Initial numbers from Amazon’s Whole Foods may be good cause for worry among competitors — especially Trader Joe’s — but after the novelty wore off, it turns out those numbers weren’t great for Amazon, either. Conversion rates were low, and the "new customers" it attracted looked an awful lot like the ones it already had. But there’s more to Amazon than Whole Foods, and they’ve had a busy week.  Read More...

The world of retail is not the same place it was five years ago. It’s not even the same place it was two years ago, according to Signifyd’s director of advocacy, brand and content, Sourabh Kothari. In a recent interview with PYMNTS, Kothari joined with Stitch Labs’ vice president of product, Jodi Alperstein, to talk retail’s more specialized future. According to that conversation, the most successful merchants of the digital age won’t be the ones who do the most themselves in-house, but the ones who learn how to prioritize what they really need to distinguish their brands — then delegate all the rest.  Read More...

A day is coming when “smart home” will truly encompass the entire home, from air conditioners and thermostats to refrigerators and ovens. The fully smart home will even be able to vacuum itself and mow its own lawn. Most of the pieces already exist and, at least in the case of LG appliances, already know how to talk to one another. Here’s how appliance makers are taking “smart” beyond speakers and putting it to work for today’s busy consumer.  Read More...