Amazon Tests Urban Pick-Up Lockers
In the midst of increasing competition between Google and Amazon to deliver goods inexpensively and efficiently, Internet Retailer reports that Amazon continues to test its pick-up lockers in New York, Seattle, and London. According to sources including GeekWire, these lockers are not new territory in Amazon’s push to efficiently deliver goods to consumers, and have been installed in their locations since early September, attracting curious customer attention as they wait for use.
According to the article, the lockers function in a way very similar to a typical P.O. box. Shoppers select locker locations during the checkout process, and then receive a code to unlock the locker once the package has been delivered. Lockers are installed at a small number of convenience and grocery stores, allowing consumers to pick up their Amazon packages easily while running errands. Here in Seattle, for example, Amazon Lockers are installed at two 7-Eleven convenience stores and a Rite Aid pharmacy, along with five other locations. New York locations include grocery stores, and London location (for orders placed via Amazon.co.uk) add shopping centers to the mix.
Though Amazon seems to not have commented much on the goals for the lockers in relationship to Google’s new shipping services, it is clear that these boxes are working in parallel to Best Buy and Walmart‘s current in-store pickup options.
Read more at internetretailer.com.
Marvel Comics Encourages Comic Store Browsing
The publisher Marvel Comics, which has been criticized for its lack of digital innovation in comparison to other comics distributors and publishers including Comixology and DC Comics, has now developed a digital coupon campaign that encourages fans of its digital comics to visit brick-and-mortar comics shops.
When a Marvel Comics shopper buys a digital edition of a comic, he or she will receive an e-mail that includes a link to a print-only voucher for $5 worth of merchandise, as well as a link to the nearest comics shop. Retailers can scan the coupon code and then receive a $5 credit directly from Marvel.
This move, while not directly engaging the iOs and Android apps of Marvel’s competitors, is a bold one that could attract new comics buyers and strengthen the customer relationships Marvel already has. The takeaway here for those of us in content merchandising is the potential to build consumer loyalty by giving those consumers the incentive to interact with content across different channels.
Read more at econsultancy.com.
