1. Technology & Innovation

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Zoox-topia

Written by Posted on Less than 0 min read

I was in Las Vegas for the National Grocers Association (NGA) show, and so I took advantage of the proximity to take a ride in a Zoox – the Amazon-backed robotic taxi service being tested there.  Naturally, I decided to take you along for the ride.

(Note:  There are some projections that this year will be a turning point for autonomous vehicles, with some expectations that there could be as many as 100,000 driverless taxis globally by 2030.  So this is serious business.)

The post FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Zoox-topia appeared first on MNB.

View Original Article
Post Views: 17
Member since
For more than 30 years, Kevin Coupe has been bringing to readers and audiences a wealth of experience, sharp storytelling skills, provocative and contextual insights, unique worldview and serious levity about the world of business and consumers. https://morningnewsbeat.com
Do you like MorningNewsBeat's articles? Follow on social!

More from MorningNewsBeat

  1. Retail Ecosystem

What’s Eating Retail?  (And The Content Guy?)

I recently had the privilege of being a guest on the Retail Sound Bites podcast hosted by Kantar Retail IQ’s Barry Thomas and Rachel Dalton on an episode entitled, “What’s Eating Retail?”  They gave me the opportunity to get some stuff off my chest – which I did. If you’re interested, you can listen to […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Your Views:  AI Narratives

Responding to this week’s piece in which I pointed out some of the deficiencies of AI, MNB reader Bob Wheatley wrote: Interesting that your story centers on AI generated media pitches. On the one hand, AI shows its ability to track relevant stories you’ve written previously and then steps on its own foot with an […]
4 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Inside The New Amazon Grocery Experience

Content Guy’s Note:  Thomas Parkinson, in my estimation, is one of the smartest guys out there when it comes to technology applications within the supermarket industry.  After all, with his brother, Andrew Parkinson, he created Peapod, one of the first e-grocery sites.  Now, the Parkinson brothers have developed Sifter, a technology app that empowers consumers […]
3 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

Sansolo Speaks:  Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

by Michael Sansolo We’ve talked a lot here on MNB recently about the importance of communication to shoppers especially in volatile times. As KC pointed out this week, Stew Leonard’s did a masterful job of helping shoppers both understand the potential impact of sweeping tariffs and see how the company will be handling them. It’s […]
3 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Thursday Eye-Openers

With brief, occasional, italicized and sometimes gratuitous commentary… •  Albertsons Unveils New Own-Label Meal Line Albertsons this week announced the launch of a new private label, Chef’s Counter, which it described as being “designed to bring chef-inspired flavors and tastes to customers in a convenient, easy and affordable way. Created to meet growing consumer demand […]
3 min read
0
  1. Channel: Mass

Walmart Reports Strong Q1 Growth

Walmart this morning released solid Q1 fiscal results, saying that total revenues went up 2.5 percent to $165.6 billion compared to the same period a year ago, total operating revenue went up  $0.3 billion or 4.3 percent, global e-commerce sale went up 22 percent, and global advertising revenue went up a whopping 50 percent.  Walmart […]
2 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Butcher Days

One of my favorite independent retailers in the US is a small three-store company in the Denver area called Tony’s Market, which brings enormous passion and expertise to its meat business.  Tony’s is just completing an annual promotional event called Butcher Days, which is a reflection of its overall value proposition and a great example […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

Consumer Confidence, Expectations Weaken In June

The Conference Board says that its “Consumer Confidence Index deteriorated by 5.4 points in June, falling to 93.0 from 98.4 in May. The Present Situation Index – based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions – fell 6.4 points to 129.1. The Expectations Index – based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Delivery

Two Takeaways From Instacart’s Dynamic Pricing Kerfuffle

Before the holiday break, there was considerable media coverage of allegations that that pricing on Instacart could be dynamic – some would say unacceptably fluid – and was pushing up prices selectively, for some shoppers.  Essentially, a study by the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive policy group, and Consumer Reports, said that when a number of […]
4 min read
0
  1. Merchandising

