Retail

Apr 23, 2015, 4:10 PM

Amazon justifies big investments in Prime, saying ‘It’s a great platform to feed’

Now that Amazon is breaking out revenues from its cloud computing business, we have a clearer picture of how its core retail business is… Read More

Apr 22, 2015, 9:07 AM

India’s Flipkart to shut down website within a year, thanks to popularity of mobile

The popularity of mobile phones in India is driving the country’s biggest e-commerce company to shut down its web portal within a year. FlipKart… Read More

Apr 21, 2015, 9:01 PM

Sam’s Club launches slate of new services targeting small business owners

Sam’s Club is rolling out five new services for small business owners, with the goal of increasing loyalty at the… Read More

Apr 20, 2015, 4:19 PM

Alibaba VP John Spelich leaves company, lands in Seattle while planning next move

One of Alibaba’s top executives, who led the effort to sign up international brands to its Chinese marketplaces, has left the company.… Read More

Apr 20, 2015, 8:57 AM

Groupon’s deal of the day: Sell Ticket Monster stake for big bucks after buying it from LivingSocial

Groupon confirmed today it will be selling a stake in Ticket Monster, the Korean-based e-commerce company it bought more than a year… Read More

Apr 7, 2015, 4:21 PM

Amazon Prime discourages most people from comparison shopping online

Amazon Prime is working. That’s the quick and dirty takeaway from a survey conducted by market research consultancy Millward Brown… Read More

Apr 6, 2015, 7:00 PM

Why critics call the imminent credit card chip system in the U.S. ‘a joke’

The way Americans spend money is on the verge of its biggest change in decades, but the drumbeat of doubters… Read More

Apr 1, 2015, 10:13 AM

Groupon opens up a new marketplace, aiming to undercut Amazon, eBay

Groupon has launched what it is calling Groupon Stores, a third-party marketplace that will require participating merchants to sell their products… Read More

Mar 31, 2015, 10:07 AM

Amazon patents show new ways for shoppers to pick-up and check-out

Amazon has filed several patents recently that show that the e-commerce giant continues to be interested in the world of physical retail. Over the… Read More

Mar 30, 2015, 3:17 PM

Q&A: Amazon VP Peter Faricy explains the company’s move into home improvement

Amazon is famous for selling so many things online that no one thought was possible. Now, the Seattle retailer is tackling… Read More

Mar 24, 2015, 4:47 PM

No new bidders emerging in RadioShack’s bankruptcy as 2,000 stores face closure

Thousands of RadioShack stores face imminent closure as the 94-year-old company’s bankruptcy nears a close. On Thursday, a judge is set to sign… Read More

Mar 24, 2015, 10:56 AM

Zulily speeds up delivery times to compete in an Amazon-defined world

It’s never been Zulily’s goal to ship products to customers as quickly as Amazon. In response to a question about shipping times at… Read More

Mar 23, 2015, 10:43 AM

Starbucks concludes first step in ‘Race Together’ campaign after facing social media backlash

Howard Schultz says he is not backing down from his goal of making Starbucks a place where America discusses race, even after… Read More

Mar 18, 2015, 12:43 PM

Grande plans: Starbucks building a new store every six hours for the next five years

Starbucks is no stranger to implementing digital initiatives. The coffee giant runs one of the most successful retail applications, and… Read More

Mar 18, 2015, 9:30 AM

For coffee delivery, Starbucks will use Postmates in Seattle and baristas in New York City

At the Starbucks annual shareholder meeting today, the company plans to unveil new details of its highly anticipated delivery service launching in the… Read More

Mar 10, 2015, 5:00 AM

Starbucks to expand mobile ordering next week to 650 cafes across the Northwest, including Seattle

Starbucks said today that its new mobile ordering service, which allows people to buy a cup of coffee without having to… Read More

Mar 9, 2015, 3:04 PM

Why Amazon opened a storefront on Alibaba’s online marketplace

Amazon has launched a storefront on Alibaba’s e-commerce portal. So why would Amazon would be willing to partner with one of its biggest competitors?… Read More

Mar 3, 2015, 4:13 PM

Target outlines big tech plans, with expectations for digital sales to rise 40 percent this year

Target laid out an aggressive growth strategy today during a two-hour long meeting with the investment community that includes boosting digital sales… Read More

News Brief

Feb 17, 2015, 1:52 PM

Cha-ching!: U.S. e-commerce sales surpass $300B for the first time in 2014

Amazon wasn’t the only one that finished the year strong. The U.S. Commerce Department released new statistics today showing that e-commerce… Read More

Feb 17, 2015, 10:58 AM

Report: Amazon packages do occassionally arrive late — but no more than average

Last week Amazon dismissed the results of a study claiming that 10 percent of packages arrived later than shoppers were expecting during the holidays.… Read More

Feb 17, 2015, 9:28 AM

Flash sales leader Gilt Groupe raises $50M as it watches Zulily’s shares crash

Gilt Groupe may now have enough runway to hold off on an IPO until the public markets warm to flash sales companies… Read More

Feb 11, 2015, 12:41 PM

Starbucks finally integrates Apple Pay — but not for buying lattes

Starbucks is rolling out an updated iPhone app today that will finally enable Apple Pay. The Seattle coffee chain was one of… Read More