“Amazon Access”, Criticism of iRobot Acquisition & Hiring Freeze

The online giant is currently under fire for its planned acquisition of iRobot – once again, the issue is the amount of private data Amazon would have access to as a result of the purchase. Another deal that has already been settled is the use of Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology (utilized in the Amazon Fresh stores) in the stores of a sports arena in Los Angeles.

Updates: Amazon

New Savings Programs: “Amazon Access”

In response to the rising costs for its customers, Amazon is launching savings programs in the U.S. under the name “Amazon Access” with different offers in various categories. These include the option of paying in installments (“Amazon Layaway”), a Prime membership discounted by more than 50% (“Prime Access”), and payment for groceries through a government assistance program, for eligible individuals.

Criticism of Amazon’s Planned Acquisition of iRobot

Since the launch of its Echo smart speaker in 2014, Amazon has been the largest and fastest-growing player in the smart home market. However, various U.S. privacy and labor groups are critical of the planned acquisition of iRobot, maker of the Roomba smart vacuum cleaner robot, and have turned to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for support. The reason for this disapproval is the additional private data that Amazon would gain as a result. The FTC is currently reviewing the deal.

Amazon Focuses on E-Vehicles and Stops Testing Delivery Robots

By 2025, Amazon plans to increase from their approximately 3,000 electric delivery vehicles today to more than 10,000. In addition to delivery cars, the e-fleet will also be equipped with 1,500 electric trucks, a third of which will be in Germany. The aim of these and other measures is to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2040. The test run with delivery robots instead of cars, on the other hand, has been discontinued – many of them were said to frequently get stuck far from their destinations.

Hiring Freeze in Amazon’s Retail Division

The present uncertain global economic situation has not left Amazon unscathed: the company announced a global hiring freeze for its core retail division until the end of the year. In recent months, thousands of jobs had been advertised worldwide in the affected areas of online and offline retail and logistics. This decision makes Amazon yet another major tech company added to the list of multinationals currently undergoing hiring freezes.

Crypto.com Arena Uses “Just Walk Out” Technology

The Los Angeles arena used for basketball, football, and field hockey games is now using Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” cashierless payment technology in its food and beverage outlets located inside the arena. After registering their credit card, customers can simply pick the products they want from the shelves and walk out of the store – they are billed automatically. Amazon’s plan to market the technology, which it developed itself and initially only used in its own “Fresh” stores, appears to be taking off.

Updates: E-Commerce

Customers Want to Save on Christmas Shopping

According to a Klarna survey, 24% of Americans want to save money on Christmas gifts this year, while 60% are looking harder for discounts. 42% of surveyed individuals say they want to shop earlier this year than they did last year. According to a survey by eBay, the situation is similar in Germany: 44% of Germans want to spend less money on Christmas shopping this year. The eBay survey also highlights that two thirds of the responders plan to limit spending on gifts first and foremost. At the same time, 20% plan to set themselves a fixed budget for shopping for the first time.

TikTok Launches New Live Shopping Service in the U.S.

It was only this summer that TikTok discontinued its live shopping service after failed tests in Europe – now the video platform is apparently venturing a new advance. In the U.S., TikTok wants to host live shopping events in cooperation with TalkShopLive. The shopping platform is to provide support for the technical infrastructure and the execution of the livestreams.

Fact of the Week

More than two thirds of surveyed Amazon shoppers in Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, and the U.S. use deal events like “Prime Exclusive Offers” to score bargains. Nearly a quarter of respondents say they actively save for the deals (Source: Amazon Shopper Report 2022, Remazing & Appinio).

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

European Amazon customers are preparing for colder temperatures by searching for winter jackets, hot water bottles and portable blankets. In addition, smartphones and matching accessories are in high demand, as are decorations and costumes for Halloween in the U.S.