• From CNBC:
"Amazon plans to cut ties with many European distributors who supply goods on its site, as it looks for ways to trim costs, the company confirmed.
"Unlike third-party merchants, who handle the selling process themselves, distributors act as a middleman between Amazon and retail brands by buying up inventory from the product manufacturer, then selling it to Amazon."
“As is common for all businesses, we regularly review our approach to product sourcing as we try to control our costs and keep prices low for customers,” Amazon said in a statement. “With this in mind, we’ve decided to focus on sourcing certain products for our European stores directly from brand owners.”
The story says that "Amazon will hold off on implementing the change until April, 'in order to help wholesalers and distributors' prepare'."
• From TechCrunch:
"Instacart is introducing two new features that are designed to give shoppers on its platform more opportunities to earn. The company is launching 'queued batches,' which gives shoppers the option to accept another batch before completing the batch they are currently shopping. Once shoppers complete the delivery of their current batch, they can begin shopping their next batch. Instacart says the new feature gives shoppers the flexibility to shop on their own schedule and optimize their time whenever they do choose to shop.
"The company is also launching 'multi-store add-on orders,' which gives shoppers the option to add on separate customer orders from nearby retailers, in addition to the one where they’re currently shopping."
“Our goal is to create a platform that is as flexible as shoppers need it to be,” said John Adams, vice president of Shopper and Fulfillment Product at Instacart. “It’s our priority to help shoppers make the most of their time on the Instacart platform, which is why we’re introducing these new features that increase the amount of time that shoppers can spend earning.”
• Wegmans announced that it now is accepting EBT SNAP payments for online grocery orders that are placed via its website and mobile app.
The company also said that customers who place online orders using EBT SNAP will get three free deliveries.
“Each week, thousands of Wegmans orders are placed on the Wegmans app and website, and we continue to hear from customers that it would be helpful to be able to use their SNAP benefits when placing an order,” said Erica Tickle, Wegmans vice president of e-commerce.
• From the Financial Times:
"The EU is set to launch an antitrust case against Amazon over its proposed $1.7bn acquisition of Roomba-maker iRobot, in the latest signal that big tech groups will receive greater scrutiny over dealmaking.
"Regulators in Brussels have sent the $1tn tech giant a series of detailed questions over the proposed transaction, according to two people with direct knowledge of the decision, in a move that indicates that they are gearing up for a formal probe. While the US Federal Trade Commission is scrutinising the deal over concerns it would increase Amazon’s market power in the home electronics sector, investigators at the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, have privacy concerns.
"According to those with knowledge of their intentions, antitrust regulators are likely to launch a formal probe over how the Roomba operates, in particular, the autonomous vacuum cleaner’s ability to take pictures as it moves around a home."
