Inside Amazon’s Plans to Replace Workers With Robots at NY Times. “…interviews and a cache of internal strategy documents viewed by The New York Times reveal that Amazon executives believe the company is on the cusp of its next big workplace shift: replacing more than half a million jobs with robots.” NY Times subs.

 

ChatGPT Should Make Retailers Nervous at WSJ. “…easy comparisons and direct checkout could hurt retailers’ customer loyalty and take away add-on sale opportunities. It could also dent retailers’ important ad revenue. Of the roughly $59 billion that companies are expected to spend on U.S. retailers’ ad business this year, more than 60% is tied to search placements on those retailers’ sites and apps, according to a report from Emarketer. “If discovery moves upstream to universal AI assistants, ad budgets could follow,” according to the firm’s report.” WSJ subs.

 

…Walmart’s deal with ChatGPT should worry every ecommerce small business at Fortune. “In electronics alone, buyers ask 50% more questions before purchasing than in any other category. When retailers deploy AI shopping agents for these complex products, they’re seeing 25% engagement rates and conversion lifts 10 times higher than traditional website experiences…Your website will still exist a decade from now. But it won’t be the only transaction engine. It will be your brand showcase, your content hub, your trust-building destination.” Fortune subs.

 

Smucker vs. Trader Joe’s, Lululemon vs. Costco: Fight Over Brands Goes to Court at WSJ. “We’ve had generations, baby boomers and older, who really looked at private brands as a second-rate item,” said grocery consultant Phil Lempert. “It doesn’t have a stigma with Gen Z or millennials at all.” WSJ subs.

 

Bible sales surged 36% in September, compared with a year earlier at Fox News

 

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REI communications leader Halley Knigge exits company PR Week subs.

 

Walmart’s Annual Thanksgiving Meal Returns — Serving 10 people for Less than $4.00 Per Person Press release

 

Pokémon, sports trading card boom boosts Target, Walmart ahead of holiday season at CNBC. “Strategic trading card sales — which exclude sports — are up 103% year-to-date through August, while non-strategic card sales, which tend to be collectible pop culture or sports cards, are up 48%, according to market research firm Circana. Target’s trading card sales are up nearly 70% year-to-date, with annual revenue from the category expected to top $1 billion.” Read more

 

CardVault by Tom Brady to Open in Dallas at American Airlines Center Press release

 

The Vitamin Shoppe names Kate Vukelich as EVP & Chief People Officer “She most recently served as Chief Revenue and Chief People Officer at Everlane…Prior to Everlane, Ms. Vukelich spent 12 years at Walmart…” Press release

 

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