Caught My Attention 015 (170724) 1


Still a lot of things out there about the whole WFM/amzn merger. But a few other bits of flavor and tech getting mixed back in.
 
 
Augmented reality (AR) might change the way we shop. Ikea and Apple are working together on being able to “see” your room with the furniture in place, before buying and not even having to go to the store. I think this will be great for many people, especially those that have a difficult time visualizing things in their head.
(link to Mashable: Ikea and Apple will use AR to make choosing a BJÖRKSNÄS even easier)
 
 
For now it seems that robots and humans need to work together to be the most efficient. For now. At large e-commerce distribution warehouses, like Amazon has, robots are being used to pick orders, but the more robots and automation gets integrated, the more interaction there needs to be.
(link to NPR All Tech Considered: Online Retail Boom Means More Warehouse Workers, And Robots To Accompany Them)
 
 
I still think there is a lot of speculation on how the Amazon/WFM deal will shake out, especially for the small brands. In the past, WFM was (and still is) very influential in helping get small businesses exposure and get them off the ground. I really hope that continues, although I have a hard time envisioning how it will work in the data driven world of amazon.
(link to NPR Salt: Why Whole Foods’ Small Suppliers Think Amazon Will Be Good For Them)
 
 
Along the same lines, here is more about Amazon’s tech and data driven processes and how it will influence the greater retail industry.
(link to Bloomberg: Amazon Robots Poised to Revamp How Whole Foods Runs Warehouses)
 
 
I have a fascination in non-traditional and urban farming. I really think that for sustainability, environmental impact, and economics, that the future needs to include some form of non-traditional ag.
(link to Futurism: Vertical Farming Is Officially Coming to Grocery Stores)
 
 
Flavors and emotions, they do go hand in hand. Jelly Belly is putting them together is a new series called the new Mixed Emotions™ Collection.
(link to Specialty Food Assn: Flavor Meets Feeling: Jelly Belly Mixed Emotions is a Rollercoaster of Emotions)
 
 
More on how people are speculating on the future of the grocery shopping experience.
(link to Boston Globe: Grocery shopping, the Amazon way )
 
 
Here is an interesting new online grocery concept. Everything is $3. And all plain label.
(link to Mashable: Brandless is a new online grocery store where everything’s only $3)
 
 


Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

One thought on “Caught My Attention 015 (170724)

  • David chilewich

    Hey John…as usual, interesting ‘stuff’. Kudos to your efforts.

    I’m not sure that i follow the logic of “why WFM’s small suppliers think Amazon will be good for them”. Frankly, i’m finding the endless speculation on the possible outcomes of the WFM/Amazon marriage getting tedious…a little like the redundant rehashing of Donald Jr.s Russian entanglements…let’s just see if he’s indicted or not.

    Anyways, it’s 9:30 pm and i maybe i’m a little cranky.

    I enjoyed the reads.