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Shelf Space

I want to come back to last week’s story and conversation about ketchup to make a broader point about an approach to product curation – whether you carry 4,000 or 40,000 SKUs – that I think more retailers ought to embrace. The post FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Shelf Space appeared first on MNB. View […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Department: Food

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Meal Kit Blues

I saw a piece on a  website called “Simply Recipes” about a meal kit for spaghetti and meatballs that wasn’t a recipe at all – it was just three bags that you combine and toss into a microwave.  This struck me as emblematic of why many in the supermarket industry have been unable to make  […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

How To Personalize Thanksgiving For Shoppers

Stew Leonard’s often is brought up here as an example of savvy marketing, finding ways to connect with shoppers and create greater intimacy between store and customer. Thanksgiving gives us yet another reason to highlight what they do.   In this email, sent to shoppers this week, Stew Jr. talks about his mom, offers a […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Channel: Grocery

Report:  Kroger, Albertsons Understaff Stores To Detriment Of Shoppers

The Economic Roundtable, which describes itself as a “a nonprofit research organization with exceptionally strong capabilities for analyzing economic, social, and environmental conditions,” is out with a new report suggesting that despite relatively strong economic performance, Kroger and Albertsons are understaffing their stores to the long-term detriment of their value propositions. The report, entitled “Bullies At […]
3 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Your Views:  Egged On

Got a number of emails responding to yesterday’s FaceTime, in which I took MNB’s audience with me in a Waymo autonomous vehicle. One MNB reader wrote: I was in Phoenix 2 weeks earlier for a concert and decided to use Waymo to try it out as you did.  My takeaways were: Cars were extremely clean […]
4 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Poll:  More Than Half Of Americans Stressed Out About Food Prices

From Axios: “More than half of Americans are stressed about buying groceries — significantly more than the financial pressure they feel about credit card debt, child care or student debt, an AP-NORC poll out Monday found. “53% of Americans said the cost of groceries was a major source of stress right now, while 33% said it […]
2 min read
0
  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

BREAKING NEWS:  Amazon Bails Out Of Physical Stores Business, Closing Go And Fresh Stores

Amazon announced today that it is closing its 57 Amazon Fresh Stores and 15 Amazon Go stores.  With the exception of Whole Foods, which it acquired for $13.7 billion in 2017, it will now be out of the bricks-and-mortar business for the time being. The company’s food retail focus now will be on expanding its […]
3 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

Facial Recognition Continues To Be Focus Of Controversy

CT Insider reports that “as Connecticut lawmakers look to ban facial recognition technology in retail establishments, one popular grocery chain is already using the tech at stores across the state.” That chain is ShopRite, and it is in the news in the wake of media scrutiny of the practice.  Wegmans has said it is using the […]
2 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

The Transparent Goals of The “Americans For Ingredient Transparency” 

Fox News reports on the launching of a “new conservative group working to untangle state laws concerning food and personal care ingredients by setting a national standard for ingredient transparency.”  The name:  Americans for Ingredient Transparency. According to the story, the nonprofit “specifically aims to work with Congress and the Trump administration to incorporate Generally […]
2 min read
0
  1. Holiday & Events

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Tricks & Treats

Halloween was last Friday, and I think it is fair to say that it is a holiday that doesn’t always bring out people’s best instincts.  But sometimes life surprises, in a way that I find heartening. Note:  Due to a technical issue, FaceTime is not embedded into MNB as usual.  But if you click on […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

The Extended Food Problem Facing Low-Income Shoppers & Their Retailers

While this morning’s MNB FaceTime focuses on the positive steps that the food industry took to address the needs of their customers who depend, in normal times, on SNAP benefits, the New York Times looks at the degree to which many retailers are concerned about their own financial situations;  after all, if SNAP recipients are […]
2 min read
0
Next