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☆ Amazon says more packages are arriving in a day or less after hefty investment in speedy fulfillment
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Products are seen at an Amazon fulfillment center where they are being sorted and shipped out as same-day orders during Cyber Monday at the Same-Day Delivery Facility Fulfillment Center in Tampa, Florida, on Nov. 27, 2023. The company has said it wants to make same- and next-day delivery the standard, and it plans to double the number of same-day delivery facilities in the U.S. within the next few years. Amazon has already stood up more than 55 same-day delivery sites in the U.S., primarily clustered around major metro areas. Same-day sites also condense the fulfillment process, typically spread across multiple Amazon facilities under one roof. Amazon has bolstered investment in fast shipping as traditional retail rivals Walmart and Target have stepped up their delivery game.

Persons: Andy Jassy Organizations: U.S, Amazon, Amazon's, RBC Capital, Walmart, Target Locations: Tampa , Florida, U.S

☆ Strawberries still have the most pesticides of any American produce, a report says. Here are the 12 fruits and vegetables on the 2024 'Dirty Dozen' list.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Lauren Edmonds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Strawberries topped the "Dirty Dozen," a list of 12 fruits and vegetables ranked by pesticide contamination. AdvertisementStrawberries continue to reign supreme on the Environmental Working Group's annual "Dirty Dozen" list, which ranks fruits and vegetables by pesticide contamination. The "Dirty Dozen" list is part of EWG's 2024 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce published on Wednesday. However, a toxicologist told Business Insider in 2017 that the amount of pesticides in produce on the "Dirty Dozen" list is likely too small to have significant consequences. Here are the fruits and vegetables ranked on this year's "Dirty Dozen."

Persons: — Organizations: Service, USDA, FDA, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Locations: United States

☆ Amazon's average customer is a white Gen X woman who spent $2,662 there last year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon's average customer is a white Gen X woman who earns about $60K per year and spends $2,662. Numerator found that Amazon's typical shopper is a white Gen X woman earning around $60,000 per year. Although Baby Boomers slightly outnumber Gen X among Amazon shoppers, Boomers are slightly less likely to shop with the company than the overall US consumer, while Gen X shoppers are slightly more likely. Boomers and Gen X shoppers are also increasingly fans of Amazon's Chinese-owned challenger, Temu. About one fifth of the typical Amazon shopper's consumer spending takes place online, more than the overall US average.

Persons: —, you've Organizations: Amazon, Service, Walmart, Boomers, Temu, Disney, Hanes, Kraft, Apple Locations: Seattle

☆ 41-year-old and her family left the U.S. for Costa Rica and live on less than $30,000 a year: 'We're a lot happier' and never moving back
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Morgan Smith Valentina Duarte | Morgan Smith | Valentina Duarte | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

But in 2018, after Hurricane Harvey destroyed her Houston home, a trip to Costa Rica with her husband Nicholas Hopper and then 9-year-old daughter Aaralyn became a permanent move. From Hopper's perspective, moving to Costa Rica was a no-brainer. Fast-forward six years later, and the Ward-Hoppers are now permanent residents of Costa Rica, with no plans to move back to Texas. The Ward-Hoppers live in Costa Rica with their daughter Aaralyn, 15, and son Nico, 3. Photo: Alejandro FerliniNico's arrival also introduced another element of stability to their lives by making the entire family eligible for citizenship in Costa Rica.

Persons: Kema, Hopper, Hurricane Harvey, Nicholas Hopper, Aaralyn, let's, —, Heidi, Dan Buettner, Buettner, Nico, Alejandro Ferlini Nico's, Costa Rica's, Costa Ricans, Krishnan Organizations: CNBC, U.S . Ward, American Cancer Society, CAJA, Costa Rica didn't, Gas Locations: Costa Rica, Houston, Texas, Costa, Nicoya, Playa San Miguel, U.S, United States, Nicaragua, Spanish

☆ 4 reasons to explore Portland, Oregon, from tax-free shopping to mountain views and an award-winning food scene
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Portland, Oregon, was named one of the best travel destinations in the US by Forbes. Here are four things you'll experience when in Portland that make it well worth a trip — or many. Award-winning food scenePortland's food scene is a true standout, rich in both quantity and quality. Also within Forest Park, visitors who want to mix nature and culture can hike to the Victorian-era Pittock Mansion. Explore the official guide to PortlandThis post was created by Insider Studios with Travel Portland.

