Walmart and Lord & Taylor Team Up | Stitch Fix’s $1B Boost To IPO | Chicago's Digital Commerce Surge

In case you missed it, this week Amazon came up with a genius new delivery plan just in time for the holidays. Plus, Alexa devices now let their owners make voice and video calls to any U.S., Canadian or Mexican phone number without touching a thing, and those same devices are about to make their debut at Kohl’s. Finally, Amazon says goodbye to one of Whole Foods’ small-format stores and hello to its own private-label athleisure clothing brand. Read More...

Sometimes, less is more. Why make consumers punch in 16-digit card numbers when quick sales (and instant gratification) can be achieved in just one click? That’s a lesson the leading 1,045 online merchants are taking to heart in terms of driving sales and improving conversion. The latest PYMNTS.com Buy Button Report maps the growing appeal of buy buttons and tracks their acceptance across 18 industry segments. Read More...

A voice-activated assistant in hotel rooms could help ensure guests remain happy customers who are likely to return or recommend the business to a friend — rather than becoming an unhappy customer and liability that will cost the hotel business. Siri and Alexa are always there to fill requests at odd hours of the night, and (it’s hard to put a price on this) wouldn’t it be nice not to have to fiddle with those baffling industrial thermostats anymore? Alexa — yes please! Read More...