Lowe's Bets Big On Smart Homes With b8ta | Target Shutters Underperformers | Walmart Nabs Self-Checkout Burglar

Amazon has conceded its AmazonFresh grocery delivery service wasn’t working out so well. The company announced last week it would be phasing out the service in certain suburban markets by the end of November, though residents in major cities will still be able to use it. Why give up now, after 10 years of effort — and what will the eCommerce giant try next in its inexorable efforts to get a finger in every pie of consumers’ lives? Read More...

How can companies get customers to stay loyal? How can they win the prize of consumers' hearts and minds? Meet them on their own turf — on the devices they want to use and through the programs they’ll want to embrace, of course. Easier said than done, but as Bridge2 Solutions’ CCO, Larry Wine, tells PYMNTS, there’s life beyond the obsolete warehouse, prevailing online rewards catalogues and closed loop pay-with-points models. Point ubiquity is the name of the (customer engagement) game. Read More...

Heavily regulated and dominated by a three-tiered distribution system, disrupting the alcohol delivery business isn’t for the faint of heart. But, as Chris Vaughn, CEO at Saucey, told Karen Webster in this week’s Matchmakers, disruption requires a delivery-first focus with logistics expertise and a focus on customer experience to back it up. That — and the occasional delivery by Frank Sinatra impersonators or underwear-clad delivery personnel — has been the magical brew that’s helped Saucy slowly (but surely) dominate the markets in which it has chosen to compete. Read More...