Shopping – Page 3 – Impact Lab

Automation, Business, Science & Technology News, Shopping

Storelift launches autonomous convenience stores using AI and computer vision

September 10, 2020

As physical retail struggles amid the global pandemic, storeowners are rapidly trying to adapt to new realities that also include growing competition from Amazon. But a French startup called Storelift believes it can create a new convenience store concept that leans on many of the same AI and computer vision tools used in Amazon Go stores to reinvent the shopping and checkout experience,

This week, Storelift announced that it has launched its first two stores under the name “Boxy.” The Boxy stores are repurposed shipping containers that can be plopped down in various urban neighborhoods that lack good shopping options.

The founders believe their approach demonstrates how businesses can exploit new shopping niches with the help of sensors, data, and AI that allows them to optimize their inventory and reduce costs.

“Our vision is really to address all the city areas where there are 10,000 people who have no convenience store,” Storelift CEO and cofounder Tom Hayat said. “We want to be as close to the customers as possible.”

Continue reading… “Storelift launches autonomous convenience stores using AI and computer vision”

Amazon.com, Aviation, Shopping

Amazon wins FAA approval for Prime Air drone delivery fleet

September 9, 2020

KEY POINTS

Amazon on Monday received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate its fleet of Prime Air delivery drones.
The approval will give Amazon broad privileges to “safely and efficiently deliver packages to customers,” the FAA said.
Amazon joins UPS and Alphabet-owned Wing, who previously won FAA approval for their drone delivery operations.

Continue reading… “Amazon wins FAA approval for Prime Air drone delivery fleet”

Legalized marijuana, Marketing, Science & Technology News, Shopping

Weed vending machine debuts in Colorado with more on the way

August 25, 2020

The first ones landed at Strawberry Fields dispensary in Pueblo

Anna, the weed vending machine, debuted at Strawberry Fields dispensary in Pueblo. The company hopes to expand to other Colorado location in 2020.

In an era when consumers can buy groceries, pet supplies and even a life-size cardboard cutout of Lizzo without directly seeing a human, one company is ensuring Coloradans can also purchase their cannabis contactless.

Matt Frost is founder and CEO of a company called anna, which makes what he calls a “tricked out vending machine” designed to take and fill orders for marijuana products. The first ones landed at Strawberry Fields dispensary in central Pueblo, where customers can now purchase flower, edibles and vape oils without having to interact with a budtender. They’ll debut at a second dispensary, Starbuds in Aurora, sometime this year.

Frost, whose background is in healthcare data analytics, originally developed the concept to adapt the efficiency of a retail self-checkout system to the marijuana industry. In his home state of Massachusetts, dispensary waits can be hours-long and some shops require patrons schedule a pickup time for pre-ordered products.

Continue reading… “Weed vending machine debuts in Colorado with more on the way”

Coronavirus, Science & Technology News, Shopping, Trending

Resale is thriving in the pandemic

August 10, 2020

Since the pandemic began, the fashion industry has taken a hit. Retail giants have filed for bankruptcy, independent brands have closed, and brick-and-mortar stores, if they haven’t shut their doors, are still financially recovering from the months they were forced to stay closed during the lockdown. One of the few areas that has seen growth during this time, though, is the resale industry.

Online consignment platforms and secondhand retailers had already been seeing promising signs in the last few years. According to thredUP’s 2020 Resale Report, resale grew 25 times faster than retail in 2019, with 62M women buying secondhand products in 2019, compared to 56M in 2018 and 44M in 2017. The pandemic did not slow this growth.

Continue reading… “Resale is thriving in the pandemic”

Fashion, Human Behavior, Science & Technology News, Shopping

Meet the teenage ‘beauty boys’ coming for the cosmetics industry

August 2, 2020

Gen-Z boys online are chipping away at the taboo against men wearing makeup – with or without the makeup industry’s help

In March of 2019, 17-year-old Elliot Ceretti walked into his local convenience store with a couple of friends. He had been re-watching the 10th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and one of the show’s drag queens, Aquaria, had inspired an unfamiliar but exciting longing in Ceretti.

He loaded his basket with the cheapest makeup products he could find, and a glue stick to glue down his brows. When he got home that night, he waited until his mother and sister were asleep and locked himself in the bathroom, applying makeup like he had seen on the show. That night, he brought Ella Souflee, his drag persona, to life for the first time.

Continue reading… “Meet the teenage ‘beauty boys’ coming for the cosmetics industry”

Analysis, Coronavirus, Science & Technology News, Shopping, Trending

Touchless transit payments increased 187% since April: Visa

July 29, 2020

Visa released new data on Thursday that found contactless transactions for transit fares increased 187% through the end of June, up from an all-time global low in April. The company now works with more than 500 cities globally to implement or expand contactless payment solutions.

To further engage in this trend, Visa announced a new global partnership agreement with Cubic Transportation Systems to “enable the delivery of next generation fare payments and new mobility solutions to Cubic’s customers based on Visa’s global payment standards and frameworks,” according to a company press release.

Visa also announced a milestone of 150 total partners in its Visa Ready for Transit certification program, up from 100 partners in October 2019. The Visa Ready for Transit program fosters collaboration with fare system solutions providers and consultancies to simplify transit agencies’ implementation of contactless fare systems.

