Today in the Connected Economy: Walmart Turns to Robotics for Omnichannel Fulfillment

Today in the connected economy, Walmart acquires robotics automation firm Alert Innovation as it looks to refine its omnichannel fulfillment operations. Plus, Uber Co-Founder and ex-CEO Travis Kalanick backs a lobbying group that is going after restaurant aggregators, while Balance and Mirakl team up to make it easier to conduct business on online marketplaces.

Walmart to Acquire Robotics Automation Firm Alert Innovation

In a bid to further refine its omnichannel fulfillment capabilities, Walmart will acquire robotics automation company Alert Innovation. The retail giant has been working with Alert in recent years to customize Alert’s material-handling technology to use in Walmart’s market fulfillment centers (MFCs). With this purchase, Walmart is bringing Alert’s capabilities in-house to scale its proficiencies and deploy MFCs more quickly.

Report: Uber Founder Leading Virtual Restaurants’ Push for Data Access

Uber Co-Founder and ex-CEO Travis Kalanick is going after restaurant aggregators to help his dark kitchen business. Kalanick, who is now focused on his CloudKitchens virtual restaurant company, is apparently financing a group lobbying for legislation that would require aggregators to share customer data with so-called dark kitchens and put a cap on the fees they charge. The Digital Restaurant Association was launched in March by lobbying firm Tusk Strategies, which in turn was recently hired by CloudKitchens’ parent City Storage Systems to oversee the dark kitchen operator’s legal and public policy efforts.

Balance, Mirakl Partner to Add B2B Payments to Marketplaces

B2B payments platform Balance and enterprise marketplace Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider Mirakl have joined forces to make it easier to conduct business on online marketplaces. With the collaboration, Mirakl will employ Balance solutions to allow for seamless payments for B2B customers that use its platform.