7-Eleven, Inc.

The world’s biggest online retailer took a big step to move drone deliveries forward.   Amazon has entered into a partnership with the British government that will allow the retailer to test and develop new drone delivery systems.  

The first fully autonomous drone delivery to a customer home has occurred, and the retailer behind it is not who you would expect.   Leading convenience chain 7-Eleven partnered with independent drone delivery service Flirtey and the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) to complete two deliveries from a store in Reno, Nevada on Sunday, July 10. 7-Eleven merchandise, including hot and cold food items, were loaded into a Flirtey drone delivery container and flown autonomously using precision GPS to a local customer’s house.

7-Eleven has set itself new energy conservation goals.       The world’s largest convenience store chain, in collaboration with Conservation International, has committed to reducing its energy footprint in stores by 20% by 2025, and also reducing its packaging footprint by 20% by 2025.    

As consumers continue shifting to mobile-only shopping experiences this summer, retailers have a greater need than ever for an e-commerce platform that delivers responsive, consistent experiences across any given device or channel.

Online retailers who want to offer physical pickup of their goods have a new option.   Partnering with various retailers including 7-Eleven, UPS is expanding its “smart locker” program from nine locations in Chicago to 300 locations nationwide. UPS is adding 300 new Access Point locations nationwide. The lockers are usually outside and accessible 24 hours a day at convenience stores and other sites.  

Consumers who use mobile devices for shopping are prime targets for retailer loyalty programs.   According to a new study from Forrester Research, “Master Your Mobile Loyalty Moments,” customers who participate in loyalty programs are more likely to be mobile. Forrester data shows 31% of loyalty program members, but only 15% of all U.S. online adults, will use a brand’s mobile app.  

Many retailers are lagging in their EMV adoption efforts, and many consumers may not care that much.

The forces of disruption influencing so much of retail have finally arrived at one of the industry’s most tradition-bound segments. Retail trade events have changed little the past 20 years, but a new event called Shoptalk (May 16-18) is reimagining every aspect of the concept. Event co-founder and chairman Anil Aggarwal spoke with Retailing Today about Shoptalk, what it is, what it isn’t and how he plans to create a community of commerce innovators.

RT: What is Shoptalk?

American Express Serve announced this week that it and Rite Aid and Dollar General had joined forces to allow American Express Serve account holders to add money to their cards at the retailers’ locations around the country. The two companies join CVS/pharmacy, Family Dollar, Family Dollar, Walmart and 7-Eleven as places where customers can do a Free Cash Reload of their cards.

American Express Serve announced this week that it and Rite Aid and Dollar General had joined forces to allow American Express Serve account holders to add money to their cards at the retailers’ locations around the country.