Walmart is canning a premium online ordering service and expanding its free shipping on various items instead:
Walmart announced free two-day shipping to home and stores on more than two million items, without a membership fee. The new offer is available starting at 8 a.m. EST today. With this announcement, Walmart has also lowered the minimum purchase required for free shipping to home to $35, from $50. Items being shipped to stores continue to have no price threshold.*
[...] Walmart's free two-day shipping will be available on the items customers shop the most, including household essentials such as baby necessities, pet products, food, like cereal and peanut butter, cleaning supplies and beauty favorites, as well as top electronics and toys.
[...] *Freight and marketplace are not included. Program is available in the contiguous United States.
Walmart recently bought Jet.com, an online e-commerce company with "an attractive brand with proven appeal, especially with Millennials, the first generation of true digital natives".
Meanwhile, Amazon is expanding its digital advertising business (before potential customers realize the scale of online ad fraud) and ordering the production of anime.
Related Stories
Recently, I have been using Fullstory to view how my visitors behave on my landing page - and boy does it make a huge difference when that visitor comes from Google or Facebook ads.
Regular visitors from an email that I send out, or from a mailing list, reddit, forums, among others - actually read the content on the landing page. You can see the mouse move across the text as they read in some instances. You can see how they scroll, the breaks they take to digest. Though the clip is 3X faster than usual, below you can see how the scrolling and mouse movements make sense. [Ed. note: Clips are on source page.]
This visitor is very different - it feels like its a paid slave somewhere, or a bot that has clumsy intelligence, or a person that does not read. The mouse rarely moves, it does scroll - though mostly in one direction, and the pace is as if the visitor is not reading the content. Mobile users just scroll and scroll until the bottom and then they leave.
As a result I have stopped all my Google and Facebook campaigns and have focused on growing the service more organically via social sharing and friends. Has anyone else experienced this as well? I'd be happy to share videos or more details, but the difference is clearly noticeable. I'd be interested to see if Fullstory has any high-level analysis of this or if they can verify this behavior.
[...] I am not sure if this is true, but does anyone else experience very, very, very, different click-through and conversion rates on Google and Facebook relative to other organic means?
-- submitted from IRC
Amazon is shutting down several websites it acquired when it bought Quidsi. Quidsi's co-founder went on to launch an Amazon competitor which he sold to Walmart for $3.3 billion:
Amazon said on Wednesday that it is shutting down Quidsi, one of its largest-ever acquisitions, which runs six shopping sites, including Diapers.com, Soap.com and Wag.com. The shutdown will result in layoffs of 263 people, according to a New Jersey state filing. But Bloomberg, which first reported the news, said some of these employees would be able to apply for new positions at Amazon. In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson blamed the shutdown on profitability issues.
[...] Quidsi's co-founder and then-CEO Marc Lore worked at Amazon for a few years following the deal, but it is an open secret in the industry that he did not enjoy his time there. He went on to launch an Amazon competitor, Jet.com, in 2015, which he sold last year to Walmart for $3.3 billion.
Lore now runs all U.S. e-commerce operations for Walmart, Amazon's biggest competitor stateside. Last week, he told me in an onstage interview at Code Commerce that his long-term goal for Walmart is to win the U.S. e-commerce battle. I asked him if that means being the No. 2 player behind Amazon, since the Seattle giant has such a huge lead. "Win means win," Lore said.
Amazon has made its biggest acquisition ever: Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. That number includes Whole Foods' net debt:
The deal, expected to close in the second half of this year, gives the e-commerce giant — which has been experimenting with various physical store concepts to make itself a name as a food purveyor — an instant expanse of 460 high-end brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S., in Canada and in the U.K.
Whole Foods, which made its name retailing organic and fresh products, had been struggling recently amid stepped-up competition from Costco Wholesale, Trader Joe's and other grocers.
Shares of Whole Foods rose ahead of the acquisition while analysts speculated that other grocery retailers would snap up Whole Foods to keep it away from Amazon, or at least drive up the price.
