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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Grocery chain Asda is calling workers back to the office three days a week from January.</li><li>The British retailer says it will improve on-site catering and provide better bathrooms for staff.</li></ul>Stuart Rose, chair of grocery store Asda and a veteran of British retail, says the company will improve bathroom facilities and on-site food as it mandates a return to the office for corporate staff.Rose, who has also held leadership roles at major UK retailers Marks &amp; Spencer, Argos, and Topshop, said last week that from January, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://corporate.asda.com/20241105/a-message-from-stuart-and-rob-putting-ourselves-back-in-the-service-of-our-customers">all Asda corporate staff must be in the office three days a week.</a>After the announcement, Rose said in an interview with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/nov/09/in-no-great-rush-to-get-back-to-the-office-uk-home-workers-may-not-have-a-choice">The Observer</a> that having too many staff based at home was "not a satisfactory way of working," particularly in a "fast-moving consumer goods industry.""It's not always as efficient with those teams working together in terms of online, in terms of Zoom calls," he told the outlet.Asda said it will "improve the working environment" in its offices as part of the RTO push.That includes "a better catering offer, an on-site Asda Express, a more welcoming atrium, more meeting spaces, quiet-space working pods, upgraded toilets, new chairs and redecoration."A spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that in November, the grocery chain cut 475 management roles and announced a major restructuring amid slowing sales.Rose has taken on a leading role in Asda's transformation after one of the grocery chain's owners, Mohsin Issa, stepped down from running day-to-day operations in September.In 2021, Issa, along with his brother Zuber and private equity firm TDR Capital, purchased a majority stake in Asda from its previous owner, Walmart.Asda said that its RTO policy, combined with the restructuring and job cuts, would bring the business "in line with our competitors and the wider market, allowing us to build high-performing teams with a collaborative culture and respond to what our business needs the most."Rose is not alone in wanting his employees back in the office. While many bosses are firm advocates for the potential productivity gains of in-person work, some <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rto-policies-dont-improve-employee-performance-company-value-controlling-bosses-2024-1">studies</a> have found that hybrid working does not affect productivity.As the pandemic years fade further into the past, more CEOs have been returning to policies similar to those that existed in most corporate environments pre-2020. In recent months, companies like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dell-staff-return-office-order-sparks-panic-parents-childcare-wfh-2024-10">Dell</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-return-to-office-mandate-5-days-week-2024-9?utm_source=Iterable&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=campaign_Insider%20Today,%20September%2017,%202024">Amazon</a> have announced that staff must be back in the office five days a week.Asda's chair told The Observer he thinks demand for hybrid work has swung too far in favor of workers."Hybrid working wasn't invented in the pandemic," Rose said. "It has to fit the business's needs."Experts say workers still have some say in the working culture debate. If RTO policies become too strict, top talent will simply leave to find a system that works for them, Ravin Jesuthasan, a respected future-of-work researcher, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ravin-jesuthasan-why-companies-enforce-rto-mandates-future-of-work-2024-8">previously told Business Insider.</a>If the labor market swings back around to favor workers, organizations will be under more pressure to meet their employees on their terms, the author "The Skills-Powered Organization" said.Nick Bloom, a Stanford economist and a leading expert on remote work, previously told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wfh-remote-work-findings-rto-nick-bloom-2024-10">BI he believed</a> working from home is "here to stay," citing big steps in technology such as video calls and virtual reality.In a presentation published in September, Bloom shared that surveys in 2021 had shown that, on average, employees regarded the right to work two or three days a week from home as valuable as an 8% pay rise, based on 17,087 responses.

Better catering and nicer bathrooms will help get workers back to the office, says this retail CEO

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Walmart is offering half off the price of a Walmart+ membership until July 18.</li><li>That timing gets ahead of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/deals/amazon-prime-day">Amazon's Prime Day</a>, which happens on July 16 and 17.</li></ul>Walmart's members-only sales event is in the rearview, and Amazon's Prime Day isn't for another week, but that doesn't mean the war between the two biggest retailers is on pause.Until July 18, Walmart is offering Walmart+ memberships for $49 a year, or half off the usual $98 fee.If that date catches your eye, it's because the timing gets ahead of Amazon's Prime Day, which happens on July 16 and 17.For 10 years now, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-amazon-prime-day-impact-on-retail-industry2023-7">Amazon's annual deals event</a> for Prime members has become a fact of American retail life — and one that has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-really-wants-you-to-join-ecosystem-this-prime-day-2024-7">helped drive new sign-ups</a> for the company.Offering a discounted membership in the days leading up to Prime Day is another way Walmart has been stepping up its effort to woo customers over from the e-commerce giant.Look no further than remarks from Walmart's chief financial officer, John David Rainey, who said the company's delivery orders had overtaken in-store pickup orders in recent months.He also said Walmart+ members were starting to make more frequent orders with fewer items — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-ecommerce-online-orders-getting-smaller-more-frequent-like-amazon-2024-6">acting a little more like Amazon shoppers</a>.Meanwhile, Walmart has aggressively expanded its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-walmart-marketplace-for-third-party-sellers2023-12">marketplace of third-party sellers</a>, following a strategy that has enabled Amazon to offer a mind-boggling range of products on its website.Walmart's "store of the future" upgrades are helping too, as the company uses its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-going-after-amazon-with-ecommerce-strategy-from-target-2023-12">4,700 US locations to fulfill online orders</a>."You would expect the in-store benefit perhaps," Rainey said last month, referring to a sales increase after a renovation. "But we also see that there's an uplift in e-commerce sales in those areas where we've done a remodel."Walmart is already making a lot of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-and-target-are-looking-increasingly-similar-these-days-2023-12">Target-style moves to win customers</a>, and now it's taking even more pages from Amazon.

Walmart is trying to lure Amazon shoppers with a half-price membership ahead of Prime Day

