Walmart to lower prices on a million online-only items if you opt for store pickup over shipping

(4/12/2017) If you can get discount from online-only items on Walmart.com but you have to pick up at Walmart store, will you do that? You may try. That's what Walmart is trying to have a close fight with Amazon.com in online shopping. Walmart wants to lure millions of online shoppers who visit Walmart stores but never try to shop on Walmart.com.

However, I don't think that will work for Walmart. Why? Because I did shop at Walmart.com and I don't have the confidence. But there is several other reasons that I think Walmart 'underestimates' the complexity of online-and-real-store retailing and how consumers will react to any shipping issues.

1. The service time @ Walmart is terrible and it's well known. You may save several dollars, but at the cost of waiting for 20 minutes in Walmart's long lines? 
2. Think of a situation: a consumer has a shipping issue (say wrong items, or cannot find the package while it's said 'arrived' on notice) or the consumer remembers the wrong store to pick up. Since the consumer is at the store already, he will ask what's going on (At Amazon, the buyers will trace and figure it out by themselves, at consumer's own time). It's an extra burden on Walmart's employee's service time. 
3. Imagine a situation in point 2. How many Walmart employees do you think are capable to solve the complex logistics problem, capable of using sophisticated corporate computer to figure it out? Many of Walmart associates have less than $10 hour-wage, don't have computer and broadband Internet at home? With minimal employee training, do you think they can solve online shopper's problems? 

I don't think so. 

Amazon Prime Day is biggest day for online retailer ever

(7/13/2016) Amazon is like a crazy vacuum machine. Amazon's self-created sales holiday is now the biggest online sales event ever.  It may sucks out many people's summer purchasing budget and makes many other retailers dismal in their summer sales. Did you get sucked in?

Buy Dung Cake on India Amazon and eBay? You Got It Delivered

(12/28/2015) ECommerce's growth is outstanding this shopping season in the US. In India, online shopping also has extended to some commodities that you may think is the last thing to be sold online: Cow dung cakes. Don't make judgement yet. Cow dung cakes are still an important energy source for many Indian family for cooking. My mom told me that it does not smell bad at all. Maybe they are even labeled 'organic?'

UPS and Fedex Seek Solutions for Holiday Shipping

(10/25/2014) Did your Christmas online shopping got screw in the last two years with delay?
This is a great article about demand management of Fedex and UPS dealing with holiday shopping. Look what UPS and Fedex ask for online retailers to commit some agreement earlier. The online retailers cannot promise you last minute shopping with on time delivery anymore without 'consulting' with UPS and Fedex. If you are last-minute shopper, you better know what retailers have 'agreement' with Fedex and UPS for last minute shipping.

(2015/10/26) FedEx says that this coming shopping season (from Black Friday to X'mas) will have 317 millions of packages shopping through them. As online become a major economic indicator, it shouldn't be too shocking to know it's another record year (up 12.4% over last year). One day after, UPS estimates that their holiday shipping will be 630 millions of packages. Other than expanding temporarily with more workers , I wonder how FedEx and UPS handle the shipping contract with the major retailers.