Grocery
H-E-B and Favor Introduce Express Delivery
H-E-B and Favor Delivery have announced a partnership and introduced a new service that will deliver customers their grocery essentials right to their door in two hours or less, called Express Delivery. Customers can choose up to 25 items from a selected list, and each order will have a dedicated delivery driver that will contact the customer with any substitutions along the way. Customers will receive a notification when their order has been delivered. “This new service is another way H-E-B and Favor are working together to respond to unprecedented demand during this crisis to get Texans the essentials they need, when they need them,” said Jag Bath, H-E-B Chief Digital Officer and Favor CEO. “We continue increasing H-E-B Curbside and Home Delivery availability for customers who want to place orders in advance for same day, next day or later — and now, with Express Delivery, Texans can get two-hour delivery on up to 25 items when they need an immediate option.”
Retail
Saks Fifth Avenue Reveals Plans for Fashionably Sanitized Post-Coronavirus Opening
Saks Fifth Avenue has revealed its plans for what stores may look like post-pandemic, which includes associates wearing fashionable masks and passing out small bottles of hand sanitizer. This reason is to try and make customers feel safe and use as much caution as possible, like using disposable cosmetic samples and contactless credit-card readers. “We don’t want anything medical or scary looking,” Saks President Marc Metrick said of the masks in the New York Post article linked above. “Masks could become the new iPhone cases. There is a chance it could become another new accessory.”
Loyalty Programs
Emirates Added as New Citi ThankYou Partner
Emirates and Citi have announced a partnership that will have the airline join Citi’s ThankYou program. Customers’ points will be able to be transferred at a 1:1 ratio. Also, customers will be able to transfer to Emirates Skywards from both American Express Membership Rewards and Capital One at a 1:1 and 2:1 ratio, respectively. If you are without ThankYou points in your account, you can earn them with multiple Citi credit cards. Emirates Skywards will help give Citi members new options like booking their premium cabins, and flights on both U.S. and international partners.
Innovation
Ford files a Patent Application to Help Sniff Out Stinky Ride-Hailing Cars
Ford has filed a patent that will help people using ride-hailing services to know whether the vehicle they pick smells bad. This patent shows that the system would use an environmental sensor to determine the odors inside the said vehicle and compare them and their concentrations to a list of thresholds set by the customer. This might mean that if you hate a particular type of air freshener, the system might be able to tell if the car has that smell and find a different vehicle.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Skechers’ Animal Welfare Movement Has Raised $5.45 Million
Skechers has announced another donation to shelter animals during the pandemic across the United States with a donation of more than $509,000 to the Petco Foundation. Since 2016, the shoe brand has helped more than 661,000 dogs, cats, and other animals through pet adoption and supported the care of more than 371,000 additional animals. “Skechers is truly making a difference,” added Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Foundation, in a press release. “Animal welfare organizations across the country have been forced to innovate and operate in new ways, including mobilizing record numbers of foster homes to care for pets to support social distancing measures while saving animal lives. Thanks to BOBS, many of our organizations can continue their lifesaving work and connect their shelter pets with those who would like to adopt them.”