The Watson Weekly: eCommerce Strategy & News

It’s April 4th, 2022 and this is the Watson Weekly - Your Essential eCommerce Digest! Today on the show:  Red warning lights flashing on economy from recent retail earnings call EU passes sweeping privacy legislation called Digital Markets Act eCommerce brand SHEIN solidifying fast-fashion lead over its apparel rivals Target’s transformation has been powered by data science And the Investor Minute which contains five items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs. For more news from Rick, check out:  https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/ 

It’s March 28th, 2022 and this is the Watson Weekly - Your Essential eCommerce Digest! Today on the show:  Guggenheim Partners research highlights recent eCommerce trends to notice Is this the beginning of the end for a lot of Amazon roll up companies? FedEx strategy and execution issues on full display at recent earnings call Google enters last mile supply chain space with its last mile fleet solution And the Investor Minute which contains seven items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs. For more news from Rick, check out:  https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/ 

It’s March 21st, 2022 and this is the Watson Weekly - Your Essential eCommerce Digest! Today on the show:  Retail Stores Will Completely Die, Says Tech Investor Marc Andreessen Walmart Sees Stores as Linchpin of Last-Mile Strategy Macy’s Trying Very Hard to Stay Ahead of the Reaper New Data Suggests Amazon is Gaining Share in eCommerce And the Investor Minute which contains five items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs. For more news from Rick, check out:  https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/ 

It’s March 14th, 2022 and this is the Watson Weekly - Your Essential eCommerce Digest! Today on the show:  Kohl’s looks to stave off activist investors by transforming itself Nordstrom plots ad expansion as its new retail media network generates $40 million Shopify launches a shipping platform in Europe with Shippo as its partner Amazon continues to invest in the eCommerce software market. Is a New Platform Coming Soon? And the Investor Minute which contains five items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs. For more news from Rick, check out:  https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/ 

Welcome to a Special Edition non-weekly episode of the Watson Weekly!  This is the start of a new series where every few months, we will be doing interviews with a series of interesting people. I get asked from time to time about having guests on the show, as it would allow me to do a deeper dive on topics that perhaps I only have a few minutes to cover in a typical show. This week’s guest is none other than Bill Williams.  Bill is the founder and CEO of BWG Strategy, a firm which connects industry professionals in eCommerce, technology, and other areas and investment analysts who would like to learn more about the industry.  They host thousands of calls per year across all sorts of interesting eCommerce topics such as advertising, payments and supply chain. This episode dives into his background, an overview of the firm, as well as a few key areas of eCommerce related to advertising and payments. For more news from Rick, check out:  https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/ 

It’s March 7th, 2022 and this is the Watson Weekly - Your Essential eCommerce Digest! Today on the show:  Brands may need retailers more than they realize. Amazon continues to make digital investments in its stores with cashierless technology and display advertising. Grocer Albertsons starts a strategic review of its business. Target 2021 Q4 earnings roundup highlights continued focus on employees, stores as hubs, and merchandise And the Investor Minute which contains five items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs. For more news from Rick, check out:  https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/ 

It’s February 28th, 2022 and this is the Watson Weekly - Your Essential eCommerce Digest! Today on the show:    Walmart enters an economic environment that plays to the company’s strengths   Postal service launches new next-day local shipping service called USPS Connect Activist investor Daniel Loeb sees $1 trillion dollars of untapped value in Amazon Macy’s not breaking up but still a lot of hard work ahead And the Investor Minute which contains five items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs. For more news from Rick, check out:  https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/ 

It’s February 21st, 2022 and this is the Watson Weekly - Your Essential eCommerce Digest! Today on the show:  What if Amazon is the best-positioned company to diversify sellers off Amazon? Shopify Q4 2021 earnings shows growth but there are still strategy concerns Hasbro and Mattel’s opposite economic views of toys’ industry future may have implications for other brands 2021 PitchBook venture capital report raises both optimism and concern And the Investor Minute which contains five items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs. For more news from Rick, check out:  https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/ 

It’s February 14th, 2022 and this is the Watson Weekly - Your Essential eCommerce Digest! Today on the show:  Recent earnings calls indicate that Meta’s advertising lead is shrinking quickly, and Google is the biggest beneficiary CMS and eCommerce churn data shows WordPress maintaining market lead, Shopify gaining on WooCommerce Amazon advertising graduates from "Other" and 3P seller units set record Modern retailers must prioritize differentiation and freshness to survive And the Investor Minute which contains five items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs. For more news from Rick, check out:  https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/ 

It’s February 7th, 2022 and this is the Watson Weekly - Your Essential eCommerce Digest! Today on the show:  Washington State Attorney General investigation shuts down Amazon price fixing program UPS 2021 Q4 earnings highlights their focus on revenue quality Glossier’s CEO learned a hard lesson in technology decision-making as it lays off 80 employees Recent declines at Bed, Bath and Beyond make you wonder if it can make it And the Investor Minute which contains five items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs. For more news from Rick, check out:  https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/