Groceries are low margin and high cost businesses. This acquisition may be seen as part of a long-running war between Amazon and Walmart.
Will the shelves of Whole Paycheck be stocked by Amazonk's mighty robotic Prometheans? I think I'll shop at ALDI instead.
Previously: Walmart Plays Catch-Up With Amazon
Walmart Kills Amazon Prime-like Service, Expands Free Shipping
Amazon Shuts Down Diapers.com as Founder Runs Walmart's E-Commerce Operations
Walmart has partnered with Google, allowing items to be bought online through Google Express. Google has also gotten rid of the annual membership fee for the service, instead offering free shipping for orders above a minimum amount (dependent on the store):
With an eye on the future of online retailing, Walmart and Google are teaming up to go after rival Amazon in a play that also targets the growing market for voice-activated shopping. Starting next month, Walmart customers will be able to access hundreds of thousands of products from the company's shelves — everything from dish washing soap to dining tables — via the online retailing service Google Express. Until now, Walmart's enormous inventory was available online only through the company's own website.
Walmart customers will be able to place an order by simply saying it out loud, using either the Google Assistant app or the voice-activated speaker Google Home. Voice-enabled shopping is still in its infancy, but analysts say it is a rapidly growing piece of the pie. "When it comes to voice shopping, we want to make it as easy as possible for our customers. That's why it makes sense for us to team up with Google," Marc Lore, the president and CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce, writes in a blog post today.
Also on Wednesday, Google announced that it was getting rid of a $95 annual membership fee for Express and would offer free delivery on orders above a minimum.
The move is seen as a response to Amazon and Alexa voice ordering.
Google Express was launched in 2013.
Previously: Walmart Kills Amazon Prime-like Service, Expands Free Shipping
Target's latest acquisition is seen as a step towards challenging Amazon.com:
Buying Shipt further beefs up Target's logistics operations after the retailer earlier this year acquired software company Grand Junction, which also manages local and same-day deliveries. Target now offers same-day delivery in New York City and can send orders from 1,400 of its stores. Competition in this space is growing fiercer, though, as rivals Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Best Buy Co. also offer same-day service, keeping pace with Amazon.
Target's decision to buy Shipt, rather than partner with it, "shows how serious they are," Kantar Retail analyst Robin Sherk said. "One-stop shopping was convenient in the 1990s but for today's families you have to be able to do instant food delivery as well. It's also a realization that Amazon, this big technology disruptor, has entered the consumer landscape."
Four out of five shoppers want same-day shipping, according to a survey by fulfillment software maker Temando, but only half of retailers offer it.
"With Shipt's network of local shoppers and their current market penetration, we will move from days to hours, dramatically accelerating our ability to bring affordable same-day delivery to guests across the country," John Mulligan, Target's chief operating officer, said in a statement.
Target statement. Also at Recode.
Related: Walmart Kills Amazon Prime-like Service, Expands Free Shipping
Amazon is temporarily removing the $25 minimum order requirement for free shipping. Target has done the same in an attempt to gain more holiday shopping customers. Walmart has offered free shipping for $35+ orders since January 2017.
Amazon is hiring fewer temporary workers for the 2018 holiday season, which may be due to its increasing use of robots and automation, according to a Citi analyst.
The Washington Post reported that Crystal City (Arlington), Virginia was Amazon's likely choice for its second headquarters. However, the Wall Street Journal reports that Dallas, TX, and New York City are also in late-stage talks with the company. Amazon may also decide to build smaller sites in multiple cities.
Also at Forbes.
Update: Amazon will reportedly split HQ2 between two cities
See also: Amazon will soon let you pick which day your package arrives
Saudis Call for Amazon Boycott Over Anger at Washington Post
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ikanreed on Tuesday January 31 2017, @10:47PM
Wal-Mart customers don't use a paid premium service, what a surprise.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 31 2017, @11:56PM
Good point. Also, don't people shop online to avoid places like Walmart? The Amazon and Google Express delivery people are rude and unreliable enough as is. I can't imagine dealing with pissed-off Walmart/Jet.com employees.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday January 31 2017, @10:53PM
Selection seems sparse, items are sometimes sold in huge bulk when you don't want that, and the website kinda sucks.
