TECHNOLOGY

Amazon maintains price advantage on Prime Day
Early indications are that competitors didn't give Amazon much competition price wise Prime Day. The third annual shopping extravaganza, which kicked off on July 10 at 6 pm PST and was scheduled to run until the wee hours of the morning of July 12, was originally introduced as a way to reward existing Prime shoppers and attract new ones. With promises of new deals every five minutes, the company reported on Tuesday that customers worldwide are shopping at “record levels,” according to CNBC.
Beauty retailer delivers AI-based 'lip service'
Estée Lauder is making it even easier for online customers to choose — and purchase — their next tube of lipstick. Through its partnership with ModiFace, the beauty retailer launched a chatbot that helps customers find their ideal lipstick color. The conversational lipstick "advisor," which is accessible on Facebook Messenger, enables online and mobile users to interact with two of Estée Lauder’s lipstick lines.

Study: Retailers should incentivize use of BOPIS drive store traffic

Shoppers are buying more goods than ever online, but they also are increasingly picking the items up at — and returning them to — brick-and-mortar store.
Survey: Target, Walmart tops with these shoppers

Amazon hasn't make it to the head of the class for this year's back-to-school shopping season. Among young U.S. shoppers (ages 18-24), 64% said they will buy back-to-school items from Target and Walmart, respectively, edging out Amazon (50%). This is according to a new consumer survey from the retail app platform, Branding Brand.
America's favorite home improvement retailer is...

A smaller-format, neighborhood-oriented retailer beat out big-box competitors to rank as the nation's favorite home improvement retailer in a just-released study. Ace Hardware, known for its neighborly service and an intense focus on the customer experience, earned the top spot, with a composite loyalty score of 63%, in a study by Market Force Information.
Report: Back-to-school shopping grows less predictable

Even back-to-school shopping is not what it once was. U.S. students may still go back to school around the same general time each year, but the timing of BTS shopping has changed in recent years, becoming less consistent and less predictable. That's according to the Back-to-School report from The NPD Group, which finds that BTS shopping is starting earlier and lasting longer.
Retailers hope to steal some Prime Day thunder

Amazon may be pulling out the stops to lure customers to participate in Prime Day, but competitors are taking steps to grab their own online sales. The online giant’s third annual Prime Day global shopping extravaganza officially kicked off on Monday, July 10, at 6 pm PST, and will run until the wee hours of morning on July 12. Eager to take advantage of early bird shoppers, Amazon began rolling out sneak previews — and sales opportunities — as early as last week.
Report: Online giant creating its own ‘Geek Squad’

Amazon’s newest service is looking to give Best Buy a run for its money. In a move designed to rival Best Buy’s Geek Squad installation and repair team, the online giant is quietly creating its own fleet of gadget experts, according to ReCode.
Accessories retailer readies for international expansion

With plans to triple its store portfolio in six years, Parfois needs to expertly anticipate demand and gain global visibility into its inventory. By partnering with Oracle, the accessories retailer is one step closer to scaling its operations. Parfois added the Oracle Retail Merchandise Operations Suite and the Oracle Retail Warehouse Management System — two solutions that will support the company’s high growth and international expansion plans.
Footwear retailer launches in-store pick-up

Famous Footwear wants to get merchandise into its shoppers’ hands faster. By rolling out an in-store pickup service chainwide, Famous Footwear’s online shoppers now have the option of picking up their orders in more than 1,000 locations. To encourage shoppers to try the service, the retailer is offering customers that shop between July 7 through July 11, a $5 discount off of one order containing an in-store pickup item.