most Ethical Companies 

Walmart, Amazon and Target have strong reputations as being “ethical” companies, according to Morning Consult.

Six thousand and six hundred Americans were asked to think of a company that they would consider to be ethically responsible and name the first one that came to mind. Walmart had the most mentions (666), followed by Amazon (450) and Target (301). Rounding out the top 10 are Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, Apple, Costco, Google, Microsoft and McDonald’s.

A report details what consumers expect from brands in this highly charged political era. There are some issues that brands should steer clear of, and talking about President Trump in any context will harm a brand’s reputation.

“One of the most striking findings in this...