TECHNOLOGY

Moody's: Amazon is ‘weakest’ of large retailers
Amazon isn't as dominant as is widely believed — at least not according to a new report from Moody's Investor Services.
Online giant’s partnership expands Alexa’s reach
Amazon’s newest move could take voice-assisted ordering to new levels. The online giant is joining forces with Microsoft to integrate the companies' two digital assistants. This will allow Amazon’s Alexa to activate and talk to Microsoft’s Cortana device, and vice-versa.

Study: Shoppers look for deals

As much as today's shoppers want convenience, they also prioritize saving money and will make time to uncover the best deals online and offline. Over half (53%) of consumers indicated they invest over two hours a week looking for deals and savings across all sources, according to a survey from Valassis. About 25% of millennials and moms spend over four hours a week in their search for value.
Kohl’s giving financial aid to its hurricane-affected employees

Kohl's is reaching out to its associates as well as the general public impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The retailer said it will provide an estimated $1 million in financial support to its employees who have been significantly impacted by the storm. Kohl’s will continue to monitor the impact of the flooding throughout the region to evaluate the need for additional assistance.
Amazon uses Whole Foods to bolster its private-label portfolio

Amazon is wasting no time in leveraging its ownership of Whole Foods Market. Amazon Fresh has made “hundreds" of new items from Whole Foods' house brands available online. Merchandise includes fancier fare and bath products from Whole Foods Market, staples from 365 Everyday Value, and pet foods from Whole Paws, according to CNBC.
Walmart sets up emergency pharmacy at mega-shelter for hurricane victims

Evacuees from Hurricane Harvey seeking shelter at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas will find a pharmacy on-site to meet their immediate needs. The facility has been turned into a mini-city to house and care for what is expected to be 5,000 evacuees who are being bused and flown into Dallas from the regions devastated by the storm.
Pizza giant may soon deliver pizzas via self-driving cars — no tips required

Domino's Pizza may be adding a new item to its take-out menu — driverless deliveries. The pizza giant is teaming up with Ford Motor Co. to test how well self-driving vehicles can make pizza deliveries. The partners will evaluate how customers react to interacting with a self-driving vehicle within their delivery experience — data that is paramount to understanding how customers perceive the future of food delivery with self-driving vehicles.
Amazon’s pet sales reach a new high

More customers are making pet product purchases at Amazon — a practice that has increased category sales by 40%. This was according to “U.S. Pet Market Focus: The Amazon Pet Food and Supplies Shopper,” a study from Packaged Facts.
Discounter revamping cloud strategy to distance itself from Amazon

Target is using an unconventional way to send a message to Amazon. In a move to take greater control of its infrastructure — and stop financing its rival — the discounter is scaling back its use of Amazon Web Services, reported CNBC. Target plans to “aggressively” move e-commerce activities, mobile development and operations away from AWS through the end of the year and into 2018 — a plan it alluded to back in October, according to the report.
Consumers buoyant in August as confidence rises

Consumer confidence increased in August to the second highest level since late 2000. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index rose to 122.9 in August, up from 120 in the prior month. Economists had expected the index to rise to 122.5 in August. The Present Situation Index increased from 145.4 to 151.2. The Expectations Index rose marginally from 103.0 last month to 104.0.