<ul class="summary-list"><li>American pantyhose brand L'eggs is staging a comeback.</li><li>Parade founder Cami Téllez is the executive creative director.</li></ul>More than half a century after L'eggs became a household name, the American hosiery brand is stepping into a new era.This time, with Gen Z in mind.Executive creative director <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parade-underwear-cami-tellez-sale-2023-11">Cami Téllez</a>, 27, is working to breathe new life into the brand after finding initial success with her undergarment startup, Parade. Téllez launched Parade in 2019 while still in her early 20s. At its peak, the company was valued at $200 million. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/underwear-brand-parade-sold-to-lingerie-manufacturer-ariela-and-associates-2023-8">It was sold in 2023,</a> and Téllez left the company."The opportunity to steer the future legacy of the brand was an exciting challenge — it's an American icon hidden in plain sight, with a substantial business distributed in close to 30,000 stores across the country and has an awareness with 60% of American women," Téllez told Business Insider.<div type="image" title="Parade founder and L'eggs executive creative director Cami Téllez." height="3000" width="3750" msid="115114956" hostid="261" sizebytes="195314"></div>After L'eggs launched in 1969, it quickly became a consumer favorite recognized for its colorful egg-shaped packaging and celebrity-endorsed TV ads.L’eggs' dominance mellowed by 2006, when Hanes said in an August SEC filing that net sales for its hosiery segment had declined every year since 1995 due to changes in consumer preferences. By late 2021, Hanes said in an SEC filing that it decided to divest its US Sheer Hosiery business — including L'eggs — as a strategy to streamline its portfolio.Private equity firm Windsong Global acquired L'eggs in October.Now, the brand's iconic slogan, "Nothing beats a great pair of L'eggs," is something it is trying to prove to modern shoppers, especially in the age of Kim Kardashian's SKIMS. Kardashian's company was valued at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kim-kardashian-skims-to-sell-mens-underwear-apparel-2023-10">$4 billion</a> in July 2023."I look at Spanx as being the innovator of modern shapewear. I look at SKIMS as bringing fashion to the shapewear industry, but L'eggs was the OG of hosiery and shapewear brands," Bill Sweedler, Windsong Global's CEO and chairman, told Business Insider.Téllez echoed that sentiment. She said L'eggs is rooted in a mass-market strategy that aims to attract female shoppers wherever they are.<div type="image" title="L'eggs archival campaigns" height="2000" width="3000" msid="115114951" hostid="261" sizebytes="234820"></div>"We have such a huge opportunity to be able to own the entire fashion foundations category — everything that makes her love her legs, we will be there," Téllez said. "We're starting with tights because it's our DNA, but throughout 2025, we'll bring our solutions innovation into shapewear, leggings, socks, and beyond."Téllez said L'eggs has a "very loyal existing customer base," but it's hoping to build "a new generation of fans for the brand.""We'll be approaching growth through a few different areas of focus — product innovation, increased consumer awareness, and distribution to make the product as accessible as possible," she said.She said L'eggs products would be available in stores like Kohl's and online retailers like Amazon. Téllez said women will be able to find L'eggs at "tens of thousands of existing storefronts," including 1,800 Target stores this spring.The brand will continue to offer classic collections like Sheer Energy and Silken Mist while introducing new products like its 360 Contour collection."We're increasing consumer awareness across generations by meeting our customers where they are — across new channels like community, influencer, and beyond to build a new generation of fans for the brand," Téllez said.<div type="image" title="L'eggs campaign photo" height="6182" width="7728" msid="115114958" hostid="261" sizebytes="1323886"></div>Part of building that new generation of loyal L'eggs enthusiasts is introducing it to young consumers, some of whom may not be familiar with the brand."Building a L'eggs community means creating a space where consumers feel connected to the brand's heritage while also feeling empowered to interpret their fashion in their own way," Téllez said.One of the ways L'eggs plans to do that is by engaging Gen Z and Gen Alpha on social media."Inspired by my experience with Parade, we'll focus on two things: creating a dialogue and inspiring expression," Téllez said. "This will involve engaging content, including social media challenges that invite users to share how they style L'eggs, and community-centric activations that bring together diverse voices across all generations — which is critical to the L'eggs DNA as a 55-year-old brand."The brand also plans to lean into the culture surrounding style and fashion through partnerships."This means working with celebrity stylists to incorporate L'eggs into street style, showing how versatile tights can be styled across designer collections," Téllez said. "Collaborating with fashion brands will also play a huge role in extending L'eggs' reach; by aligning with brands known for iconic print and color, we're demonstrating that tights can be central to a contemporary wardrobe.""By positioning L'eggs alongside industry tastemakers, we're not just present in fashion spaces — we're actively contributing to their narrative," she added.