$2/lb garbanzos [walmart.com] ain't gonna cut it. Brown rice [walmart.com] seems cheap enough though. The best ramen flavors [walmart.com] are unavailable. Did a search for tomato [walmart.com]. No fresh food here, but it was worth a try. Fiddling around with the interface, I have to click an extra time to sort prices by low to high [walmart.com]. Pasta prices are not good because they are significantly over $0.75/lb. Maybe pick up this [walmart.com] for novelty value.
Enough about crappy food. They are selling bleach for about $3/gallon. That's good, I guess. And it may be the last item you need. So you want to murder someone or otherwise make a huge mess? They have this 3 pk. of plastic sheeting [walmart.com] for less than a $1 each. Looking for a 5 gallon bucket [walmart.com]? It costs $4, but I'm not sure they sell the lids.
Equate Aspirin Tablet, 500 count $3.64 [walmart.com] (not 2-day) (for reading all this)
One good change is that previously, you had to spend something like $50 to get any kind of free shipping. Now it's $35. So you might be more likely to make casual purchases. However, Amazon is rapidly expanding its "same-day shipping" and even "2 hour shipping" (I think they even do 1 hour). Getting stuff within that timeframe may be attractive to you, although with a little planning ahead, 2 or 3-5 day shipping could be just fine for you. On the other hand, 2 hours may be too long for you if you are in the middle of cooking a recipe and decide to run out to a nearby store to get an ingredient.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 01 2017, @02:29AM
My experience with Amazon is that their free shipping is absurdly slow. It really feels like they just sit on stuff for a week before doing anything in order to push people to sign up for the prime loyalty club. My last few orders didn't even leave the warehouse until a week later.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday February 01 2017, @02:47AM
It really depends. I have gotten certain no-rush shipping items ahead of the delivery estimates.
Maybe it's a geographical problem. And of course, you are also dealing with UPS, USPS, or FedEx.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 01 2017, @04:38AM
Seconded. I actually called customer service and asked about it the last time I ordered something sold by Amazon and was basically told as much. Such a shame, Amazon used to be so good at shipping. Now I try to buy from other sellers preferentially, even when I buy on Amazon, just to avoid the problem.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 01 2017, @01:00AM
Our local suburban Walmart is about a half mile away. Don't buy much food there, we have better grocery options. We do order the occasional gadget from Walmart and normally use ship to store. For us the big advantage is, if you don't like something, you can return for full credit on the spot. Prices are usually good and the employees are generally pretty nice. It is a bit of a hike to the back of the store (pickup counter is next to the bathrooms and the receiving dept) and sometimes we wait a little bit at the pickup counter.
Nice to know that for things I don't have to inspect (repeat orders), fast shipping is likely to be free going forward.
I won't do business with Amazon, but there are plenty of alternatives: some are huge like Walmart (they are still getting their online act together) and some tiny.
(Score: 2) by tibman on Wednesday February 01 2017, @03:05PM
Why not?
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 01 2017, @03:03AM
Walmart routinely forgets to put customs labels on their APO packages, and the packaging is nowhere near as sturdy as Amazon.
The returns / claims process is a bitch as well. Didn't get something in your package? Walmart says you did. Good luck.
Amazon is doing to Walmart what Walmart did to Sears/K-Mart back in the 80's. Walmart is a sinking ship.
(Score: 1) by DavePolaschek on Wednesday February 01 2017, @08:51PM
At least in my area (MSP metro), Amazon seems to be trying to kill Prime. "Guaranteed" two-day delivery takes three days more often than not, and Amazon's delivery drivers routinely try to deliver to business addresses after 6pm or on Saturday.