Amazon’s Acquisition Of IRobot & Q2 Results Of Walmart And Co.

Despite the challenging times, Amazon continuously works on attaining and expanding its visions for the future: Last week the e-commerce giant announced to take over the home robot manufacturer iRobot and to expand a new payment method that allows payment via the palm of the shopper’s hand (yes, you read that correctly). Amazon also announced once more it would charge additional fees for Fulfilment by Amazon to all sellers in the U.S. and Canada. 

Updates: Amazon

Amazon to Acquire iRobot for U.S. $1.7 Billion

iRobot is currently the most successful manufacturer of home robots, known for its Roomba vacuum robot. In order to clean efficiently, the robot collects data such as the house’s size and furnishings or the status of the residents’ presence. With the acquisition of iRobot, Amazon is moving further into the smart home market. Speculation suggests that a future Roomba robot could also link to Amazon’s Alexa. 

Amazon Enables Payment by Palm at “Whole Foods”

Under the name “Amazon One,” Amazon wants to enable customers’ palms as a payment option at 65 “Whole Foods” supermarkets in the U.S. state of California. After signing up for “Amazon One,” customers can pay for their purchases by simply scanning the palm of their hand. This technology will not only be used by Amazon but will also be sold to other companies.  

Amazon introduces FBA fees in the U.S. and Canada

Due to ongoing inflation and continuously rising costs, Amazon announced it will charge additional fees to sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) in the U.S. and Canada. This surcharge of 35 U.S. cents per item will apply during the holiday shopping season from Oct. 15 this year through Jan. 14, 2023. According to Marketplace Pulse, steady fee increases for merchants have resulted in a 30% cumulative cost increase over the past two years. 

“Amazon Care” to be Expanded to Mental Health Support

Following its recent acquisition of One Medical, Amazon is venturing further into the healthcare industry in the U.S. through a partnership with digital platform Ginger, according to insiders. Ginger provides on-demand mental health support, giving users 24/7 access to coaches and therapists. This service is now to be included in the services offered by “Amazon Care,” a health program available to Amazon’s employees.

Updates. E-Commerce

Here’s How Q2 in 2022 Went for Alibaba, eBay and Co.

eBay reported a 9% year-over-year revenue decline in Q2 2022, with $2.4 billion in revenues on 18% lower gross merchandise volume (GMV). Zalando’s revenues also fell 4% to $2.6 billion, with an unchanged GMV of 3.8 billion in the same period. In contrast, Alibaba announced stable sales compared to the same period last year at $30.7 billion. Shopify’s revenue actually rose 16% to $1.3 billion, with an 11% higher GMV. Walmart also reported an 8.4% increase in total revenue to $152.9 billion and a U.S. eCommerce growth of 12% and 18% on a two-year stack. 

Facebook ends Live-Shopping, but Introduces Delivery

As of October 1, there will be no more live shopping events on Facebook. This decision is part of the company’s strategy to shift more focus to short videos. This strategy has already been successful at Meta subsidiary Instagram: In the app, video “reels” have already been strongly in focus since last year. Here, however, live shopping will remain for the time being. In contrast, Meta seems to be ramping up the delivery of products purchased on the Facebook marketplace. In the U.S., thanks to a partnership with fulfillment provider DoorDash, smaller orders will have a maximum delivery radius of 15 miles in the future. 

Zalando Will Not Expand to the U.S. (For Now)

Although the online fashion retailer’s expansion plans for 2023 were, according to recent news, already well advanced, Zalando now announced that it is putting its expansion into the U.S. on hold for the time being due to currently low business figures. For now, the group wants to limit itself to stabilizing the economic situation in the current markets. Due to persistent inflation and interrupted supply chains, Zalando’s sales slumped by 4% in the second quarter of this year. 

Is Walmart+ becoming a Streaming Service?

After reports around Walmart’s negotiations with Paramount, Disney, and Comcast, aiming at adding a streaming service to the Walmart+ membership program, there is now news of an agreement. Walmart+ will likely include access to the Paramount+ streaming service, in addition to free shipping on orders, in conjunction with a free six-month “Spotify Premium” subscription and discounts on fuel. This deal gives Walmart+ another commonality with its main competitor Amazon’s membership program: “Amazon Prime”. 

Groceries as an Online Growth-Driver

According to a study by Edge by Ascential, third-party sales via online marketplaces will be the fastest-growing retail channel worldwide over the next five years. Grocery has the highest projected growth rate, with an annual average of 11%, according to the study. The category “household and pet supplies” lands in second place with a growth rate of 10.6%, followed by office supplies with a calculated 10.5%. 

What caught our attention

Amazon has launched Sponsored Ads (Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Stores) in Egypt. Both vendors and sellers can run Amazon Ads campaigns on Amazon.eg, Amazon’s localized Egyptian site. The graphic below shows the countries in which Amazon Advertising Activities are available.

Remdash: Keyword-Highlighting

Remdash’s keyword highlighting streamlines the creation of Amazon content: the keywords entered are highlighted in different colors. This makes it clear at a glance which keyword is present how many times, in which area of the Product Detail Page (PDP).

Interested in Remdash?
Just click here and arrange a personal product demo with our team.

Top 5 Amazon Keywords

The warm weather still seems to be reflected in search results on Amazon. Searches for summer clothing increased in the U.S., Germany, and Italy, while last week’s heat wave seems to have boosted searches for fans in the UK, France, and Spain.