Gen Z is reimagining the iconic 70s brand L'eggs

The state of America's pharmacies is, in a word, bleak.Pharmacies should, in theory, be a reliable business. Seven in 10 Americans take some sort of prescription medication, creating a huge stream of potential revenue: Pharmaceutical expenditures in the US <a target="_blank" href="https://academic.oup.com/ajhp/article-abstract/81/14/583/7657643">hit $722.5 billion in 2023</a>. What's more, many pharmacies serve as a convenient destination for all sorts of essentials, from aspirin to mascara. They are, in a sense, one of the last places where Americans go to shop in person on a regular basis.Despite these advantages, even pharmacy megachains are struggling to survive in the current environment. Last week, Walgreens <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walgreens-pharmacy-closing-1200-stores-turnaround-effort-2024-10">announced</a> it would be closing 1,200 stores over the next three years, saying that some 25% of its outlets weren't profitable. Its rival CVS, which has shuttered hundreds of stores over the past few years, announced this month that it planned to shed nearly 3,000 jobs to cut costs. Rite Aid, meanwhile, closed a slew of stores after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rite-aid-bankruptcy-new-jersey-store-closures-2023-10">filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection</a> in late 2023.Even in pharmacies that remain open, there's often next to nothing inside the store. Many items on the shelves are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-walgreens-cvs-lock-merchandise-to-deter-theft-frustrates-shoppers-2022-12">locked up</a>, and good luck finding an employee to help you free the jailed deodorant or shampoo, given how <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cvs-ohio-fine-understaffing-pharmacy-prescription-backlog-inspection-medicine-2024-2">woefully understaffed</a> many pharmacies are. The demise of pharmacies is also part of the "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retail-apocalypse-helped-spark-a-rapid-descent-into-dystopia-2021-3">retail apocalypse</a>," which has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bank-financing-urban-planning-pandemic-retail-apocalypse-vacant-storefront-2023-10">intensified since the onset of the pandemic</a>. The convenience chain 7-Eleven just announced it's closing hundreds of stores nationwide. What started as a consequence of COVID-19 lockdowns feels like it's becoming a permanent feature of America's retail landscape. If you want a nearby place to pop into and grab a bag of chips or a bottle of NyQuil, you may be out of luck.For pharmacies, the reckoning has been triggered by a confluence of trends, from the shift to online shopping to the convoluted way Americans pay for healthcare. For a while, the pandemic actually helped pharmacies paper over some of their deeper problems — all those vaccines and home-test kits brought in a lot of business. But now, the underlying issues are proving impossible to avoid. "None of these things is a new factor," Elizabeth Anderson, a senior managing director and healthcare-equity research analyst at Evercore ISI, told me. "But you compound that for years and years and years, and eventually you get to kind of a breaking point."Big chains like Walgreens and CVS make their money in two main ways: selling prescriptions in the back of their stores and selling everyday goods out front. The problem for companies is that both sides of the business are under pressure from outside forces.First, there's the rise of e-commerce. In the age of Amazon, people can buy toilet paper and ibuprofen and greeting cards and snacks online and have them delivered right to their door, often at lower prices. Not to mention no hunting around for an associate to open a glass case. (Amazon <a target="_blank" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/08/02/amazon-drug-store-thefts-online-customer-boost">has actually said</a> the lousy experience at brick-and-mortar pharmacies has been a boost to its business.) On the retail level, pharmacies are also competing with big-box stores like Walmart or Target, as well as cheaper options like Dollar General, which has been working to win over budget-conscious consumers. The more expensive and less convenient pharmacies become, the more customers defect.Chain pharmacies are competing with not just their rivals for retail dollars — but also themselves. As Walgreens and CVS stores have proliferated over the past decade or so, many of their locations are basically right on top of each other. It's tough to make a store profitable when there's an identical one two blocks away."Walgreens and CVS have been on a massive expansionary push," Neil Saunders, a managing director at the retail consultancy GlobalData, said. "They've just opened stores willy-nilly, and they've ended up with portfolios that are too big. There's too much overlap."On the other end of the business, pharmacies are expensive to run. Renting the physical space and paying an educated workforce of pharmacists mean that the fixed costs are high. There's not a ton of room for cutting corners, except for downsizing the workforce, which makes the customer experience worse. The pharmacy end of the business is also under pressure from mail-order operations and from grocery stores and big-box chains like Walmart, which have added pharmacies in some of their locations. Beyond costs and competition, revenues at the big chains are being further squeezed by pharmacy benefit managers, who serve as the industry's middlemen. Pharmacies order drugs directly from manufacturers, dispense them to a patient, and are then reimbursed by the PBMs on behalf of the patient's insurer. But PBMs have been lowering the rates at which pharmacies are paid for handing out prescriptions — generally their top source of revenue. Sometimes the reimbursements are actually lower than the cost of acquiring the drug — which <a target="_blank" href="https://ncpa.org/newsroom/qam/2023/11/01/local-pharmacies-say-theyre-struggling-afford-glp-1s">pharmacies say</a> is happening with GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy."The simple part is that prescriptions are not profitable," said Douglas Hoey, the CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association, which represents independent pharmacies. PBMs, he said, are the "judge, jury, and executioner" on who gets paid what, and pharmacies from Walgreens to the little shop down the street don't have much power to push back. "The pharmacy really doesn't have any negotiating leverage because the PBM says, 'Well, pharmacy, if you don't give me everything I ask for, then I'm going to not allow patients to get their drug benefit at your pharmacy," he added.The larger chains should, in theory, be able to weather the storm better than smaller shops. After all, they've got the scale and leverage a mom-and-pop operation lacks. But even with their market dominance, they're no match for the PBMs. A decade ago, Walgreens tried to push back against Express Scripts, a major PBM, in an attempt to earn more from prescriptions. Walgreens ultimately gave in, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/business/walgreen-and-express-scripts-settle-their-dispute.html">losing an estimated $4 billion in the battle</a>. (CVS has a leg up in this area because it owns Caremark, one of the big three PBMs.)As pharmacies falter in the back of the store, they create a negative feedback loop in the front. Walgreens was never the best place to get many staples, given the high prices and limited selection, but customers could be counted on to grab a few items as they walked down the aisles to pick up their prescriptions. Now that more and more patients are getting their medications by mail or at the grocery store, the retail end has dried up. Pharmacies "were never designed to be an appealing place to go and get toilet paper," said Jason Goldberg, the chief commerce-strategy officer at Publicis Groupe, a global marketing firm. "Toilet paper was a profitable item to sell to someone that came in for a Lipitor prescription," he added.Walgreens did not respond to a request for comment. But a spokesperson for CVS told me that the company was in a "better place now" than it was a few years ago. The decision to shutter stores was made back in 2021, they said, based on factors like "population shifts, consumer buying patterns, and a community's store density." Even after the "realignment" is finished, the spokesperson added, 85% of Americans will still live within 10 miles of a CVS pharmacy.As more and more pharmacies close their doors, Americans ultimately have fewer places to shop in person. One of the reasons for the decline of pharmacies, in fact, is how badly they've handled the retail end of their operations. For starters, faceless chains supplanting independent pharmacies diminished the loyalty customers felt for their local stores. In a mom-and-pop location, you could develop a relationship with the pharmacist, get trusted counseling, and have a pleasant conversation about how your kid's soccer team is faring. In the current landscape of commoditized pharmacies, there's no such thing as personalized service. Waits to pick up prescriptions are long, customer service is often subpar, and if you do have a problem, places are often so understaffed they can't help even if they want to. The pharmacy experience, to put it plainly, often sucks. In many places, there's no longer such a thing as a quick, easy run to a Duane Reade. Whether you believe <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-we-dont-actually-know-whether-retail-theft-big-problem-2024-3">retail theft</a> is as big a problem as some executives say it is, a lot of items are now locked away, which eats into sales and leads customers to shop elsewhere. Brian Tanquilut, a healthcare-services-equity research analyst at Jefferies, said pharmacies were also narrowing their stock-keeping-unit counts — basically, the number of items they keep in stock — to better manage cash flows and inventories, but the move means there are fewer options for customers. I've often found myself frustrated by all the empty shelves at my local pharmacy, and I know a lot of people who feel the same way. From a consumer standpoint, it starts to feel like, what's even the point?Pharmacies don't need to lose 50% of their retail traffic for it to be a disaster, Goldberg told me. Just 10% is enough. And things can go into a tailspin, fast. "You get 10% less traffic, so you sell a little less stuff, so you staff one less person," Goldberg said. "So you make a few more customers dissatisfied."Other convenience chains are also struggling to hang on to their customers. People aren't popping into 7-Elevens as often as they used to — in part because they aren't commuting to and from work as often, and in part because they aren't smoking as much and don't need to grab a pack of cigarettes. (Healthier habits, apparently, are bad for business.) What's more, price-conscious consumers are now going out of their way to seek out lower prices, stopping by the local dollar store for some cut-rate options."Things are very cyclical in retail, and you see the rise and fall of a lot of formats and chains," Saunders, the retail consultant, said. "There was a period when the drugstores were on the ascendancy, and the independent chains were really on a downward curve. Now what we are seeing is drugstores having gone past their peak, and now they're in a very difficult spot."With Walgreens closing stores, Saunders was blunt about the company's future. "They have got to set out a pathway to growth, both to convince investors and to stabilize the business," he said. "I'm not sure that they have done that convincingly yet. They are very focused on managing the decline in the business, trying to change the business structurally and in organizational terms, but they haven't really set out a proposition, especially for how they win in retail."It seems strange to mourn the demise of corporate giants like Walgreens and 7-Eleven. These, after all, are the very corporations that helped decimate local businesses, from the friendly neighborhood pharmacy to the five-and-dime. But their passing feels like it marks yet another transitional moment in American culture, as the entire concept of "running out to the store for a minute" goes the way of music on MTV and the landline. What does it mean to have so few places left to grab the things we need? What will we become of us when every last transaction, from our Slurpees to our statins, is handled electronically?At a minimum, the struggles of pharmacies like Walgreens mean that more Americans will now have no place to fill their prescriptions within striking distance of their homes. An estimated 15.8 million people — about 4.7% of the population — <a target="_blank" href="https://academic.oup.com/healthaffairsscholar/article/2/4/qxae035/7630415#google_vignette">already live in pharmacy deserts</a>. Some pharmacies are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/10/22/drugstore-close-pharmacy-deserts/">shuttering</a> in communities of color and moving to whiter areas. And rural communities, which often have only a single pharmacy in town, could be hit especially hard by the widespread closings."You're talking about closing a store that not only is important for a community for their prescriptions, but they can pick up other supplies at that store," Nick Fabrizio, a senior health-policy lecturer at Cornell University, said. "If it's gone, now they're driving 20 miles or 30 miles to find another option."For the pharmaceutical industry, there are no obvious fixes. Steven Anderson, the CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, said there's an "urgent need" for congressional action on PBMs, which are already under scrutiny by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/09/ftc-sues-prescription-drug-middlemen-artificially-inflating-insulin-drug-prices">government regulators</a>. But competitors like Amazon aren't going anywhere, and <a target="_blank" href="http://Walgreens.com">Walgreens.com</a> isn't exactly an online behemoth. "It's really a multifactorial problem that I don't see getting better anytime soon," Fabrizio said. And as pharmacies and other quick-stop stores continue to close their doors, we may look back one day in the not-too-distant future and realize we were living through the golden age of convenience, when getting whatever you needed was always right around the corner.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/emily-stewart">Emily Stewart</a> is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

