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☆ Amazon launches generative AI tool to answer shoppers' questions
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Amazon trailers are parked at an Amazon Air gateway at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, on Sept. 26, 2023. Amazon is rolling out an artificial intelligence tool that can answer shoppers' questions about a product, a spokesperson confirmed, as the company continues to experiment with generative AI. It then returns an answer within a few seconds, primarily by summarizing information collected from product reviews and the listing itself. The feature could keep shoppers from scrolling through pages of reviews or reading through a listing to find information about a product. The tool is designed not to veer off subject, and will return an error message if it can't answer questions such as, "Who is Jeff Bezos?"

Persons: We're, Maria Boschetti, OpenAI's, Yoda, Jeff Bezos Organizations: Miami International Airport, Amazon, Star Wars, Marketplace Locations: Miami, Miami , Florida

☆ 'Dupes' clothing, perfume craze lures holiday shoppers as major brands fret
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Katherine Masters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Hashtag searches for dupes of major brands - including Skims underwear and Deckers' (DECK.N) Ugg boots - have been viewed millions of times on TikTok. Graphic shows pictures of four original products and their original prices under named brands compared with the prices of their 'dupe' counterparts. Newer technologies like the Google Lens app allow people to take photos of items they like and find similar products for sale. In other cases, dupe sellers opt to replicate the look of higher-priced originals with cheaper materials to maximize profit. However, experts say dupe sellers have grown increasingly skilled at avoiding brand logos and other design features that could infringe existing patents or copyrights.

Persons: Lauren Maginness, Shannon Stapleton, Maginness, Estee, Tom Ford, Dupes, “, ”, Penny Pincher, Leslie Ghize, Doneger Tobe, Calvin McDonald, Ian Taplin, Juozas Kaziukenas, Kaziukenas, Maria Boschetti, Mike Scheschuk, Birkenstock, Katherine Masters, Dorothy Kam, Vanessa O'Connell, Rod Nickel, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Abercrombie, Fitch, Scout, Walmart, Department, Nordstrom, Circana Inc, COMMERCE, Wake Forest University, eBay, Google, HK, Amazon, New, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Hong Kong, TikTok, Los Angeles, Zara, Italy, New York

☆ Amazon's drone business can't get off the ground as regulations, weak demand stymie progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

He even had baseball caps made that said "D&R 2022" with the Prime Air logo on them. CEO Andy Jassy, who succeeded Bezos in mid-2021, hasn't talked a lot about Prime Air in public. Prime Air sites in Lockeford, College Station and Pendleton, Oregon, were all hit by the job cuts, further straining operations. An Amazon drone operator loads the single shoebox-size box that can fit inside its MK27-2 Prime Air drone AmazonIt was a surprising setback for Amazon. Meanwhile, Amazon is working on development of its next-generation Prime Air drone called the MK30, and known internally as CX-3.

☆ Amazon has gutted the safety teams for its ambitious drone delivery program, as employees warn of stepped-up pressure to meet delivery goals
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Amazon launched its Prime Air drone delivery program ten years ago. Prime Air's safety teams have been hit hard by Amazon's far-reaching layoffs, employees said. The drone safety team cuts, combined with stepped-up pressure to meet delivery targets, have generated new concerns about the potential dangers the program poses and thrown into question Amazon's stated commitment to safety, the employees said. Prime Air has previously faced criticism from employees who say the pressure from executives to meet ambitious goals for drone delivery has at times superseded safety considerations. Even before the layoffs, Prime Air was struggling, this employee added.

☆ 'Alexa, thank my driver': How to give your Amazon delivery driver a $5 tip for free
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon is adding a way for customers to show delivery drivers their appreciation during the busy holiday season. Beginning Dec. 7, customers who have a package delivered from Amazon can say "Alexa, thank my driver" to their Alexa-enabled device or Amazon app and the delivery driver will receive a note of gratitude. The first 1 million drivers to receive thank yous will also get a $5 tip at no cost to the customer, Amazon announced. The five drivers who receive the most thank yous will also receive a $10,000 bonus, plus $10,000 donated to the charity of their choice. The announcement comes just as news broke that Amazon is being sued by the District of Columbia for allegedly stealing driver tips.

☆ DC attorney general sues Amazon for allegedly misusing driver tips
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN Business —Amazon faces a new lawsuit from the attorney general of Washington, D.C. that alleges the e-commerce giant used customer tips meant for delivery drivers to reduce what it owed in driver wages. The lawsuit by Attorney General Karl Racine further claims that Amazon covered up the practice, which allegedly began in 2016. According to the FTC, and now Racine, Amazon in 2016 changed its payment model without notifying drivers or customers. In a statement responding to Racine’s suit, Amazon spokesperson Maria Boschetti said the company revised its payment model for delivery drivers in 2019. In its earlier allegations, the FTC said Amazon only changed its payment model after the company learned that federal regulators were investigating the practice.

☆ Amazon's driver pay raise could slash the profits of the small businesses that make up its delivery network
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon in September announced a pay raise for some of its delivery drivers. The moves were part of a $450 million investment into the small businesses that make up Amazon's delivery network and employ those drivers, known as Delivery Service Partners. When Amazon told DSPs about the move at their annual Ignite Live convention in Las Vegas, the room cheered, according to two DSPs present. "It's going to be a bloodbath," one DSP told Insider. But one DSP told Insider to expect an exodus after the business owners receive their Employee Retention Tax Credit payouts in January.

☆ An Amazon Flex delivery driver in his 60s making $120 a day shares what it's like to work independently for the retail giant
▼ + stars: | 2021-11-24 | by ( Jacob Swanson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A quick internet search will turn up numerous driving jobs at Amazon Delivery Service Partners. Amazon Flex, a program where drivers use their own cars for deliveries, is recruiting in over 80 cities. (Editor's note: The writer of this article drove for Amazon Flex from August to October.) "Launched in September 2015, Amazon Flex gives individuals the opportunity to set their own schedule, be their own boss, and earn great pay while delivering packages for Amazon. Amazon Flex delivery partners across the US have competitive earnings that exceed $26 per scheduled hour on average," Amazon Spokesperson Maria Boschetti told Insider.

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