Vertical software as a service has generally benefited from specialization. A restaurant platform can be designed around menus, kitchens, ordering and tips. Retail software tracks merchandise, inventory and checkout. Fuel systems have their own pumps, pricing, authorization and payment requirements. Convenience stores offer both challenge...
A federal antitrust lawsuit brought against McDonald’s this week illustrates the complexities involved in applying decades-old laws to artificial intelligence and other software tools, Reuters reported Thursday (Oct. 8). The case against McDonald’s alleges that the fast-food company pressures its franchisees to use its AI-powered...
Walmart has begun rolling out a new option that offers Walmart+ members curbside pickup in as soon as one hour, the company said in a Wednesday (Oct. 7) press release. Walmart launched this Express Pickup option at 500 stores Wednesday and plans to expand it...
Amazon spent the week telling shoppers how much they could save. Walmart spent part of it explaining why consumers shouldn’t worry about how their prices are set. The contrast came as Amazon launched its Prime Big Deal Days event on Oct. 6-7, offering millions of...
Embedded finance is delivering measurable benefits for retailers, but the way they judge whether it works reaches beyond the revenue line. The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Retailers Expand Embedded Finance to Unlock Control and Customization” found in November 2025 that just 11% of retailers gauged embedded...
Amazon now captures more spending than Walmart in five of seven retail categories, extending its reach from electronics and apparel into health and personal care. That breadth gives Amazon several ways to grow as consumers shift more purchases toward goods they can research, order and...
Retailers are drawing different lines on how far artificial intelligence (AI) shopping agents can go on their sites. Amazon blocks outside agents while it builds its own. QVC lets agents complete purchases. Walmart lets Google’s Gemini surface its products, then hands the basket to its...
The economy has a growing collection of oddly named consumers. One has two incomes, no children and a dog. Another earns plenty but has yet to build much wealth. A third is old enough to remember dial-up internet and young enough, apparently, to spend heavily...
The retail landscape used to have four primary levers: share of shoppers, share of sellers, share of advertising dollars and share of wallet. However, artificial intelligence (AI) is creating the fifth and sixth levers: share of decision-making and share of intent infrastructure. Headlines this week...