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Survey: Teens do more shopping online, prefer Amazon

4/12/2018

Teens are spending about 19% of their shopping time online compared to 17% last year, and the amount of time they spend shopping in department stores has dipped from 41% to 38%, according to a Piper Jaffray survey. Amazon proved the most popular online shopping destination with 44% of teens surveyed.

Vizio to add HDR, ATSC broadcast tuners to 4K smart TVs

4/12/2018

Vizio is launching four lines of 4K smart TVs; they include ATSC broadcast tuners, plus more HDR formats and peak brightness and local dimming capabilities. These TVs will also be the first Vizio TVs that offer voice control via Amazon Alexa.

Amazon, Whole Foods roll out 2-hour delivery service in L.A.

4/12/2018

Amazon and Whole Foods Market have expanded their free, two-hour grocery Amazon Prime Now service to a total of seven cities, including Los Angeles. "We've been delighted with the customer response to free two-hour delivery through Prime Now, and we're excited to bring the service to our Los Angeles area customers," said Whole Foods Executive Vice President of Operations Christina Minardi.

Amazon tests use of direct employees for house-cleaning service

4/12/2018

Amazon is testing the use of direct employees, rather than contractors, in Seattle for its Amazon Home Assistants housekeeping service. The service uses 100% eco-friendly, child-safe cleaning products that have a 4-star or above Amazon rating.

Report: Mobile, social powering native ads' share of display

4/12/2018

Almost 60% of US display ad investment in 2018 will be spent on native advertising, driven by mobile, social and Amazon, per eMarketer. Ninety-six percent of social ad spend and 77% of mobile display spend will be invested in native, the report states.

Smart Speaker penetration jumped 50% from Dec. to Feb.

4/12/2018

Between early December 2017 and February 2018, sales of smart speakers increased 50%, with market penetration for the devices reaching 20% of Wi-Fi homes in the US, per comScore data. Amazon and Google saw significant success with their smart speaker offerings during the period, while Apple lost ground because the HomePod's release was delayed.

Sources: Flipkart favors Walmart over Amazon as a buyer

4/12/2018

Walmart is more likely than Amazon to emerge as the winning bidder for a controlling interest in Indian e-commerce company Flipkart Online Services, sources said. Flipkart's board has reportedly determined that Walmart could close an acquisition deal faster since it has less regulatory challenges.

Stringify, Comcast make stronger bid for IoT service in the home

4/11/2018

Stringify, now owned by Comcast, is reintroducing its app to govern the internet of things in the home with Comcast services integrated. The app gives the parent company footing to compete with Google, Amazon and Apple in smart homes, particularly with Comcast's internet and TV services as part of the package.

Proposed bill would eliminate shipping loophole

4/11/2018

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana this week introduced the Ending Needless Delivery Subsidies Act, which would eliminate foreign subsidies for international postal shipments by 2021. The bill would make it more difficult for Chinese manufacturers to compete in the US, including through Amazon.

Pa. farmer works out delivery in the age of e-commerce

4/11/2018

Amazon and the rise of e-commerce have conditioned consumers to expect convenient and speedy delivery, a trend that's driving small farmers to find faster ways to get their local products to market. East Smithfield, Pa., farmer David Nowacoski has launched a delivery business to help his farm and other small agricultural operations fulfill online orders.