Persons: Forbes, Bookworms, —, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, James Beard, Gregory Gourdet, There's, Lan, there's Organizations: Forbes, Nines, Portland Farmers, Portland State University, of, Portland Rose, Insider Studios, Travel Portland Locations: Portland , Oregon, Portland, Powell's, Mount Hood, Chinatown, Oregon Coast, Portland's, Forest Park, Mount Tabor

☆ Costco may start requiring members to scan ID to enter US warehouses
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

On Sunday, shoppers spotted a digital ID scanning station at the front door of a Costco warehouse near the company's corporate headquarters in Issaquah, Washington. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Business Insider confirmed the location with the Reddit user who took a photo of the setup. A Costco employee scans a shopper's ID at the entrance to the company's warehouse in Issaquah, Washington. Responses will be kept confidential, and Business Insider strongly recommends using a personal email and a non-work device when reaching out.

Persons: —, Reddit, Richard Galanti, Dominick Organizations: Service, Shoppers, Business, Costco, Wall Locations: Issaquah , Washington, California, Texas, Issaquah, Reddit

☆ Smart shopping carts with customized ads are the future of grocery shopping, according to Instacart
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Instacart will test ads on its Caper smart shopping carts at Bristol Farms grocery stores in Southern California, it said on Monday. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. AdvertisementInstacart plans to have "thousands" of the Caper carts in stores by the end of 2024, Instacart CEO Fidji Simo told Bloomberg on Monday. Caper carts are just one example of the boom in what those in the industry call "retail media." AdvertisementMost retailers' ad sales are a fraction of Amazon's, which has been building its ad business for longer.

Persons: —, General Mills, That's, Fidji Simo, they're, Simo Organizations: Service, Bristol Farms, Kroger, Schnucks, Business, Del, Del Monte Foods, Bloomberg, Retailers, Walmart, Amazon, Intelligence Locations: Southern California, Del Monte

☆ Wealth Assistants claimed it would help its clients make money on Amazon. Clients said they 'lost everything' instead.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Madeline Stone | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Wealth Assistants also said that if clients didn't break even in the first year, they would get their money back. BI spoke with 16 people who invested between $35,000 and $100,000 each to work with Wealth Assistants and said they lost their money. Ten days later, Wealth Assistants said it laid off its roughly 75 employees and planned to shut down by December 1. Selling customers on the entrepreneur lifestyleMany Wealth Assistants clients said they were drawn by the opportunity to generate passive income. Cart.com sent Wealth Assistants a formal notice of termination in the fall after Wealth Assistants stopped paying its invoices earlier in the year, the representative said.

Persons: Mike Wimmer, Wimmer, they're, I'm, Ryan Carroll, Max K, Max O, —, Carroll, Carroll didn't, we're, Tina Luk, breakeven, Seth Hamilton, Andrew Pou, Suzy Arriola, Saheb Sabharwal, Cart.com, Moe O'Neil, weren't, Max, you've, it's, they've, We've, we've, Madeline Stone, Jack Newsham Organizations: Business, ., Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Products, Nobu Dallas, Lamborghini, Facebook, Wealth, BI, FTC, DK Automation Locations: China, Texas, Nobu, California, Houston, Pennsylvania, mstone@insider.com

☆ Walmart, Amazon, and others lost millions of dollars to an organized online refund fraud scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Retailers, including Walmart and Amazon, lose millions of dollars to refund fraud schemes. AdvertisementAdvertisementA coordinated refund fraud scheme has cost online retailers like Walmart and Amazon millions, according to Federal prosecutors. If the retailer provided a no-return refund, ARG would take a percentage cut, and the customer would keep the item. Retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target sometimes offer no-return refunds when the cost of the return outweighs the value to the seller. 404 Media also found numerous Reddit and Telegram groups openly swapping tips on perpetrating refund fraud, with specific advice for individual retailers.

