TECHNOLOGY

Target is planning to test a next-day delivery of essentials ordered online in the Minneapolis area.   Called Target Restock, the service will pilot this summer in the discounter’s hometown. Once the pilot is live, shoppers who have a Target REDcard will be eligible to visit a dedicated online experience to access thousands of household essentials.  

Jewel-Osco shoppers soon will be able to order groceries directly from their go-to supermarket.   By the end of the summer, Jewel-Osco, a division of Albertsons, will offer online ordering. The chain will begin rolling out its e-commerce offering early this summer, according to The Chicago Sun Times.   

One hotel chain is putting a new spin on room service.   Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham is partnering with Peapod and Instacart on a new grocery delivery pilot. Targeting the many travelers who are eager to keep a few “staples” in their hotel room, but struggle to hunt down the closest grocery store in an unfamiliar city, Hawthorn Suites is piloting a program that delivers groceries directly to guests’ doors.  

Online menswear retailer seems to be at the end of its rope — or in this case, thread.    E-retailer JackThreads’ website is promoting its “Farewell Sale,” which is selling all merchandise, site-wide, for 70% — and all is final sale. While the company did not post any messages saying that the company is ceasing operations, the site’s “Work With Us” page has been closed.  

Lenox knows what its shoppers like — and now it has a way to digitally display luxury products that specifically meet their tastes.    Inundated with a steady stream of new products, the giftware retailer needed a way to streamline its presentation of merchandise across digital channels, and still deliver an engaging customer experience. For Lenox, this included deploying the Oracle Commerce Cloud, an architecture that is modernizing the company’s omnichannel shopping experience.  

AmazonFresh is expanding its breadth in one of its biggest markets outside the United States.   

Amazon’s signature Dash button may be getting some competition from a rival very soon.   A patent filing by Walmart reveals that the retail giant could be developing an Internet of Things-based device that tracks how shoppers use products in their homes and then electronically reorders merchandise.  

Rent the Runway, a disruptor in traditional formal wear category, is now a leader in the paid search advertising category.