The end of convenience: What the downfall of Walgreens means for America

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I bought a backpack from an Amazon seller that I thought was a genuine JanSport, but it broke.</li><li>After trying to take advantage of JanSport's warranty, the company told me I had a counterfeit bag.</li></ul>While doing back-to-school shopping for my kids in August 2022, I purchased a <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=2d44e4e4d6c92800d6a7d39fd3758a6f58699117a7eeea79a38659d7aa250ac6&amp;postID=66577fbe1d1deb62a26b1865&amp;postSlug=how-to-avoid-buying-fake-item-amazon-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jansport.com%2Fshop%2Fen%2Fjansport-us%2Fbackpacks%2Fsuperbreak-js0a4qut">black JanSport backpack</a> on Amazon.Ordering school supplies online is easier than toting three kids to a store, and I'm a huge fan of JanSport backpacks because of their quality, durability, and <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=4ea318591954e084684e96dab89e48a378dfca21fbe3f78595b23f827584b6a5&amp;postID=66577fbe1d1deb62a26b1865&amp;postSlug=how-to-avoid-buying-fake-item-amazon-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jansport.com%2Fcustomer-service%2Fwarranty.html">limited lifetime warranty</a>. I'm 43 years old and still use the same navy JanSport I had in high school.Within a few months, one of the straps of the new backpack had torn off. I've never had this happen, so I sent the bag to JanSport, knowing their warranty covers defects.Anytime I've had issues with a JanSport over the years, I've shipped my bag back to the manufacturer, and they've replaced the product for free.But, instead of sending me a new bag, it was returned to me with this message: "We are sorry to inform you that your backpack is not an authentic product made by JanSport. It is an imitation and is not covered by our warranty."At the time, I didn't understand how this could have happened.Then, I discovered my backpack hadn't been sold to me by Amazon or even JanSport. It was shipped directly to me by a <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=0a243c0fda6363e924f69985cebf1706673b130a9d2c3fb07c216dea4dbc29e2&amp;postID=66577fbe1d1deb62a26b1865&amp;postSlug=how-to-avoid-buying-fake-item-amazon-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fhelp%2Fcustomer%2Fdisplay.html%3FnodeId%3DGEF528GN65XSJ7V8">third-party seller</a>.<h2 id="b951f9c7-30df-4b4c-b9a5-5a90cc12b374">Many Amazon sales come from third-party sellers, which can be hard to vet</h2>Over <a target="_blank" href="https://sell.amazon.com/blog/amazon-stats">60% of Amazon's sales</a> come from independent third-party sellers. Although this allows the online retailer to offer a greater range of products, it can also be challenging to monitor who's selling them.An Amazon representative told Business Insider the company has "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon-brand-registry.com/brand-protection-report-23-en?initialSessionID=time%3D2082787201l&amp;ld=NSGoogle">proactive measures</a> in place to prevent counterfeit products from being listed and continuously monitor[s] our store." But some items, like my bag, fall through the cracks.When I realized my JanSport was counterfeit, I contacted the seller through Amazon to request a refund. Even though I was well outside the return window, the seller replied the same day.They told me I could keep the damaged backpack and they'd process my refund immediately. I wasn't surprised I was able to get my money back since Amazon has a <a target="_blank" href="https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/external/201165970">zero-tolerance policy</a> on the sale of counterfeit goods.<h2 id="79693303-dcf0-477a-a78e-4d19e3b7189f">I now take a few extra precautions when shopping for name-brand items on Amazon</h2><div type="image" title="Amazon packages on doorstep" height="3456" width="5184" msid="110706587" hostid="261" sizebytes="532566"></div>Now, when I buy name-brand items, I shy away from third-party sellers because it's harder to guarantee a product will be 100% authentic.Next time I plan to buy something on Amazon, I'll check who's selling it. I can do this by looking under the "Buy Now" button on each listing.In the future, I'll also spend a few extra minutes checking the ratings of any seller I'm thinking of ordering from. Sellers with only a few reviews, many one-star reviews, or comments that mention fake items, defective products, or lots of lost packages are all red flags to me.Lastly, buyers can also report counterfeit products to <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=30428eebd9f384571f49384a5a41b836fe84caf3103c3a25c9ecb6f2166d579c&amp;postID=66577fbe1d1deb62a26b1865&amp;postSlug=how-to-avoid-buying-fake-item-amazon-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fhz%2Fcontact-us%2Fforesight%2Fhubgateway">Amazon Customer Service</a>.An Amazon representative told BI, "If you received a product from a third-party seller that you don't believe is authentic, we recommend customers contact the customer support team for a full refund of the order, stop using an item immediately, and dispose of it."

I accidentally bought a counterfeit backpack on Amazon. Now, I know how to avoid sneaky fake products.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel said the grocery chain is listening to the needs of Gen Z.</li><li>He said the company had conducted research to understand "generational differences" between customers.</li></ul>Whole Foods' CEO has his eye on Gen Z.In an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBgLSr4pF8M&amp;list=PLx28zU8ctIRrPPoWZxI2uK-uEGDIx0DDD&amp;index=1">interview</a> with Yahoo Finance's "Opening Bid," Jason Buechel said the company worked with YouGov, a market research company, to try to understand the "generational differences" between customers."Over 70% of Gen Z supports climate-friendly agriculture practices," Buechel told host Brian Sozzi about the survey findings in the interview, released on Tuesday."And about 55% were actually willing to pay a higher premium for differentiation in products that are actually helping to support the environment and are sustainable," he added.Buechel said consumers don't often realize that due to the climate crisis, food systems won't be able to hold up over the next 50 to 100 years. But Gen Z does get it, he added."For many of them, it's going to be in their lifetime that these challenges are sort of seen," he said.Buechel added that the grocery chain is committed to protecting food systems, eliminating preservatives from its products, and delivering healthier products to consumers.Buechel, who took over the top job from Whole Foods cofounder John Mackey in 2022, previously said that he visits Whole Foods at least 14 times a week."I pretty much am in the grocery store at least twice a day, every single day," Buechel told Fortune in a July <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://fortune.com/videos/watch/Whole-Foods-46yearold-CEO-works-out-twice-a-day-and-fully-uses-up-his-PTO-His-key-to-worklife-balance/d01b568b-e564-4c6b-84ea-673434f716a8">interview</a>.Whole Foods has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whole-foods-may-not-be-whole-paycheck-for-groceries-now-2024-7">slashed prices several times</a> since Amazon bought it in 2017. The cost reductions appeared to target Whole Foods' hefty price tags, which previously led shoppers to refer to the chain as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazons-whole-foods-raising-prices-on-small-brands-shifting-strategy-2022-9">"Whole Paycheck."</a>"Amazon let us drop our prices four times," Mackey said in a June <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://fortune.com/2024/06/05/whole-foods-bezos-amazon-mackey-paycheck-stigma/?utm_source=search&amp;utm_medium=suggested_search&amp;utm_campaign=search_link_clicks">interview</a> with Fortune. "I hardly ever hear the 'whole paycheck' narrative any longer — that's due to Amazon."Whole Foods is not the only retail giant tailoring its offerings to suit Gen Z consumers' needs.Walmart's chief technologist, Suresh Kumar, told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://fortune.com/2024/07/23/walmart-chief-technologist-gen-z-habits-retail-transformation/">Fortune</a> this year that the retail giant had conducted market research with business intelligence company Morning Consult to learn more about Gen Z's shopping preferences.The research surveyed 2,200 US shoppers to gauge their current and future expectations. According to the research <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://corporate.walmart.com/content/dam/corporate/documents/newsroom/2024/07/23/adaptive-retail-report-2024.pdf">report</a>, 50% of the Gen Z shoppers surveyed wanted a virtual shopping assistant.The survey also found that more than half of the Gen Zers surveyed said they would like to purchase products in-store but have the goods delivered to their homes."This is very, very important," Kumar told Fortune. "It also ties into some of the things that you find in the report which is immediacy, speed, instant gratification, especially with Gen Z, including my own daughters. These things matter a lot."A representative of Whole Foods didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside business hours.

