All set for the weekend!  🙌

There's nothing like getting the latest updates on retail and e-commerce before heading out to the weekend. And with that, here are some top e-commerce and retail stories from this week to keep you in the loop.

• Walmart has plans to use its stores as launch pads for delivery drones and departure locations where customers can drop off direct-to fridge items.
• Apple is coming into the BNPL trend.
• The newest feature from Twitter allows merchants to promote forthcoming product drops and remind customers to buy.
• Amazon Is holding bad actors accountable, safeguarding customers and brands from counterfeit goods.

Top Retail and E-commerce Stories

Battle of the E-Commerce Kings: Walmart Plans to Use Stores as Launch Pads for Deliveries

It's no secret that Walmart and Amazon are locked in an ongoing battle for e-commerce supremacy. And it looks like Walmart may have found its secret weapon: its massive network of stores.

The retailer is planning to use its stores as launch pads for delivery drones and departure locations where customers can drop off direct-to fridge items. The news comes as Amazon is also ramping up its brick-and-mortar presence with the acquisition of Whole Foods and the opening of Amazon Go stores.

While it's still early days for Walmart's e-commerce plans, the retailer is clearly feeling the pressure to keep up with Amazon. And using its stores as a launching point for its e-commerce operations could give Walmart the edge it needs to win the fight for online shoppers.

Buy Now, Pay Later Movement: Apple Joins BNPL Boom

Joining in on the fun! The "buy now, pay later" movement is gaining steam, with Apple joining the ranks of retailers offering customers the ability to finance their purchases. The move comes as more and more shoppers are looking for ways to stretch their budgets and make ends meet. And with interest rates on credit cards rising, the appeal of financing purchases at 0% interest is becoming harder to resist.

Apple isn't the only retailer jumping on the buy now, pay later bandwagon. Over the past year, a number of major retailers have launched their own financing options, including Target, Best Buy, and Macy's.

On Monday, Apple announced the debut of Apple Pay Later, which allows customers to split the cost of an Apple Pay transaction into four equal payments over a six-week period with no interest or fees. Now available to consumers, this functionality is built into Apple's digital wallet.

Customers who use Apple Pay to make a purchase may apply for the new service when they checkout, according to a press release from the company. Online or in-app purchases using Mastercard's network will be accepted via Apple Pay Later, which is exclusively available to American buyers.

Drop It Like It's Hot!: Twitter Launches New Feature Allowing Merchants to Promote Product Drops

Today's hottest! 🔥🔥🔥 Twitter has launched a new feature that allows merchants to promote upcoming product drops and reminders for customers to buy. The future of Twitter is uncertain, but the company is continuing to move ahead with product releases in a number of key areas of focus, as it turns out. The social media platform today introduced a new functionality, Product Drops, which will enable online retailers to tease their forthcoming product launches.

Many users visit Twitter to discuss product releases — both before and after the launch — according to the company. They may be anticipating a new drop, bragging about obtaining the item, or complaining that they didn't. The new Product Drop feature, according to Twitter, is intended to allow businesses to join in on the conversation.

Product Drops allow merchants to create a unique kind of tweet that promotes the item using both text and images. Here, the merchant may continue developing their promotional tweet as usual, but they'll also be able to highlight when the merchandise will become available for purchase. Users who click on this message will be taken to the Product Details Page, where they can learn more about the product by reading the product description, price, photos, and other information. They may also use the hashtag to see what others have said about it.

The Amazon Corner

Amazon Fights Counterfeiters: Amazon Releases the Second Brand Protection Report

No bad deed goes unpunished! Amazon is continuing its fight against counterfeiters, as released in the second Brand Protection Report. The report provides an overview of Amazon's efforts to protect brands and intellectual property rights holders from counterfeit products.

Additionally, the report covers a wide range of advancements in three key areas: proactive measures to protect Amazon's site; industry-leading tools that enable rights owners to collaborate with Amazon to better safeguard their trademarks; and the enforcement of bad actors. Here are some highlights from the report:

• Deterring and Stopping Bad Actors: Amazon prevented more than 2.5 million attempts to establish phony selling accounts, preventing these scammers from posting a single item for sale.
• Increasing Adoption of Brand Protection Tools: The Amazon Brand Registry, which was launched in 2009, has grown to include over 700,000 active brands, up 40% from the previous year. Simultaneously, brand adoption and effectiveness of automated brand protection technologies continued to reduce the number of issues that businesses are able to find and report.
• Holding Counterfeiters Accountable: In 2021, Amazon's Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) concentrated on ensuring that counterfeiters were brought to justice — preventing them from exploiting Amazon and other merchants in the sector.
• Identifying and Seizing Counterfeits: Over 3 million counterfeit items were identified, seized, and appropriately disposed of by Amazon, which prevented them from harming consumers or being resold elsewhere in the retail distribution chain.
• Forging Public-Private Partnerships: Amazon released a guide for public and private sector partnerships to combat counterfeiters, expanding on previous knowledge and achievement in Amazon's protection.

A LITTLE MORE

• Amazon releases a feature where you can try on the digital versions of the shoes you want to buy
• Visual e-merchandising platform with tools for creating 3D images for e-commerce, Nfinite, bags $100M to add e-commerce 3D flair.
• Etsy is introducing a new Purchase Protection program for buyers and sellers on its platform.

FUN FACT

More than half or 53% of all online customers would choose to pay with their credit cards.

QUICK TIP

Try this. Encourage consumers to leave reviews, which can help you build trust and enhance your reputation. User-generated content (UGC) can also be used in marketing campaigns and on product pages to establish social proof and increase conversions.

TWEET TWEET

“I believe that the only courage anybody ever needs is the courage to follow your own dreams.” —Oprah Winfrey