Walmart Gaining Ground In Battle With Amazon -11/08/19

From the Simplr studios in San Francisco, this is your daily briefing.  

Introduction

With your Retail E-Commerce Briefing for today, Friday, November 8th, I'm Vincent Phamvan.

A recent survey revealed that Walmart could be gaining ground against Amazon. Prime memberships are dwindling and 55 percent of survey respondents said they prefer to shop at Walmart versus Amazon.

First, here are some retail headlines.

Brilliant Earth Opens Philadelphia Location  

Ethically-sourced, digitally native bridal and fine jewelry brand, Brilliant Earth, has opened its eighth location. The 2,000 square foot location in Philadelphia is designed to provide a low-pressure environment with an appointment model that allows for a hands-on, personalized experience tailored to customers’ preferences. The new Brilliant Earth location joins the brand’s existing spaces in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, San Diego, Denver, and Washington, D.C. The brand’s co-founder and CEO said , “Our showrooms offer a unique and personalized experience, and we’re thrilled that Philadelphia locals now have the opportunity to view our beautiful jewelry in a serene environment.”

Uber to Start Selling Ads in Eats App

Uber is entering the ad business. The food-delivery company will start selling space inside its Eats app to restaurants hoping to lure in more food delivery orders. An Uber spokesperson confirmed the news saying, “We are exploring relevant ads in Eats.” For Uber, selling ads could help it improve margins on Eats, where it only takes around 10 percent of gross bookings because it pays out so much to restaurants and drivers.  

Shopify Announces New Email Feature

Shopify is continuing to expand beyond its core e-commerce platform. The company announced a new product called Shopify Email. The feature integrates with a merchant’s store on Shopify, allowing them to easily pull their brand assets into their emails, along with product content and listings. They can also see whether those emails lead to customers adding products to their carts and purchasing them. Shopify Email is currently available as an early access test for a limited group of merchants, ahead of a broader rollout next year.  

Walmart Gaining Ground In Battle With Amazon

According to a new survey, Walmart appears to be gaining ground against Amazon. The frequency of people buying items through Amazon six or more times a month has dropped to 40 percent this year from 80 percent in 2017. 55 percent of those surveyed said they prefer to shop at Walmart versus Amazon, up from about 47 percent the previous year.  

Amazon disclosed they have more than 100 million Prime members worldwide. According to First Insight, signups for the membership are dropping. The firm said it found 52 percent of survey respondents were members in 2019, down from 59 percent earlier.

The survey’s findings could be a sign Walmart’s e-commerce investments are paying off. Walmart’s profits topped Wall Street estimates in the latest quarter and the company said e-commerce sales surged 37 percent. Amazon’s third-quarter earnings fell short, with the company spending billions of dollars to expand its free one-day shipping program. The true test could come this holiday season, which has six fewer days than last year, putting more pressure on companies to win over shoppers.

Closing

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