Whole Foods' CEO is betting that Gen Z will be down to fork out more cash for his company's groceries

<ul><li>Smartphone makers and e-commerce players have come under the scanner of CCI.</li><li>Smartphone makers have been accused of colluding with <keyword id="19904608" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Amazon" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> and <keyword id="19896939" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Flipkart" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>.</li><li><keyword id="23184977" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="exclusive-launches" source="keywords">Exclusive launches</keyword> and steep discounting are among the practices being investigated.</li></ul>The <keyword id="19895221" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Competition-Commission-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Competition Commission of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Competition Commission of India">Competition Commission of India</keyword> (CCI), the antitrust watchdog in the country has reportedly accused smartphone makers such as <keyword id="19901379" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Xiaomi" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Xiaomi" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Xiaomi">Xiaomi</keyword> and <keyword id="19897758" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Samsung" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Samsung" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Samsung">Samsung</keyword> of colluding with e-commerce players Amazon and Flipkart. According to a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-accuses-samsung-xiaomi-colluding-with-amazon-flipkart-2024-09-14/">report </a>by Reuters, smartphone makers have been accused of colluding with e-commerce players to launch products on their platforms exclusively. The smartphone makers have also been accused of violating competition laws by giving preference to select sellers, prioritising listings, steeply discounting products and more. <h2>CCI submits report on Amazon and Flipkart</h2>The CCI has reportedly submitted a 1,027-page report on Amazon which has accused Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola and Realme of being “involved in the practise of exclusive phone launches” and “colluding” with Amazon, breaking competition law. Similarly, the watchdog has submitted a 1,696-page report on Flipkart that has accused Samsung, Xiaomi, Lenovo, Motorola and Vivo of “colluding”. "Exclusivity in business is anathema” CCI's additional director general G.V. Siva Prasad said, as per the report. “Not only is it against free and fair competition but also against the interest of consumers," Prasad added. While the e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart reportedly downplayed the practice of launching “exclusive” smartphones, the practice was found to be “rampant” during the investigation. India’s e-commerce market is expected to grow from $57 billion in 2023 to over $160 billion in 2028. Smartphone maker Vivo currently has a market share of 19% in smartphone shipments, followed by Samsung and Xiaomi, which have a combined market share of over 35%. As per a recent <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/indian-smartphone-market-records-7-2-growth-in-the-first-half-of-2024-vivo-leads-the-market-in-q2/articleshow/112629172.cms">report</a> by the International Data Corporation, the shipments to online channels grew by 8% year-on-year to reach 50% in Q2 2024, up from 47% in Q2 2023. As per the report, the exclusive launches pushed customers towards these online platforms and harmed small retailers. The investigation stems from a complaint lodged by the Confederation of All India Traders (<keyword id="20143308" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CAIT" source="keywords">CAIT</keyword>) in 2020. The traders body, which has over 80 million members had accused the smartphone makers and e-commerce players of disadvantaging offline retailers and favouring online exclusive launches. We should know more about the investigation and its impact on smartphone makers, e-commerce players and the future of exclusive launches in the coming weeks. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/ford-is-returning-to-india-expresses-intent-to-restart-its-tamil-nadu-plant-for-exports/articleshow/113317956.cms">Ford is returning to India, expresses intent to restart its Tamil Nadu plant for exports</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/western-carriers-ipo-price-band-to-risk-factors-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/113312196.cms">Western Carriers IPO – Price band to risk factors, all you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/iphone-16-pro-is-already-cheaper-than-the-iphone-15-pro-in-india-but-you-can-get-it-for-up-to-30000-cheaper/articleshow/113220789.cms">iPhone 16 Pro is already cheaper than the iPhone 15 Pro in India, but you can get it for up to ₹30,000 cheaper</a>

Xiaomi and Samsung accused of colluding with Amazon and Flipkart

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kroger-plans-1-billion-by-selling-your-grocery-data-2023-2">Kroger</a> and Albertsons are facing off against the FTC in court over their proposed $24.6 billion merger.</li><li>The FTC argues the merger would reduce competition and raise grocery prices.</li></ul>The fate of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-kroger-albertsons-merger-impact-workers-shoppers-grocery-inflation-2022-11">largest supermarket merger</a> in US history hangs in the balance as an ongoing three-week hearing unfolds inside an Oregon federal courtroom.Supermarket giants Kroger and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/where-kroger-and-albertsons-grocery-stores-overlap-2022-12">Albertsons</a> are duking it out in court against regulators who are trying to block the companies <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/ftc-states-sue-to-block-kroger-s-24-6-bln-albertsons-deal-1033106297">proposed $24.6 billion merger</a> over antitrust concerns.The chains argue that Kroger's acquisition of Albertsons would boost competition with behemoth retail rivals like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walton-family-sam-walmart-stock-billionaires-estate-planning-inheritance-wealth-2024-8">Walmart</a>, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canceled-costco-membership-bad-for-me-would-never-go-back-2023-9">Costco</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-aws-sales-guidelines-spread-doubt-about-openai-ai-capabilities-2024-8">Amazon</a>, while regulators from the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-amazon-execs-signal-messaging-app-ftc-investigation-2024-4">Federal Trade Commission</a> allege the opposite, saying the deal is actually anticompetitive and would result in higher grocery prices for millions of Americans, as well as lower wages for workers.Both sides are currently making their case before US District Judge Adrienne Nelson, who will ultimately decide at the end of the hearing next month whether to approve the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction against the merger.Already this week, a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kroger-milk-eggs-prices-increased-beyond-inflation-executive-testifies-report-2024-8">Kroger executive's internal email about price hikes</a> for eggs and milk beyond the added costs from inflation has drawn scrutiny in the courtroom.If the judge overseeing the hearing ultimately rules in favor of the FTC, the deal between Kroger and Albertsons could end up torpedoed completely. A temporary injunction would put the merger on ice as the FTC holds a separate in-house proceeding over the deal before an administrative law judge."This merger will not occur if this injunction is in place," Kroger attorney Matthew Wolf <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2024/08/27/ftc-kroger-albertsons-grocery-merger-update-federal-court-hearing/74887346007/">told</a> the court on Monday as the federal court hearing kicked off in Oregon.<div type="image" title="FILE PHOTO: Customers leave an Albertsons grocery store with their purchases in Burbank, California, U.S., July 17, 2012. REUTERS/Fred Prouser" height="2023" width="3000" msid="112932546" hostid="261" sizebytes="279094"></div>Wolf <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/kroger-albertsons-grocery-merger-ftc-9fdb26cc044ee21a7a486c03caae6a5d">said</a> that the FTC's internal administrative process is so drawn out that merger deals typically collapse before the proceedings are completed.In his opening statements to the court on Monday, Wolf <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/us-ftcs-bid-block-kroger-albertsons-merger-heads-trial-2024-08-26/">argued</a> that the merger would instantly lower some prices for patrons at Albertsons stores, where company officials disclosed are up to 12% higher than Kroger's.The attempt by federal regulators to lower prices by blocking the merger shows that "they neither understand the industry nor the parties within it," said Wolf."Supermarkets are losing this food fight, and who are they losing it to? Walmart, Costco, and Amazon, among others," Wolf <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.supermarketnews.com/kroger/kroger-albertsons-get-their-day-court">told</a> the court.Albertsons attorney Enu Mainigi said that the retailer may be forced to close stores and lay off workers if the merger does not go through.The FTC's chief trial counsel, Susan Musser, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/26/business/economy/ftc-kroger-albertsons-merger-court.html">argued</a> in her opening statement on Monday that the proposed merger "would eliminate the competition that shoppers and workers depend on in one fell swoop.""This lawsuit is part of an effort aimed at helping Americans feed their families," Musser <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/kroger-albertsons-grocery-merger-ftc-9fdb26cc044ee21a7a486c03caae6a5d">said</a>.Dozens of witnesses are expected to testify at the hearing over the next couple of weeks, including the CEOs of Kroger and Albertsons.<h2 id="90321246-9194-42a3-8a64-73496bafb64b">Regulators sued to block the Kroger-Albertsons merger deal earlier this year</h2><div type="image" title="Kroger" height="3456" width="5184" msid="112932542" hostid="261" sizebytes="999610"></div>In February, more than a year after Kroger and Albertsons announced the merger mega-deal, the FTC sued to block it.Attorneys general in Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Wyoming and the District of Columbia all joined the FTC's lawsuit. The attorneys general in Colorado and Washington have also filed separate lawsuits in an attempt to halt the deal."Kroger and Albertsons are two of the largest supermarket chains in thousands of local communities throughout the country," attorneys argue in the FTC lawsuit. "In hundreds of those communities, the proposed acquisition would create a single supermarket with market shares so high as to be presumptively unlawful under the antitrust laws."The lawsuit alleges that "the proposed acquisition would also eliminate the substantial head-to-head competition between Kroger and Albertsons that exists today, which risks higher prices and lower quality for consumers."The FTC says in its lawsuit that the stakes for Americans are "exceptionally high" as the agency notes how grocery prices have risen significantly in recent years."The fierce competition between these two grocery giants has benefited millions of American consumers through lower prices for food and household essentials," the lawsuit says. "It has also benefited hundreds of thousands of grocery store workers who, as a result of competition for their labor, earn better wages and benefits."It continues, "If allowed to proceed, the proposed acquisition would destroy this competition, likely making it more expensive for millions of families to put food on the table."Meanwhile, Kroger filed a lawsuit against the FTC last week, arguing that the agency's administrative proceeding against the merger violates the Constitution while citing, in part, a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-strips-sec-enforcement-power-financial-fraud-jarkesy-2024-6">recent Supreme Court ruling</a>."The merger between Kroger and Albertson's is squarely focused on ensuring we bring customers lower prices starting day one while securing the future of good-paying union jobs," Kroger CEO and chairman Rodney McMullen <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://ir.kroger.com/news/news-details/2024/Kroger-Files-Motion-to-Enjoin-the-FTCs-Administrative-Merger-Challenge/default.aspx">said</a> in a statement at the time."We stand prepared to defend this merger in the upcoming trial in federal court – the appropriate venue for this matter to be heard – and we are asking the Court to halt what amounts to an unlawful proceeding before the FTC's own in-house tribunal," McMullen said.Kroger operates more than 2,700 stores across 36 states under names including Fred Meyer, Dillon's and Smith's, while Albertsons controls more than 2,200 stores across 35 states under banners like Safeway, Shaws, and Acme.In 2022, Kroger and Albertsons generated more than $148 billion and $72 billion in revenues, respectively.As part of the proposed merger, Kroger and Albertsons said they would sell 579 stores to the grocery supply company C&amp;S Wholesale Grocers.

