Partnerships
Walmart, Ford Partnering to Explore Autonomous Car Delivery
Tom Ward, Senior Vice President of Digital Operations for Walmart, has written a blog post that announces a partnership with Ford and expresses his view of the future of deliver. He wrote, “Walmart and Ford agree autonomous vehicles have an important role to play as we consider the future of delivery. Before self-driving cars can go mainstream, we must get a better sense of how people want to interact with them. Together, we will gather crucial data to learn the best way to bring items to customers.”
White Castle and Uber Eats Partner for Harold & Kumar Themed Campaign
The QSR and delivery service are celebrating the 15th anniversary of a comedy classic, because one “basic plot point of the movie — driving to get food — has essentially been replaced by food delivery apps. And as of right now, it’s easier than ever before to live Harold and Kumar’s dream without leaving home.”
Customer Experience
No More Cardboard Boxes? 3M Invents a New Way to Ship Products
3M “is releasing a new type of packaging that requires no tape and no filler, and it can be customized to fit any object under 3 pounds—which 3M says accounts for about 60 percent of all items that are bought online and shipped. 3M claims that the material, called the Flex & Seal Shipping Roll, can reduce time spent packing, the amount of packaging materials, and the space needed to ship packages.”
Kroger Is Now Charging a Fee for Cash Back at Checkout
For the first time, the grocery retailer’s cash back option at registers comes with at a cost. “We have a fee due to banks & other retailers raising ATM fees and limiting the amount of cashback. We want to offer our customers a convenient, low cost, way to get their money,” one Tweet from the company said.
NBA and CryptoKitties Maker Launch Digital Collectibles
The league and tech company have launched trading cards for the digital era. Fans can buy “a clip of video that’s been converted into a unique digital token and inscribed on a blockchain. There will be a limited number of each highlight for sale, and those in the same batch will differentiated by a distinct digital marker. Owning the tokens will also allow fans to participate in an upcoming fantasy league of sorts—pitting their collection of digital players against other teams.”