Persons: Courtwatch, —, Artemis, Kate Spade Organizations: Walmart, Amazon, Service, Media, Watch

☆ A helicopter sparked a massive crocodile mating sex frenzy when they probably mistook the sound for a giant thunderstorm
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A low-flying helicopter sparked a mating frenzy at a crocodile farm in Australia. The crocs may have mistaken the chopper's sound for a storm or rival males. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . But for the reptilian residents of a crocodile farm, a low-flying chopper seemed to signal mating season. It's not quite clear what about the Chinook helicopter excited the crocs, but experts suspect the animals may have mistaken it for a thunderstorm.

Persons: It's, —, John Lever, herpetologist Mark O'Shea, O'Shea Organizations: Service, ABC, University of Wolverhampton, Live Locations: Australia, Queensland

☆ Amazon sees its new AI search engine, codenamed Project Nile, helping to increase sales from mobile users
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon is working on a secret new initiative, called Project Nile, that overhauls its search engine to add AI chatbot technology. One potential outcome from the upgraded search experience is more sales from mobile users, according to a transcript of an internal presentation earlier this year by Joseph Sirosh, VP of Amazon Search and Alexa Shopping. Sirosh said it will be "mobile first" because that's where the new features may have the biggest impact on sales. "If we can increase the conversion on mobile, because we provide great experiences, great expert answers, then that could be a potentially significant lift to Amazon," Sirosh added. During the presentation, Sirosh said the new AI conversation layer will be added to the currently existing Amazon search bar.

Persons: Joseph Sirosh, Sirosh Organizations: Amazon Search, Alexa, Google

☆ Inside Project Nile: Amazon's secret AI-powered plan to change the way you shop online.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"Project Nile is a confidential initiative wherein we're building a conversational shopping agent for Retail customers," one internal document explained. Wearing that "I love AI" t-shirt, Sirosh, VP of Amazon Search and Alexa Shopping, introduced Project Nile as a "super confidential" project. Project Nile isn't the only move Amazon has made in the popular generative AI space. For Amazon's retail side, Project Nile is one of the most important projects. Sirosh has told his team he's "staffing up very rapidly" as Project Nile is the "absolute top priority."

Persons: Joseph Sirosh, Sirosh, Stephen Lam, It's, they're, Andy Jassy, Doug Herrington, Jassy, Rohit Prasad, ChatGPT, Microsoft's Bing, Google's Bard Organizations: Amazon, Microsoft, Retail, Amazon Search, Alexa, Nile, ChatGPT, Google Locations: Anthropic, OpenAI

☆ Walmart now lets customers set up repeat purchases by subscription – just 16 years after Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The move comes 16 years after Amazon unveiled a similar subscription offering. Walmart has spent years adding to its online and delivery options to compete with Amazon and other retailers. AdvertisementAdvertisementWalmart now lets you order items through a subscription — something that Amazon has offered for years. It launched Walmart+, a subscription service that provides free delivery and other benefits, in 2020. Amazon launched Prime, its own subscription service, in 2005.

Persons: —, Kevin Coupe, DoorDash Organizations: Walmart, Amazon, Service

☆ Remote work flexibility allows travelers to tap into lower prices, says Hopper's Hayley Berg
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailRemote work flexibility allows travelers to tap into lower prices, says Hopper's Hayley BergHayley Berg, Hooper lead economist, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the latest travel trends, labor day travel demand, impact of remote work, and more.

Persons: Hopper's Hayley Berg Hayley Berg, Hooper

☆ We expect airfare prices to remain low for the next 8 weeks, says Hopper's Hayley Berg
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe expect airfare prices to remain low for the next 8 weeks, says Hopper's Hayley BergHayley Berg, Hopper lead economist, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the latest travel trends, airfare forecast for domestic and international travel, demand outlook in 2024, travel tips and tricks, and more.

Persons: Hopper's Hayley Berg Hayley Berg, Hopper

☆ Tipping 'nudges' are now popping up on DoorDash. If you don't leave a gratuity, you'll hear about it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Nancy Luna | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some delivery workers have tried to increase their gratuity by asking DoorDash customers for higher tips mid-delivery. As a result, the average food delivery tip has increased by 20% from 2020 to 2022, Uber Eats told Insider. With tips and base pay, DoorDash said on average, Dashers make $25 per hour on active deliveries. Many gig delivery workers make below minimum wage and say their earnings have fallen since the height of the pandemicA 2020 study found many gig delivery workers are struggling to make minimum wage. The survey of gig workers from the Economic Policy Institute found that about 14% of gig workers made less than the federal minimum wage, and 29% earned less than their state's minimum wage.