Inside the legal battle over the fate of the biggest supermarket merger in US history

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/e-commerce">E-commerce</a> is great for a lot of things — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-prime-shopping-rule-saves-me-money-2024-4">snagging sales</a>, stocking up on staples, buying stupid stuff we really do not need. But people's voracious appetite for online shopping does appear to have its limits, specifically when it comes to luxury.The expectation has long been that e-commerce would revolutionize luxury, just as it has so much of retail. It killed many <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shopping-mall-rise-fall-timeline-1950s-to-today-2023-1">malls</a> and bookstores; it made Walmart <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-walmart-marketplace-for-third-party-sellers2023-12">go digital</a>; it transformed shipment and logistics operations across the globe. So why wouldn't it disrupt such an expensive, lucrative space?It turns out we still like to buy the nicest, most expensive items in real life, in large part because we want a luxury experience when we spend the big bucks. We like to feel fancy when we shop fancy, and dropping stuff into a virtual cart on a random website in between meetings is far from most people's definition of fancy.A recent survey from Morning Consult, a business intelligence company, explored how consumers look at luxury. It found that people generally have a strong preference for a brick-and-mortar experience when buying luxury items. Of those surveyed, 49% said they would consider buying luxury clothing or shoes from a brick-and-mortar store and 48% said the same of jewelry and watches. Thirty-nine percent said they would consider buying handbags and 40% said they would consider buying cosmetics and fragrances in a store. In every category, under 20% of consumers said they would consider making those purchases online. Gen Z was slightly more open to e-commerce and less interested in the brick-and-mortar experience, but not always by a meaningful margin. Less than 10% of all consumers said they'd buy luxury products through social media, though that number got up to the high teens for Gen Z.Consumers also said customer service was the second-most-important attribute in defining luxury shopping, right behind the quality of the product. In other words, they don't just want to buy something special — they want to be treated special while they do it."The No. 1 reason people like to shop in stores is because they want that experience of browsing and touching things and playing with things," Claire Tassin, a retail and e-commerce analyst at Morning Consult, said. "Customer service, especially in a luxury environment, is such a big part of how you justify the additional expense."Online luxury sales <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-feel-financially-insecure-wont-stop-luxury-shopping-millennials-genz-2024-5">picked up during the pandemic</a> but have since come back down to earth. Some important names in the fashion e-commerce space, such as Matches Fashion and Farfetch, have cratered. The German-based platform Mytheresa is doing OK — its net sales grew by 18% in the quarter ending in March — but its stock is still down by more than 80% from its IPO price in January 2021. The private companies Moda Operandi and Ssense seem to be selling merchandise and retaining customers, experts say, but the sites have a niche appeal, so that's hardly made a dent. The overarching theme is that many consumers haven't warmed up to shopping luxury — namely, ultra-luxe items and brands — online. Jason Goldberg, the chief commerce strategy officer at Publicis Groupe, a global marketing firm, said the jury is still out on whether e-commerce will ever take over luxury retail, but for now, there aren't great examples of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/internet-biggest-businesses-have-growth-problem-2024-1">"runaway successes" in the space</a>. There's no single answer as to why. One reasonable hypothesis could be that people simply prefer to get high-consideration and high-priced items in store, he said. What they get out of a luxury in-store experience hasn't been translated online."We try to treat luxury with the same e-commerce experience we use for paper towels, and that just doesn't work," Goldberg said. "In general, online, we have gotten very, very good at needs-fulfillment buying, but we are sucky at discovery. Nobody goes to Amazon because they go, 'I'm just in the mood to treat myself.'"When unplanned purchases happen online, they tend to happen through social discovery. You see something <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/social-shopping-what-social-media-sites-doing-win-e-commerce-2022-10">on Instagram or TikTok </a>and then you buy it. Those types of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/impulse-spending-retirement-delayed-2024-5">impulse purchases</a> are fine to make with a few clicks, but when people spend the big bucks, they want to feel a little pampered."It is fair to say that going to a luxury store is part of the pleasure of buying a luxury product," said Luca Solca, a senior analyst covering global luxury goods at Bernstein. "Buying online is convenient and fast. But buying in store is a pleasure."An analysis from Bain &amp; Company found that the share of luxury goods sold online fell to 20% in 2023, after hitting 22% in 2020 and 2021. Solca believes 20% is on the high side and said that on average, the percentage of online sales in the luxury market hovers around the mid-teens, and sometimes even lower, noting that Burberry recently told him they were at 9%.For the most part, luxury brands prefer that customers would rather shop in-store. Sure, they all have some kind of online presence — it is 2024 after all — but not all of their products are always available online, and the internet is far from the primary area of focus. For the most high-end products, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/things-learned-buying-luxury-watches-2023-11">there can even be waiting lists</a>. The general aversion to e-commerce makes sense: One way to convince people you're selling a luxury item, and price it accordingly, is to make it scarce and elusive, on top of providing the in-store luxury experience. It helps companies create and keep an aura around their brands."Luxury brands historically have actually stayed away from being very strong in the online channel, largely to do with the fact that they didn't want to be a cheap marketplace," said Nora Kleinewillinghoefer, a partner in the consumer and retail practice at Kearney, a strategy and management-consulting firm. "For them, it's about the storytelling." There are some exceptions here. The online diamond dealer Blue Nile is a giant in the engagement-ring space, and consumers are increasingly comfortable with buying their cars online. High-end beauty products can do well in e-commerce — once you know what shade of foundation or eye shadow you like, you don't need to keep going into the store. The online marketplace <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/style/the-real-real-review">The RealReal</a> sells a fair amount of secondhand designer and luxury merchandise, though it has long struggled with profitability. But outside these niche exceptions, high-end, luxury e-commerce isn't really a big thing yet. There's no super-prosperous Amazon for Gucci and Prada out there.So much of the fun of buying a luxury item is sensory — seeing the packaging, experiencing the store, chatting with associates whose attention is focused on you. It's a personal, rarefied experience."That dopamine rush you get from buying something fun and fancy and special is meaningful, even if it doesn't last," Tassin said.It's tough to translate to e-commerce. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/avoiding-blackout-shopping-saving-money-frugal-living-youtuber-finances-2024-4">Clicking around a website</a> to buy something and a week later grabbing a box on your doorstep next to your monthly delivery of cat litter <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shoppers-are-doom-spending-to-cope-with-financial-stress-2023-11">does not provide the same rush</a>.While brands want to sell to consumers however they can, including online, brick-and-mortar matters for their cultural and economic cache. When people have a premium experience in a Chanel or a Louis Vuitton store, it reinforces the brand's premium image. It's part of their top-funnel brand building. And, hey, it helps if you snap a picture in the store and post it online, whether or not any purchase ever happens there."They're not just having a premium experience to trick you into buying a handbag. They're having a premium experience to make sure that you continue to associate Louis Vuitton with this extreme luxury premium that makes you feel better about spending that money on their goods now and in the future," Goldberg said. "Part of the luxury experience is less about conversion and more about long-term brand equity."Ultra-luxe brands don't want their products to be ubiquitous in the way the internet can deliver. Companies know their high-end clients want one-of-a-kind items and personalized recommendations. These customers expect a salesperson to shoot them a text or give them a call to let them know a new shoe came in that they'll love, and they've only got one pair available in their size."Unless you have those relationships and connections with your reps, you actually will not get access to these products," Kleinewillinghoefer said. "It's that personalized touch that makes it truly unique."With their highest-net-worth clients, the in-person buying experience often doesn't feel transactional, she added — people's cards are kept on file, so no one has to think of the whole business relationship thing. And even with more aspirational consumers — people who'd be more likely to do some poking around online — brands are careful to craft their images. Companies want people to come in and feel like they're living the dream and making what they see as an investment in a high-end piece. Companies don't want to "water down" their value proposition by serving too many products to those consumers, which is what the open nature of the internet risks."The level of luxury and the type of consumer are critical factors that intersect to define a brand's approach to its consumers, shaping both engagement strategies and the practices to avoid," Kleinewillinghoefer said.While it might not feel like it, e-commerce is still in its early days. Amazon has only been around for 30 years and the iPhone for 17 years. Retailers have figured out how to make a digital version of a Target, but they haven't yet cracked the code for a digital Prada. It doesn't mean they never will. And, hey, if you want to buy your next designer watch online, go for it! But let's be honest here … you probably don't. Part of the whole schtick is going to the store and feeling fancy about it.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/emily-stewart">Emily Stewart</a> is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

