The Video-First Future of Ecommerce

In the future, we’re all going to be shopping on video apps like TikTok. Whether you’re buying instant noodles or high-end sweaters, it has become increasingly clear that short video clips are the future of ecommerce. Think of them as compulsively watchable commercials—with a direct link to buy. In the US, the usual monetization system for video is limiting. On YouTube, the biggest online video platform, compensation is still largely driven through through ads. But for most creators, that amounts to...

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Most Amazon Brands Are Duds Not Disrupters Study Finds

  The explosion of Amazon.com's private-label products has prompted concern that Amazon could use its clout to promote these house brands at the expense of merchants selling similar products on the web store. But the fears may be overblown, according to a new study released by Marketplace Pulse. In the study, the research firm examined 23,000 products and the consumer behavior associated with those products. They found that shoppers "aren’t more inclined to buy Amazon brands...

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Daimler and BMW bet on Ride-Sharing Services as the Future

  Daimler AG and BMW AG have forged an agreement into which they will pour more than 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) into a car-sharing and ride-hailing businesses. They plan to take on established players like Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc.

Is Ride-Sharing the Future for the Auto Industry?

The new venture was first announced almost one year ago. It will combine Daimler’s Car2go and BMW’s DriveNow to create the world’s biggest car-sharing operator by users, according to BloombergNEF....

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U.S. Objects as India E-Commerce Rules hit Amazon and Walmart

  The United States government has expressed concern about India’s revised e-commerce regulations, pointing out to officials in New Delhi that the policy will hinder the Indian investment plans of Amazon and Walmart. These new e-commerce investment rules kick in on Feb. 1, and they ban companies from selling products via firms in which they have an equity interest. The new rules also bar them from making deals with sellers to sell exclusively on their platforms. The policies may be targeting Walmart, which just...

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The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies

  An attack that used a tiny microchip installed onto Super Micro servers during the manufacturing process by sub-contractors in China reached almost 30 U.S. companies, including Amazon and Apple, compromising America’s technology supply chain, according to extensive interviews with government and corporate sources.
Nested on the servers’ motherboards, testers found a tiny microchip, not much bigger than a grain of rice, that wasn’t part of the boards’ original design. Amazon reported the discovery to U.S. authorities,...

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Discord Startup May Connect 2.6 Billion Online Gamers

Vishnevskiy Discord Startup Gamers HUB Consulting Discord is a voice, video, and text chat platform that connects individuals with a shared passion for video and computer games. More than 90 million people worldwide use it to communicate with friends or strangers, be it while playing an online game like Fortnite or simply to discuss the latest trend in cryptocurrency. "My whole life I've always tried to make websites or apps that connect people together," Read More...

Nike Meshes the Physical and Digital Worlds in New Concept Store

  Nike is bringing some features of its mobile app to life in a new Los Angeles concept store that can adapt to consumers’ changing tastes and demands in real time. Nike hopes this will be a string of next-generation store launches. The second one will likely launch this fall on New York City’s Fifth Avenue. “We’re going to learn a lot from this store,” Nike Chief Digital Officer Adam Sussman said about Nike's new LA store. “We’re going to continue to learn...

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Facebook Acquires ID Verification Startup Confirm.io

  ux design, IOT (Reuters) — Facebook Inc is buying a software firm that specializes in authenticating government-issued identification cards, the two companies said on Tuesday, a step that may help the social media company learn more about the people who buy ads on its network.   U.S. lawmakers have expressed alarm at Facebook’s limited ability to know who is buying advertisements, including election-related ads, on the world’s largest social network.   Boston-based Confirm Inc, which is...

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Walmart vs Amazon vs Delivery Apps, Who Wins the Grocery Wars?

mobile ecommerce staffing Bay Area

The Automated Grocery War Between Walmart, Amazon and Delivery Apps

Amazon is making big strides to compete with Walmart for the grocery market, having purchased Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. This acquisition puts the company in direct competition with Walmart's established online business, currently offering online grocery shopping, delivery (for most), and pickup.  Read More...

China Internet Trends 2017

Internet Trends China UX design IOT

Selected by Inc's Magazine as one of the Silicon Valley’s investors you must know, Edith Yeung is the head of 500 Startups Greater China and partner of 500 Mobile Collective Fund. Edith invested in over 40 mobile, VR, AR, AI and machine learning startups, including Hooked - #1 reading app for millennium, DayDayCook - #1 Asian Cooking media and platform, Fleksy (acquired by Pinterest), Human...

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