Continue reading… “Touchless transit payments increased 187% since April: Visa”

Automation, Robotics, Robots, Science & Technology News, Shopping

Japanese robot to clock in at a convenience store in test of retail automation

July 27, 2020

TOKYO (Reuters) – In August, a robot vaguely resembling a kangaroo will begin stacking sandwiches, drinks and ready meals on shelves at a Japanese convenience store in a test its maker, Telexistence, hopes will help trigger a wave of retail automation.

Following that trial, store operator FamilyMart says it plans to use robot workers at 20 stores around Tokyo by 2022. At first, people will operate them remotely – until the machines’ artificial intelligence (AI) can learn to mimic human movements. Rival convenience store chain Lawson is deploying its first robot in September, according to Telexistence.

“It advances the scope and scale of human existence,” the robot maker’s chief executive, Jin Tomioka, said as he explained how its technology lets people sense and experience places other than where they are.

The idea, dubbed telexistence, was first proposed by the start up’s co-founder, University of Tokyo professor Susumu Tachi, four decades ago.

Continue reading… “Japanese robot to clock in at a convenience store in test of retail automation”

Business, Science & Technology News, Shopping, Trending

DoorDash inks deal with Walgreens to provide over-the-counter medicine and snack deliveries

July 27, 2020

Walgreens signed a similar deal with Postmates in April

DoorDash announced that it’s introducing on-demand delivery services from Walgreens to provide “everyday essentials” to your doorstep. Customers in Atlanta, Chicago, and Denver can now order over 2,300 items from the pharmacy chain, including over-the-counter medication, groceries, snacks, and beauty products. DoorDash and Walgreens did not mention whether users can also have their prescription medication delivered, so you’ll probably still need to go to the store for that.

Continue reading… “DoorDash inks deal with Walgreens to provide over-the-counter medicine and snack deliveries”

Amazon.com, Automation, Food, Science & Technology News, Shopping

Amazon is rolling out grocery carts that let shoppers skip checkout lines, bag their groceries and walk out

July 23, 2020

Amazon launching smart grocery carts that track shoppers’ items

Amazon is launching smart shopping carts at its Woodland Hills, California, grocery store in 2020.

Dash Carts are embedded with cameras, sensors and a smart display that automatically track a shopper’s order.

Similar to Amazon’s cashierless Go stores, Dash Carts allow shoppers to avoid checkout lines as they exit the store.

Amazon is launching shopping carts that track items as shoppers add them, then automatically charges them when they remove the grocery bags, allowing them to skip the checkout line.

The Dash Carts will roll out at Amazon’s new Los Angeles-area grocery store, which is slated to open this year, the company announced Tuesday.

Continue reading… “Amazon is rolling out grocery carts that let shoppers skip checkout lines, bag their groceries and walk out”

Clothing, Fashion, Science & Technology News, Shopping, Trending

Resale market expected to be valued at $64 billion in 5 years, as used clothing takes over closets

July 8, 2020

A ThredUp warehouse.

KEY POINTS

The secondhand apparel market is valued at about $28 billion today and is forecast to reach $64 billion within the five years, according to a new report by ThredUp and GlobalData Retail.
“Resale is here to stay,” said ThredUp co-founder and CEO James Reinhart. “The next question is who wins and who loses.”

Despite the coronavirus pandemic upending much of the retail industry and putting a damper on apparel sales, the secondhand clothing market is expected to boom, according to one online resale marketplace.

The secondhand apparel market is valued at about $28 billion today and is forecast to reach $64 billion within five years, ThredUp said in its annual report, which is completed in a partnership with the third-party research firm GlobalData Retail.

It said the resale market grew 25 times faster than the overall retail market last year, with an estimated 64 million people buying secondhand products in 2019.

Continue reading… “Resale market expected to be valued at $64 billion in 5 years, as used clothing takes over closets”

Coronavirus, Money Talk, Science & Technology News, Shopping

The pandemic is doing to credit cards what iTunes did to CDs

July 7, 2020

Mastercard’s head of digital solutions says the pandemic has forced many consumers to reconsider how they think about paying for things, and thinks many of those changes will last.

Mastercard’s head of digital solutions explains how the pandemic has upended the way we buy.

How many times have you used your credit card since the pandemic started?

In just a few months, the pandemic has upended the way that many people are paying for things. People who rarely bought things online are now ordering all their groceries via Instacart, and the few times they’ve gone outside they’ve likely also turned to digital and contactless payment methods. Much of that behavior is likely to stick around once life returns to normal, according to Jorn Lambert, Mastercard’s EVP of digital solutions.

Continue reading… “The pandemic is doing to credit cards what iTunes did to CDs”

Automation, Driverless vehicles, Healthcare, Science & Technology News, Shopping

Nuro partners with CVS Pharmacy to deliver medicines using its autonomous vehicle

July 1, 2020

Nuro is partnering with CVS Pharmacy to deliver medicines using its autonomous vehicle.

Starting this month, the “first-of-its-kind partnership” brings Nuro into the health space as the startup utilizes its fleet of autonomous vehicles to deliver prescriptions and essentials across three zip codes in Houston, Texas.

Pharma is the third industry sector in which Nuro will introduce its autonomous vehicles.

Continue reading… “Nuro partners with CVS Pharmacy to deliver medicines using its autonomous vehicle”