When it comes to shopping, the ultimate status symbol is IRL

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Retailers and tech firms are developing new ways to detect — and prevent — theft.</li><li>Companies like Walmart and Kroger are using cameras, AI sensors, and other tech at self-checkouts.</li></ul>Self-checkout registers have gotten increasingly sophisticated and expensive.These days, companies like Walmart, Kroger, and more are outfitting their self-checkouts with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmarts-anti-theft-technology-is-effective-but-involves-confronting-customers-2023-10">cameras, AI-enabled sensors, and other high-tech tools</a> to tamp down theft at self-checkout stations. And tech companies are working to create self-checkouts that allow customers to skip scanning items but still pay in full for their purchases.Self-checkout is a significant contributor to retailers' inventory losses, which reached more than $112 billion last year. But anti-theft measures have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-shoppers-feel-treated-like-thieves-at-self-checkout-2023-10">a bad rap with customers</a>. It's a delicate balance to deter theft in ways that don't also drive away shoppers or reduce their spending."The balance is really a challenge because you're trying to make it super convenient, making sure people aren't waiting in lines, making sure it's reasonably intuitive," said Craig Szklany, the head of loss prevention at Sensormatic, a retail operations intelligence company. "At the same time, you're leaving yourself exposed to the fact that some people might not do as well and ultimately <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/giant-grocery-chain-warns-store-closures-theft-report-2023-6">walk out having only paid half</a> for everything."<div type="image" title="A self-checkout station at Walmart" height="2500" width="1875" msid="105446494" hostid="261" sizebytes="303962"></div><h2>Retailers use high-tech and low-tech methods to reduce self-checkout theft</h2>Walmart, the largest physical retailer in the world, uses AI-powered cameras to recognize items as well as human behavior. The system alerts nearby employees of accidentally missed — or intentionally skipped — merchandise scans.The results have been somewhat mixed, shoppers and workers have told Business Insider, but the company says it is continuing to refine the tech, which it develops in-house.When asked for comment, a Walmart spokesperson referred to their earlier statements on this subject. They previously said, "As with other retailers, theft is always a challenge, and we're always looking for better ways to tackle this issue. This includes enhanced technology at our checkouts."Some companies have found that video technology doesn't have to be as high-tech as Walmart's to thwart would-be thieves.Companies like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sensormatic.com/">Sensormatic</a> offer a service that takes advantage of a store's existing camera infrastructure to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/safeway-stores-add-receipt-scanning-security-gates-to-self-checkout-2023-7">monitor the flow of people</a> and merchandise through a store. Sensormatic said its customers include Kroger but declined to share specifics.Kroger did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.Sensormatic and others also offer <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lowes-plans-stop-theft-power-tools-organized-crime-with-blockchain-system-2023">radio-frequency identification,</a> or RFID, tagging. Items are marked with a unique code that can be detected by sensors throughout the store, allowing an item to be tracked from the shelf to the front door. The tags can also be automatically activated or deactivated as part of the self-checkout process.RFID tags are distinct from barcodes, which date back to the earliest self-checkout stations. Most point-of-sale systems still require scanning a label, even when cameras are monitoring the transactions.<div type="image" title="An overhead security camera at a Walmart self-checkout station." height="1645" width="2194" msid="105446500" hostid="261" sizebytes="150262"></div><h2>A future free of barcodes</h2>Companies like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mashgin.com/">Mashgin</a> envision a shopping experience without scanning."Barcode checkout is horrible," Abhinai Srivastava, the cofounder of Mashgin, told Business Insider. "I haven't met a single person who likes it."Srivastava has spent the past decade developing a self-checkout kiosk that uses computer vision to recognize items and ring up prices without needing to scan them individually.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/review-whole-foods-just-walk-out-bypass-checkout-line-amazon-2022-3"> Amazon's Just Walk Out tech</a> works in a similar way but tracks what customers pick up throughout the store.Mashgin's clientele mostly includes concession vending at NFL stadiums, corporate cafeterias, and convenience stores like BP and Circle K, but Srivastava said he frequently gets inquiries from grocery and big-box stores about the tech.Mashgin's data indicates that only about 2% of shoppers actively try to cheat its machines, Srivastava said. The vast majority of shoppers make an honest effort to complete their purchases.Srivastava noted that customers tend to be more honest when the kiosks are near a cashier or other worker. He also said the goal of his devices is not to eliminate store workers but to free up more of their time and attention to do other tasks.The presence of a person is one of several low-tech ways retailers have managed to curb shoplifting at self-checkout lanes. Other effective tools include using public-facing video monitors, giving front-end staff walkie-talkies, and simply installing a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mashed.com/1163203/self-checkout-reflection-altered-walmart-customers-brain-chemistry-in-2022/">mirror on the kiosk</a>.Such low-tech strategies complement more expensive high-tech ones to reduce inventory losses. Sensormatic's Szklany said that even when unpaid merchandise does find its way out the door, these tools can help identify what kinds of products are stolen most often. Stores can then use that information to make targeted changes to displays, limit access to specific products, or build a case against a particular offender.

