News

Artificial Intelligence
James Allen Offers ChatGPT Assistant Subscriptions to Shoppers
August 11, 2023

Generative artificial intelligence (AI), particularly OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has become a major trend in retail. Brands and retailers are integrating it due to consumer demand for interactive experiences. In recent forays, the use of plug-ins has emerged, necessitating a monthly subscription fee of $20. Brands and retailers are already...

Fintech Investments
FinTech IPO Index Plunges 6.6% as Upstart and Nuvei Earnings Weigh on Shares
August 11, 2023

Seemingly everywhere you looked this past week, earnings were the sole arbiter of how stocks performed. And no matter the earnings, almost across the board, the performance was decidedly to the downside. The FinTech IPO Index sank 6.6% through the past five sessions, led by...

Social Commerce
X Promises Robust Brand-Safety Tools for Advertisers
August 10, 2023

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, will continue rolling out brand-safety tools for advertisers. The platform is committed to free expression while also protecting brands, X CEO Linda Yaccarino said during a live audio event held Thursday (Aug. 10) on X, The Wall...

Regulation
Treasury Department to Propose Beneficial Ownership Reporting Rules for Real Estate
August 10, 2023

Title insurers and others may soon be required to report the identities of the beneficial owners of companies that pay cash for real estate. The U.S. Treasury Department will propose a rule this month that will require real estate professionals to report this information to its Financial Crimes...

Delivery
Cartwheel and Toast Partner to Optimize Delivery Operations for Restaurants
August 10, 2023

On-demand delivery management platform Cartwheel has integrated with the Toast Partner Ecosystem. Through this integration, restaurants that use Cartwheel’s Hybrid Delivery technology and third-party fleet management capabilities will now be able to manage their delivery operations directly from the Toast point-of-sale (POS) system, the companies said in a Thursday (Aug. 10) press release. Toast’s...

Faster Payments
Sila Introduces Real-Time Access to ACH Debits on Platform
August 10, 2023

Sila has introduced a product that offers customers real-time access to ACH debits made to its platform. The new Instant Settlement offering eliminates the need for companies to rely on their own capital or endure the delays of traditional ACH debits, the FinTech company said in a Thursday...

Retail
Instacart Expands Online SNAP Payment Acceptance Nationwide
August 10, 2023

Online grocery marketplace Instacart now accepts Electronic Benefits Transfer for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (EBT SNAP) payments throughout the entire United States. With the recent addition of Alaska, the company now accepts SNAP online in all 50 states and Washington D.C., with more than 120 retail banners...

Artificial Intelligence
Gen AI Is Having Its iPhone 2G Moment
August 10, 2023

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) may be suffering from recency bias. The technology, which splashed down into the marketplace last November, represents one of the most significant developments in computing capability since the development of data packet switching and communication protocols in the 1960s, which gave...

Investments
Lulu Group Raising $2.72 Billion to Reposition Business for IPO
August 10, 2023

Abu Dhabi-based LuLu Group International, which owns one of the largest hypermarket chains in the Middle East, is reportedly raising 10 billion dirhams (about $2.72 billion) to refinance debt ahead of a potential initial public offering (IPO). This is being done to realign its capital structure,...