eCommerce

J. Crew is entering into a deal that it expects will put it one step closer to improving its business.   The fashion retailer has won the support of more than 50% of its term loan holders to trim its $2 billion debt load and end intellectual property litigation. This was according to sources familiar with the situation, according to Reuters.  

Amazon may be looking to bolster its enterprise services offering with an innovative addition.   Corporate chatroom startup Slack Technologies has received inquiries of late about a potential takeover from technology companies, including Amazon. The company is valued at approximately $9 billion, according to Bloomberg.  

Walmart is buying the hot men's clothing company Bonobos for $310 million in cash.    The move is in keeping with Walmart's recent efforts to beef up its online offerings and widen its appeal by buying digitally native brands that target millennials and younger consumers. Founded online in 2007, Bonobos has expanded its assortment over the years and has also opened 35 brick-and-mortar stores ("Guideshops"). It also has a partnership with Nordstrom.   

Shoppers in Denver are getting their first taste of Amazon Prime Now.   The service, which is exclusive to the online giant’s Prime members, provides free two-hour delivery on tens of thousands of items, from household and daily essentials to electronics, games and outdoor supplies. Area Prime members can order through Amazon’s Prime Now app, available on iOS and Android devices, Amazon’s web site, or “speak” orders to their Alexa device.  

Newegg is making a push to reach even more customers.   The tech-focused retailer is extending its online global reach to dozens of countries in key parts of Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Newegg’s expansion plan will ultimately help the retailer reach customers in a total of 50 countries, according to the company.  

Scads of national retail chains are seeing their concepts fade out, but regional malls are still firmly in the picture.   That’s the diagnosis put forth in a report titled “Why Mall Reuse is Just Beginning,” from the entrepreneur-driven real estate firm Transwestern. Some key data points include: *Regional malls have had positive net absorption since 2010, with the only blip in absorption occurring in 2009, at the height of the recession.

Website accessibility is shaping up as the next big challenge for retailers with regards to ADA compliance.    A Miami federal judge has ruled that Winn-Dixie violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not making its website, which was recently updated, accessible to blind and visually impaired users, the Miami Herald reported. The Jacksonville, Florida-based supermarket chain has set aside $250,000 to revamp its online site and was ordered to pay the plaintiff’s legal fees, according to the report.  

Amazon is giving its Dash Wand a makeover — make that a “voice over.”   The online giant has upgraded its Amazon Dash Wand with its artificial intelligence-based Alexa functionality. Extending Amazon’s signature virtual assistant Alexa beyond the Echo home speaker offering, the Dash Wand is described as the smallest and most inexpensive Alexa-enabled device, according to Geek Wire.    The Amazon Dash