Target CEO says cost of handling online orders drops 90% when shoppers use same-day options
Target’s business is booming thanks to the brand’s investment to make it as easy for shoppers to shop online and pick up items the same day. When Target reported quarterly earnings on Wednesday, it said digital sales surged 31%, with its same-day services accounting for 80% of that growth. Those services include a curbside pickup option, same-day delivery via its Shipt network and buy online, pick up in store.
Survey Shows Nearly All U.S. Consumers Plan Majority of Holiday Shopping Online
Consumers are shunning brick-and-mortar this holiday season with over 95 percent choosing to buy half or more of their gifts online. Younger Americans (Millennials and Gen Zs) are leading the online shopping trend and over 16 percent are “only” shopping online this holiday season. As shopping online and via mobile devices quickly becomes the new norm, personalized communication becomes even more crucial to brand success. With 80 percent of respondents reporting that they shop on their mobile phones, brands need solutions that enable them to reach their customers at appropriate touchpoints. Brands must successfully connect the right way and at the right time with their customers.
Shake Shack Begins Nationwide Delivery With Grubhub
Shake Shack, the modern day "roadside" burger stand, will officially begin delivery nationwide with Grubhub, the nation's leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace. With more than 140 restaurants across the U.S. now available for delivery on Grubhub, diners can order their Shake Shack favorites right to their door.
After various pilots, Shake Shack chose Grubhub as its exclusive integrated national delivery and marketing partner. With Grubhub's "Just in Time" technology, pickups by drivers will be timed to the moment an order is ready, resulting in faster delivery, fresher food and a better guest experience. In addition to leveraging the expansive diner base of Grubhub's marketplace, the relationship will also leverage a unique data-sharing partnership, allowing both Shake Shack and Grubhub to reward loyal diners with special experiences and promotions throughout the year.
McDonald's USA Achieves 100% Sustainably Sourced McCafé Coffee Goal, A Year Ahead of Schedule
McDonald's USA announced today that 100% of the ground and whole bean coffee for U.S. restaurants is sustainably sourced,* achieving this 2020 goal a year ahead of schedule. Coffee for McDonald's USA restaurants is verified sustainable through McDonald's McCafé Sustainability Improvement Platform (SIP), a coffee sustainability program developed in partnership with Conservation International or sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. McDonald's long-term, ongoing commitment remains focused on promoting climate resiliency and allowing farmers to continue their coffee farming traditions for generations to come.
Sony AI unit launches to push R&D in gaming, cameras and food
With an increased focus on developing AI technology to push its products, Sony has established Sony AI which will have offices in Japan, Europe and the US focused on bringing "world class fundamental research and development with Sony's unique technical assets." The first three areas it's focusing on are gaming, imaging & sensing, and gastronomy. As for that last one, a concept video Sony released last year proposed the idea of "robot gastronomy" that relied on autonomous tech to cook food at home or even on a night out.