Persons: DoorDash, Austin Haugen, Shroff, Heather Taylor, Dashers, DoorDash's, Instacart, Uber, Carsten Koall, Sergio Avedian, Guy Organizations: Service, Starbucks, Consumers, Base, Economic Policy Institute Locations: Wall, Silicon, Corpus Christi , Texas, Los Angeles

☆ Domestic airlines are getting crushed because everyone wants to escape to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Hannah Towey | Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

International travel demand is outpacing domestic demand as Americans flock to Europe in 2023. Our international wanderlust may be a worrying trend for domestic airlines — but it makes now the perfect time to buy flights for fall and winter vacations within the US. Low-cost carriers Spirit Airlines , Frontier Airlines , and JetBlue Airways had similar outlooks. Redburn analyst James Goodall said Monday that domestic airlines are likely to feel this pressure for not just months, but years, Barron's reported . Frontier AirlinesAs domestic airlines take a hit, consumers could reap the benefits with cheap fares and fall promotions designed to stimulate demand.

Persons: you've, Hopper, Sonia Bhagwan, they've, Barry Biffle, James Goodall, Barron's, Goodall, — Hopper, Bhagwan, she's, airfare Organizations: Carriers, JetBlue, Bank of America, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, —, Atlantic, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, CNBC, Airlines, Southwest, Bloomberg, nab Locations: Europe, Greece, heatwaves, Spain, Italy, Asia, COVID, United, Delta, Texas, Mexico, Caribbean, Paris

☆ Target will now let you add Starbucks to your curbside delivery order, but there's a catch — you have to buy something from Target
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Target is rolling out an option that lets customers nationwide order Starbucks food and beverages for curbside delivery. Unlike a regular drive-thru, Starbucks customers will have to pair their order with a Target product purchase. The purchase requirement appears to be designed to keep Starbucks order volumes under control and could boost sales. The Target app will prompt drive-up customers to add a Starbucks item to their order and to customize it. TargetHere are the states where Starbucks ordering is currently available via Target drive-up:(* indicates select stores)

Persons: We've, who've, Mark Schindele Organizations: Service, Pumpkin, Starbucks Locations: Wall, Silicon, Wisconsin

☆ Amazon Fresh stores are installing self-checkout after years of trying to get customers to use Just Walk Out tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon told Bloomberg that self-checkout is part of an effort to make Amazon Fresh attractive to more shoppers. "The customers that enjoy Just Walk Out in the Fresh stores, they really love it," Tony Hoggett, Amazon's senior vice president of worldwide grocery stores, told Bloomberg. "We are always looking for ways to make the shopping experience at Amazon Fresh as convenient as possible," an Amazon spokesperson told Insider. Besides Amazon Fresh, the company has also added the technology to some Whole Foods stores and its Amazon Go convenience stores. Within Amazon, 25 Fresh stores in the US have the technology, an Amazon spokesperson told Insider.

Persons: aren't, Tony Hoggett, Amazon's, Jason Buechel Organizations: Bloomberg Businessweek, Service, Amazon, Bloomberg, Foods, That's, Kroger, Walmart, Costco Locations: Wall, Silicon, Chicago, Southern California

☆ Exclusive: AppHub, a Shopify app acquirer, raises $95 million to build and buy apps as the developer ecosystem matures
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AppHub builds and acquires apps that are geared towards e-commerce merchants. AppHub, an e-commerce enablement platform launched in 2021, has raised $95 million from growth-equity firm PSG to continue building up its portfolio of apps as changes come to Shopify's app ecosystem. More than 150,000 merchants are now using AppHub apps, CEO and cofounder Kris Eng told Insider. Deciding whether to build or acquireAppHub decides whether to acquire an app or build a solution of its own on a case-by-case basis. The new funding from PSG will allow AppHub to continue to invest in its existing portfolio and look for other apps to acquire.

