In today’s top news, Amazon opened its first physical cashierless store outside of North America, and Twitter is adding “Shop” buttons to some tweets. Plus, Vroom’s earnings showed the demand for used cars amid the pandemic.
Amazon Opens Physical Cashierless Store In London
Amazon opened a cashierless Amazon Fresh store in London on Thursday (March 4), its first physical retail location outside of North America. The 2,500-square-foot store features the cashierless technology used in Amazon Go stores in the U.S., first launched three years ago.
Twitter Testing Shopping Card eCommerce Feature
Twitter is getting into the social shopping scene with a “Shop” button prominently displayed on some tweets. The new concept will integrate merchandise information, such as the name of the shop, product, and price, as part of the tweet and link to an eCommerce store.
Vroom: Consumer Demand For Used Cars Beats Pre-COVID Levels
The share price swooned after hours on mixed results vs. consensus. But Vroom’s latest earnings report shows, eCommerce continues to make inroads into the used car buying process — where that segment saw sales growth of more than 40 percent year over year.
Clothing Reseller ThredUP Preps Its IPO
ThredUP, a secondhand apparel marketplace, has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a proposed initial public offering (IPO). ThredUP had a big year during 2020 as many other “reCommerce” firms did, riding a wave of companies dabbling in secondhand sales.
Jersey Mike’s Orders Up AI In Fight Against Mobile Fraud
Eighty-five percent of consumers plan to keep quick-service restaurant (QSR) ordering apps on their smartphones after the pandemic ends. It’s great news for QSRs, but it also means more fraudsters will be stalking mobile channels. In the Mobile Order-Ahead Tracker, Scott Scherer, chief information officer at Jersey Mike’s Subs, explains how pairing artificial intelligence (AI) and two-factor authentication can help restaurants boot fraudsters.
Sezzle CEO: ‘We Don’t Think Credit Is A Four-Letter Word’
The market for buy now, pay later (BNPL) products has exploded and companies are clawing their way to the top of the heap. Sezzle CEO Charlie Youakim tells Karen Webster that to stand out, his company has embraced its inner lender — because his customers want a way to build a strong credit profile.
Bill Gates’ Land Grab Fuels Speculation About Smart Cities, AgTech Plans
Bill Gates is now the largest farmland owner in the U.S. — and with those real estate assets comes speculation that smart cities and next-gen AgTech farmlands will emerge from those green fields. What if that’s right? PYMNTS takes a look into the plans.
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