ECOMMERCE

1-800-Flowers.com continues to embrace the conversational commerce game.    The gifting brand is preparing to launch a program that will enable its customers to place orders via Google Assistant on their Android phones and iPhones. Using their voice or text, they can access a menu of gifting categories, and place orders for delivery nationwide. The service also enables users to specify same-day delivery or schedule a gift’s arrival for a future date.  

Following suit of older generations, younger shoppers want to pay for purchases with credit cards.    Specifically, Gen Z (ages 18-24) and Gen Y (ages 25-34) are comfortable using credit to make purchases, and overwhelmingly prefer credit cards to monthly payment options, according to new data from Vyze, a provider of cloud-based financial technology solutions.   

Suistudio specializes in suits — but it's not dressing men.    Based in the Netherlands, the online women's apparel retailer is set to open its first U.S. store at the end of October, in New York City. The merchandise mix will emphasize no-fuss silhouettes that promise an "impeccable" fit and put a modern twist on the notion of power suiting — with in-store, while-you-wait tailoring available. In addition to suits, the mix includes shirts, dresses, and evening wear.   

Amazon is preparing for its newest physical store — and promoting its alcoholic products at the same time.   The online giant is opening a pop-up bar in Tokyo’s Ginza district. The location, which will be open for 10 days, will sell beer, wine, sake and cocktails sold on its Japanese website, as well as exclusive products and samples not yet for sale, according to Bloomberg.  

Amazon’s newest acquisition could give a boost to the company’s fashion category — including its growing private-label apparel business.    The online giant has acquired Body Labs, a 3D scanning platform that uses artificial intelligence, computer vision, and body modeling to accurately create an avatar-like image of a customer’s dimensions. The 3D platform provider announced the news on its website.  

For all the buzz about buy-online-pickup-in-store, not that many retailers are actually deploying the service.   

Walmart has officially gone live with voice shopping on the Google Home platform.   As it was announced back in August, the discounter is partnering with Google to allow its customers to shop for Walmart items through voice via Google Assistant, the search giant's online shopping platform that lives on its smart speaker. On Wednesday, the partnership went live, with more than two million Walmart items available through voice.   

For many customers, the ideal digital “store of the future” will streamline payments and make it easier to pick up purchases.   This was according to the “Consumer View,” a study from the National Retail Federation that tracks consumer awareness and adoption rates across a variety of retail technologies.