Artificial Intelligence

Mobile payment keeps getting more popular, at least on the provider side.

According to Re/Code, Amazon.com is launching a mobile “Pay with Amazon” button that will let consumers automatically use their Amazon payment information to make purchases on other retailer’s e-commerce apps. While not exactly a mobile wallet app, the Pay With Amazon button is definitely an attempt to obtain a piece of the mobile payment market which Apple, Samsung, Google, and several other entities are trying to take an early lead in.

Apple TV reportedly has a formidable new rival in the emerging channel of TV commerce.

According to GeekWire, Amazon is providing direct purchase capabilities through its Fire TV devices, without fanfare. A pilot has been underway for about two weeks, with sources indicating performance so far has exceeded expectations.

The pilot allows Fire TV and Fire TV stick users to directly browse and purchase items including Hershey’s candy, FitBit personal fitness devices, and Mattel toys from banner ads on the TV screen.

It’s not your imagination – a lot of new players are entering the mobile payment market. In the past few months, entities including Google, Samsung, Capital One, and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co have launched or announced plans to launch new mobile payment solutions. And retailer-backed Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) expanded trials of its CurrentC mobile payment app this summer. Retailers like Starbucks are bypassing the middleman entirely and offering mobile payment from their own proprietary e-commerce apps.

Apple TV reportedly has a formidable new rival in the emerging channel of TV commerce.

According to GeekWire, Amazon is providing direct purchase capabilities through its Fire TV devices, without fanfare. A pilot has been underway for about two weeks, with sources indicating performance so far has exceeded expectations.

Lowe’s is giving customers a full 3-D view of their home projects, at home as well as in the store.

Lowe’s Innovation Labs, the retailer’s proprietary technology development center, is updating its Holoroom technology and expanding its availability. Partnering with virtual reality technology provider Oculus VR and Google, Lowe’s has upgraded its Holoroom feature, which lets customers visualize how they could use tools and materials sold at Lowe’s.

Baseball’s great accidental philosopher Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” In the retail business, knowing where you’re going means understanding sales, inventory, promotions, pricing, and assortment.

Walmart wants to use drones to check warehouse inventory and assist with curbside pickup and delivery services, and has applied for permission from regulators to do so, according to CNBC. “Drones have a lot of potential to further connect our vast network of stores, distribution centers, fulfillment centers and transportation fleet,” company spokesman Dan Toporek told CNBC. “There is a Walmart within five miles of 70% of the U.S.

When it comes to respecting their privacy, consumers are less than satisfied with the retailers they shop.

According to analysis of social sentiment of more than 220,000 consumers by Capgemini Group, “Privacy Please: Why Retailers Need to Rethink Personalization,” 93% of all consumer sentiment on retail privacy was negative