Persons: AppHub, Kris Eng, Eng, Tobi Lütke, Harley Finkelstein, AppHub Shopify, they've, Matt Tennenhouse, Tennenhouse, we'll, Matt Stone Organizations: PSG, Capital Partners

☆ How you can save $500 or more on a flight to Europe this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Airfare to Europe hit an all-time high this summer. But those dissuaded by the sticker shock can still travel overseas in coming months and cut costs by perhaps hundreds of dollars a ticket. Flying to Europe from the U.S. during the fall "shoulder season" — in September and October — instead of in the summer will save the average traveler $500 per round-trip ticket, according to data from Hopper, a travel app. Europe is the most popular overseas destination for U.S. tourists this summer. But travelers to top European cities would save 34%, on average, by going in the fall instead of June, July or August, Hopper found.

Persons: —, Hopper, Hayley Berg, Hopper's Organizations: —, Finance Locations: Europe, U.S, Rome, London, Barcelona

☆ US airline stock valuations stuck on runway despite travel boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Rajesh Kumar Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Jim Vondruska/File PhotoCHICAGO, July 12 (Reuters) - Relentless travel demand has sent bookings at U.S. carriers soaring, translating into bumper earnings. Airline shares have suffered because of bearish sentiment about the broader economy as interest rates are up sharply and inflation remains high, analysts said. There are still no signs of air travel demand waning as ticket purchases for the rest of 2023 are up 4%, said Steve Solomon, ARC's chief commercial officer. Believers in airline stocks have seen signs of hope this year. Global Investors' Holmes said airline shares are poised for even more gains.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, Refinitiv, Jefferies, Sheila Kahyaoglu, TD Cowen, Frank Holmes, Steve Solomon, Hopper, Hayley Berg, Hopper's, airfares, Holmes, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Ben Klayman, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Chicago Midway International, REUTERS, Airline, US Global Jets ETF, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Airlines, Global Investors, U.S . Transportation, Airlines Reporting Corporation, ARC, airfare, Delta, American Airlines, Global, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, Europe, United

☆ E-commerce experts say these 4 checkout mistakes may hurt your business' bottom line
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Paypal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But many customers still witness challenges during and after checkout, including false declines and fraud. Below are four common checkout mistakes that enterprise e-commerce businesses make and how to avoid them. If those thresholds are too conservative, they can lead to false declines; if they're too liberal, they become more vulnerable to fraud. E-commerce merchants lost an estimated $11.1 billion in false declines last year. The machine learning models can distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent transactions to reduce false declines.

Persons: they're, Cindy Turner, Turner, Chargebacks, PayPal Braintree6, Experian, Cartes Organizations: Enterprise, PayPal, PayPal Braintree, Merchants, Insider Studios, Accounting, Deloitte, Novarica, Naked, LexisNexis, DE Locations: PayPal Braintree, Risk, chargebacks, . CA

☆ Data is the fuel behind every retail engine. Here's how you can leverage it to retain customers and drive sales.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Adyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

By Brian Dammeir, global head of unified commerce at AdyenWhat do customers want? And more than 40% of retailers have seen a decrease in customer loyalty due to rising inflation. Below are three ways omnichannel businesses can leverage financial technology platforms embedded with smart data analytics to power their personalization strategy. To eliminate these complexities, retailers can consolidate customer payments and data insights under a single unified technology platform. Click here to access the full report and find out how Adyen's unified technology solutions can help your business achieve financial success.

Persons: Brian Dammeir, it's, that's Organizations: Global, Insider Studios Locations: Adyen

☆ Costco cracks down on membership card sharing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The retailer is cracking down on people sneaking into its clubs and trying to shop with other people's membership cards, it said Tuesday. Costco said it has always asked shoppers for their membership cards at the cash registers when they check out. Now, it is also requesting to see cards with a photo at self-checkout registers — and to view a photo ID if a shopper's membership card has no picture. The membership-based warehouse club said it has noticed more abuse of card sharing since it expanded self-checkout to more of its stores. Membership-based warehouse clubs have attracted more customers and won more of their wallets over the past three years.

Persons: Costco, Richard Galanti Organizations: Costco, The Dallas Morning News, Shoppers, Walmart, Sam's

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