Amazon named most reputable company as Sports Direct comes in last: Sophie Christie at The Telegraph reports that Amazon has been named the UK’s most reputable retailer in a new study, trumping the likes of Waitrose, John Lewis and Ikea. Despite facing criticism over the amount of corporation tax it pays, and working conditions at its distribution centres, the ecommerce giant topped the poll of 50 well-respected companies based on 5,175 individual consumer ratings. The Reputation Institute, which has been measuring reputation annually for more than 20 years, revealed that Amazon scored 83.1 points out of 100, an 8.3 point increase on last year, placing it in the “excellent” category.
Walmart looks to draw shoppers to the website and away from rival Amazon with a growing digital marketplace: Lauren Thomas at CNBC reports that Moosejaw will have its own shop on Walmart’s website. The brand, which sells outdoor gear and apparel, was bought by Walmart last year. Walmart is adding more brands and more items to its website, creating its own version of an online shopping mall to compete with Amazon.
Amazon set to open above $2,000 a share for the first time: Fred Imbert at CNBC reports shares of Amazon edged higher in the premarket Thursday, putting the stock price on track to reach $2,000 a share for the first time ever. Amazon traded at $2,001 per share before the bell a day after closing at $1,998.10, a record high. The stock’s gains Thursday follow a 3.2% jump on Wednesday that was sparked by a price target hike at Morgan Stanley. Analysts at the bank raised their 12-month price target on Amazon to $2,500 — the highest on Wall Street — from $1,850.
Amazon’s ‘ambassador’ workers assure Twitter: we can go to the toilet any time: Dan Tynan at The Guardian reports that Anxious consumers worried about the welfare of Amazon’s thousands of warehouse employees will be relieved to discover that they do in fact get to occasionally use the toilet. They’re also allowed to drink water on the job, work in well-lit spaces with really big fans, and don’t need food stamps to make ends meet. And, for at least one of them, “Olive Garden is life”.
Ecommerce is booming, but shoppers still frustrated with online retailers: Paul Skeldon at Tamebay reports that despite the UK being one of the most sophisticated e-commerce markets in the world, consumers do not appear to enjoy the online shopping experience. A survey of 1000 UK adults and 1000 US adults – through personal data and insights platform CitizenMe – AI and blockchain powered ‘find engine’ Zwoop, reveals consumers’ serious frustrations with online shopping and concerns about how companies are using their data.