It’s rare to see Amazon intimidated by other retailers, but Amazon’s latest reactionary response is a sign that the ecommerce giant may have felt threatened. Industry experts believe that the race is tightening. Walmart is claiming more online retail market share.

Platforms & Marketplaces

Amazon Quietly Reduces Free Shipping Minimum to $35

Amazon dropped their free shipping threshold to $35 for non-Prime members, matching the free shipping thresholds of Walmart.com and Jet.com. The change came just three weeks after Walmart announced their 2-day free shipping for all customers. Analysts believe Amazon felt threatened by the competition and decided to take the offensive.    via Internet Retailer

Jet Boosts Product Assortment with Walmart & Sam’s Club Brands

Now that Jet and Walmart’s online order fulfillment centers have been linked up, the ecommerce upstart Jet.com has started offering Walmart’s in-house brands, including Great Value, Equate and Sam’s Choice. Bolstering Jet’s relatively thin assortment is a small but significant step in coming closer to challenging Amazon.    via Bloomberg

Google Home Implements Voice Shopping with Same-Day Delivery

Google Home, a smart device that rivals Amazon’s Echo and Echo Dot, now lets shoppers instantly purchase products from Google’s Express shopping service. Google Express shopping offers items from more than 50 retailers and offers same day delivery in 12 states.    via Business Insider

Retail By The Numbers

Walmart’s eCommerce Sales Jump 29%; eCommerce Investments Prove Effective

In their 4Q earnings, Walmart reported a 36% jump on GMV and a 29% growth in online sales - the highest in 3 years since 2013 4Q. Walmart also announced that there are now more than 35 million SKUs on Walmart.com, partially driven by third-party marketplace sellers.    via Marketing Land

93% of Baby Boomers Feel Overlooked & Unrewarded By Retailers

Baby boomers are among the heaviest spenders in retail, but the vast majority of them are likely to stray from their favorite brands. According to a recent survey, 88% of baby boomers feel that brands don’t take the time to get to know and understand what they want, and 71% believe that their customer loyalty is not adequately rewarded.    via Fierce Retail

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