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Amazon tests crowd-sourced delivery model
The online giant is launching an Uber-like program, called Flex, that uses on-demand independent contractors to deliver Amazon packages. The service is now available only in Seattle (and only to members of Amazon’s Prime Now same-day delivery service), but the company expects to roll it out to other cities where Prime Now is offered, including Manhattan, Baltimore, Miami, Dallas, and Chicago.
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Cross-channel consistency
The digital and physical selling environments are converging. Whether this phenomenon is called “cross-channel”, “omnichannel”, or given some other label, consumers now routinely use their Internet-enabled (and frequently mobile) devices to find information about potential purchases, even when they are in the store. So as far as consumers are concerned, the selling channels have already converged. As a result, retailers are now forced to catch up.

