Text-To-Door
Walmart attempts to get ahead of the curb with text-to-door purchasing. Walmart is creating a new text-to-door shopping experience in hopes of beating competitors to the porch. The retailer is working with Jetblack, a personal shopping service, to develop AI that can process orders by text and deliver them to consumers’ doors (Qz.com, 21 March 2019).
+Walmart currently leads as the world’s largest retailer by revenue. Accruing $514 billion in annual sales, the company dominates brick-and-mortar shopping. However, only a very small percentage of those sales comes from its e-commerce platform.
+Jetblack is working with Walmart to craft a computer algorithm that can respond to users’ text requests with human-like nuances and machine-level efficiency. The goal is to be ready when texting trumps search engines for online shoppers. Instead of searching for the product they need, consumers will send a text and let someone else do the work (DomainNameWire.com, 21 March 2019).
Local Access
TV still rules when it comes to local news access, but digital runs a close second. According to recent Pew Research, 41% of Americans prefer getting their local news via TV and 37% would rather go online (Journalism.org, 26 March 2019). Both mediums far outpace those who read a printed newspaper or listen to the radio (13% and 8%, respectively).
+Moreover, most Americans who get news from local TV stations primarily do so the old-fashioned way: from the television set (76%), not from the stations’ websites or social media accounts (22%). Radio is similarly tied to its traditional form. But most other providers have a substantial share of their audience accessing them online. For example, 43% of daily newspaper consumers tend to get that news digitally, as do 49% of those who rely on community newsletters or listservs.
+How do Michiganders prefer their news? What are the local news dynamics in your city? Pew localized the research data and made it searchable by city.
Comfort Plus
Target releases a furniture line for children on the spectrum. Pillowfort, Target’s new furniture line, offers affordable options that comfort children with autism or sensory challenges (ScaryMommy.com, 3 April 2019).
+Pillowfort was created in response to feedback from parents on what products would meet the needs of their children. It isn’t the first product line designed for this demographic. Target also sells clothing designed for kids with sensory issues. The Pillowfort product line features a wide range of furniture, from bean bag chairs and large floor pillows to weighted blankets and hideaway tents.