How Walmart, Kroger, and other major retailers are ramping up self-checkout tech to combat theft

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Amazon has been handed a warning by the FDA over sales of mislabelled and unapproved products.</li><li>A lab analysis found several male energy supplements contained undisclosed Viagra and Cialis. </li></ul>Amazon has been threatened with legal action by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the agency found undeclared Viagra and Cialis in several male energy supplements sold on the site.In <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/amazoncom-inc-662503-12202023">a letter</a> sent in December, the agency said it had purchased seven male energy supplement products sold on Amazon including Round 2, Big Guys Male Energy Supplement, and X Max Triple Shot Energy Honey. All seven products contained tadalafil or sildenafil, more commonly known as the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/sex-relationships/natural-viagra">erectile dysfunction treatments</a> Cialis and Viagra.The FDA <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/medication-health-fraud/big-guys-male-energy-supplement-contains-hidden-drug-ingredient">first published</a> its findings in August.In its December letter, the agency warned Amazon that it had violated several federal laws set out by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act."Laboratory analyses confirmed that they contained undeclared and potentially harmful active pharmaceutical ingredients," the agency said.FDA approval of both Viagra and Cialis is restricted to use under the supervision of a licensed healthcare professional and requires a prescription.The products, which were marketed as harmless dietary supplements, should have been defined as drugs as they contain ingredients intended for use in treating and preventing erectile dysfunction, the FDA cautioned.The misbranding "may pose serious health risks because consumers with underlying medical issues may take the products without knowing," the regulator warned, adding that six of the seven products were "unapproved new drugs" that should have been cleared.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-failures-at-retail-fresh-grocery-style-fashion-2023-12">Amazon</a> was told it had 15 days to respond to the warning with an explanation of how it would prevent future violations or it would face legal action."Safety is a top priority at Amazon. We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations," Samantha Boyd, an Amazon spokesperson, told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/28/24017935/fda-warns-amazon-fake-supplements-viagra-cialis-erectile-dysfunction-drugs">The Verge</a>."Following the FDA's previous guidance, we removed the products in question earlier this year," she said.The company has received several similar warnings over the sale of "unapproved" drugs this year.In August, the regulator warned that prescription-only drugs used to treat serious skin conditions were being marketed for use by children on Amazon, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/bdef6019-e2bd-4480-8021-acade5b43748">the FT</a> reported.The persistent warnings come as the retail giant <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-considers-new-subscriptions-for-healthcare-grocery-one-medical-prime-2023-9">looks to expand its healthcare offering</a> through services such as video calls with doctors, and a £3.9 billion <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-amazon-acquired-one-medical-to-supercharge-healthcare-push-2022-7">acquisition of One Medical</a>, a subscription-based healthcare provider.Amazon did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment, made outside normal working hours.

Amazon sold energy supplements for men that secretly contained erectile dysfunction treatments like Viagra, warns FDA

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Walmart is leaning more into its 4,700 US stores to fulfill orders for its growing e-commerce business.</li><li>It's a strategy that rival Target has been laser-focused on for a decade, with notable success.</li></ul>Some rivalries are about more than winning against one opponent.A good competition also teaches each player lessons that can be used in other matchups.As Walmart and Target seem to borrow — or steal — strategies from each other, a striking similarity between the two is their approach to e-commerce.Specifically, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/visiting-walmart-recently-renovated-supercenters-in-wisconsin-2023-11#there-were-also-workers-filling-blue-bins-on-carts-for-online-orders-6">Walmart's latest round of renovations</a> shows its commitment to fulfilling more of its e-commerce orders from its retail stores — an approach Target has prioritized with great success for years.But more than battling one another for digital supremacy, the big-box brands likely have their eye on a larger fish in the online pond: Amazon.To be sure, Walmart is still the bigger company by almost every key metric. The Arkansas-based retailer is the world's largest private employer and its annual revenues have propelled it to the top spot in the <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/ranking/global500/">Fortune 500</a> for 10 straight years.But in the world of online sales, no one comes close to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-package-delivery-speed-walmart-target-2023-1">Amazon's preeminence</a>. The company's e-commerce business made nearly $220 billion in North American sales last year, eclipsing Walmart's $53.4 billion and Target's $20 billion.Now it seems that Walmart has determined that the best way to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-falling-farther-behind-walmart-in-online-grocery-sales-2023-11">gain digital ground on Amazon</a> is to borrow some pages from Target's playbook.Digital sales still depend on physical merchandise in physical locations, and this is where the competition looks like it's heating up.In the US, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-fulfillment-center">Amazon's fulfillment network</a> is made of some <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mwpvl.com/html/amazon_com.html">1,300</a> facilities (plus about 500 Whole Foods locations). Target has nearly 2,000 stores, plus some 55 supply chain facilities.Walmart CFO John David Rainey highlighted the difference in scale in his remarks at Morgan Stanley's retail conference on Wednesday."The most expensive part of delivery is the last mile," Rainey <a target="_blank" href="https://research.alpha-sense.com?docid=T-CP_2951167&amp;stmt=fse7293&amp;hl=fse7293_0.20.74.1!fse7367_0.0.150.1&amp;page=1&amp;utm_source=alphasense%20platform&amp;utm_medium=document%20share&amp;utm_content=T-CP_2951167&amp;utm_campaign=1702067317802">said</a>. "That's where our physical footprint of 4,700 stores in the United States that are within ten miles of 90% of Americans gives us an enormous advantage."Walmart also owns some <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mwpvl.com/html/walmart.html">200</a> distribution facilities across the US that keep the whole operation moving along.Although Walmart was technically ahead of Target in what's now called omnichannel (Walmart launched its "Site to Store" service in 2007), the company has experimented with just about every iteration of order fulfillment available.The Bullseye retailer meanwhile has been laser-focused on refining the approach it <a target="_blank" href="https://corporate.target.com/about/purpose-history/history-timeline?era=3&amp;id=131">launched</a> a decade ago and currently refers to as "stores-as-hubs," in which store inventories are used to fulfill online orders.That may sound like a simple or foregone conclusion to the fulfillment puzzle, but for large retailers it's anything but. Costco for example elected to build a separate fleet of warehouses to handle dot-com orders.Walmart has dedicated e-commerce warehouses too, but the company's "store of the future" redesigns now feature more space than ever before devoted to the sorting and shipping of digital orders.If that sounds familiar, it might be because Target's recent store modernization effort also reallocated more square footage to processing web and app sales. Target says its stores fulfill 95% of digital orders.Tapping into their considerable physical retail presence offers Walmart and Target the opportunity to meet or exceed Amazon in one metric that founder Jeff Bezos cared a lot about: speed.It has taken Amazon a phenomenal level of investment and innovation to locate its facilities in places where it can reliably offer next-day delivery in the US.Amazon recently improved its speed by shifting from a national fulfillment network to a regional model, as well as expanding its same-day delivery sites, an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider.But while you can get two-hour delivery from Whole Foods, Target and Walmart routinely offer two-hour delivery on just about anything in their stores.To make things even faster, Walmart is taking another cue from Target with the expanded use of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/target-deliveries-about-to-speed-up-next-day-shipt-2023-2">sorting facilities to route shipments in high-density markets</a>. These centers collect parcels from multiple stores before sending them on routes for delivery.Going into the holidays, Amazon is the most popular online retailer for gifts, with two-thirds of US consumers saying they'd shop the site.Amazon's spokesperson also pointed out the company's extensive product selection — some 300 million items available with Prime shipping and tens of millions available next-day or faster.Walmart placed a distant second, followed by Target to round out the top three in JungleScout's most recent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.junglescout.com/consumer-trends/">Consumer Trends Report</a>, though the pair placed first and second among in-store retailers.It remains to be seen in the coming years whether Walmart embracing a smaller rival's fulfillment strategy will help close the lead with its larger one.

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