Walmart is struggling in ecommerce for very predictable reasons; the company — and economy — is better off leveraging its assets and not competing directly with Amazon.
Google “Other Bets” Follow-up, Angela Ahrendts Out at Apple, Microsoft Earnings
Does Angela Ahrendts’ departure from Apple signify a pivot in retail? Then, Microsoft’s earnings highlighted how the company has benefited from its focus on being a horizontal company.
Apple’s Social Network
Apple’s decision to stop reporting unit sales is defensible; the company, though, should provide more data to support its new growth story.
Sears Files for Bankruptcy, Sears’ Spinoffs, Value in the Age of the Internet
Sears has (finally) filed for bankruptcy, thanks to a business model that was obsolete well before the Internet came along. Still, there are lessons to be learned from the Sears businesses that continue to succeed.
Amazon Go and the Future
Amazon Go exemplifies how Amazon is building its monopoly in three ways: horizontally, vertically, and financially. Plus, why automation is worth being optimistic about.
Target Buys Shipt, Why Target?, The Expansion of Amazon Basics
The Disney-21st Century Fox was certainly the biggest acquisition that happened last week, but it wasn’t the only one. Netflix may loom large, but Amazon arguably looms larger.
Walmart and the Multichannel Trap
Walmart wasted years trying to retrofit their model to ecommerce. Buying Jet.com will give them a better chance, but it’s almost certainly too late to compete with Amazon.
Dollar Shave Club and the Disruption of Everything
Dollar Shave Club is a textbook example of how the new Internet economy will destroy value in incumbent industries.
Google’s Integration of Retail and Hotels, Facebook Page Shops, Netflix’s Earnings
Google’s “buy button” for ads and experiments in hotels fit the pattern of Internet-based disruption. Facebook, meanwhile, is meeting needs it itself created, and Netflix has started a virtuous cycle.
Apple and Privacy Follow-up, The Top 100 Retailers and Apple Pay, Android Pay’s Missing Bank Fee
More on the difference between privacy and security, and why precision in language is critical.