Technology

PayPal announced it will allow consumers to make online payments with cryptocurrencies through its Checkout with Crypto offering.

XGen has launched a platform that connects to e-commerce sites, providing shoppers with a more personalized experience with relevant recommendations and other interactions.

Chipotle reveals it has invested in self-driving vehicle startup Nuro as it looks at new ways consumers will engage with the brand.

Cargo Cove is the latest logistics company to move toward automation in its warehouse, adding AI-powered software and eventually autonomous robots to its Jacksonville facility.

Perch is helping smaller brands pool their resources to lower logistics costs and better compete on Amazon’s vast marketplace.

E-commerce and the increasing desire to conduct digital transactions are driving rapid change in the payments industry.

Walmart plans to convert a Dallas store for online order pickup for customers.

Amazon has started testing Rivian electric delivery vans in San Francisco as part of its planned rollout of 10,000 electric vehicles by 2022.

Hiring and retaining drivers is an art more than a science.

Refraction AI discovered many last-mile AVs used a sensor system known as LiDAR, which was causing bottlenecks in deploying these vehicles into the real world.

Delivery software provider Onfleet is joining forces with Bond, an artificial intelligence platform, to offer e-commerce sellers an integrated solution that takes the customer from checkout to delivery in a single offering.

Micromobility company Helbiz will secure approximately $82.5 million when it is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange through a SPAC deal expected to close in the second quarter.

Global payments technology provider Stripe has raised $600 million in a new funding round at a $95 billion valuation, making it the most expensive startup in the U.S.

Major retail brands are reaching consumers wherever they can these days, and that means more livestreamed special events with social media influencers.

Southeast Asian rideshare company Grab is in talks to go public through a SPAC led by Altimeter Capital, according to published reports.

A team from the University of Maryland Medical Center has been honored for completing the first drone delivery of an organ for transplant in 2019.

When David Cabello dropped out of college, he knew he wanted to make a difference, so he started a food delivery business that caters to Black-owned restaurants.

GoFor Industries will work with Aurora Aerial on a drone delivery test program, starting in Canada before expanding into other markets.

PayPal is paying an undisclosed sum to acquire Curv, a cryptocurrency and digital asset security provider.

Using data from consumer tracking firm Commerce Signals, the idea that e-commerce sales significantly hurt in-store sales during COVID-19 may not be completely accurate.

Safeway is the latest supermarket to begin a test of robots for contactless delivery of online grocery orders.

Delivery drone manufacturer Flirtey is ramping up production and now taking preorders for its system.

Instacart may forgo the traditional path to public status and sell its shares directly to the public, according to a Reuters report.

Amazon-backed Deliveroo announces plans to go public less than a year after British regulators questioned the viability of the business.

As drone delivery tests ramp up, a patchwork of regulations make some states more friendly to the process than others.

Instacart has announced a new funding round of $265 million, increasing its valuation to $39 billion.

New York-based Fillogic has secured a $2.5 million seed funding round to expand its e-commerce logistics platform.

Uber is spinning off the robotic delivery division of Postmates into a new entity.

Ox uses augmented reality to speed the order picking process and improve accuracy. It has landed a $3.5 million seed round of funding to grow its business.

Instacart has announced a new funding round of $265 million, increasing its valuation to $39 billion.

As cryptocurrencies gain in popularity, more e-commerce brands and payment platforms are incorporating the coins into their payment systems.

The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator and the city of Santa Monica have launched what they said is the first Zero Emissions Delivery Zone in the nation for electric and other non-petroleum-powered vehicles.

Just weeks after a U.K. court ruled that Uber drivers are essentially employees, a new push is on in Canada to unionize gig workers.

Companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats exploded during the pandemic as Americans ordered out for meals, but they face a more difficult path forward as COVID vaccines could reopen in-person dining.

In its first earnings statement as a public company, DoorDash posted record revenue and order volumes, but cautioned on 2021.

Volatile rates per hour and supply demands impacted gig economy drivers in 2020, but a brighter outlook is ahead.

Third-party sellers using the BigCommerce e-commerce platform can now integrate with Walmart.com, opening up new online avenues to sell their products.

Payment services provider Square posted 101% net revenue growth in 2020 over 2019 and 45% growth in net profit as it benefited from large growth in its Cash App division.

The e-commerce shipping platform said it is now valued at nearly half a billion dollars.

As ghost kitchens have popped up across the country, few have appeared on college campuses. Chartwells, which provides dining hall services, is rolling out the concept at client schools.

Motional, the Hyundai-backed autonomous vehicle developer, announced that it is now testing vehicles with no driver in the seat.

On-demand driver platform Haul has attracted a diverse group of investors as it looks to disrupt the CDL staffing industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence in e-commerce, with companies utilizing the technology able to adapt quicker to changing consumer demands.

Demand for technology platforms that can automate the entire D2C experience is growing, and Pipe17 is the latest to secure funding to expand its solution.

As more packages and groceries are being shipped to consumers’ front doors, the demand for systems that can secure and maintain the freshness of items is growing.

Autonomous vehicle startup Gatik has announced it will deploy electric trucks as part of its autonomous testing in New Orleans with partner Walmart.

Amazon has acquired Selz, a provider of technology that allows sellers to build an online storefront.

As rideshare has plummeted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lyft has had to chart a new path forward in the next decade. That path features a reliance on autonomous vehicles and e-commerce deliveries.

BrightDrop, a startup launched by GM, thinks that to solve last-mile delivery you need a provider that looks at the issues holistically — from vehicles to technology.

PICKUP’s white-glove delivery for big and heavy items transforms the last-mile customer experience.

Hyundai’s concept vehicle TIGER represents the automaker’s vision of last-mile delivery in both urban and remote environments.

Commerce platform Fabric has leveraged market demand for its product to close a $43 million Series A round of funding just months after it secured its seed round.

A streamlined, automated and transparent approach has taken Airspace to the next level of modern shipping.

Lyft said it is investing in the business so it is positioned to benefit in an expected rideshare rebound, perhaps as early as Q2.

DoorDash is acquiring Chowbotics, hoping to leverage the firm’s salad-making robots to provide DoorDash partners new revenue opportunities.

Slync.io, a Dallas-based operating system for global logistics, announced the close of its $60 million Series B funding round.

SmartHop is more than just a freight dispatch; its “business-in-a-box” tools distinguish it as a comprehensive solution for over-the-road-trucking.

Scott Ruffin’s company is poised to exploit weaknesses in legacy delivery networks to take B2C share.

BrightDrop, the new General Motors business-to-business electric first-to-last-mile delivery subsidiary, will sell 12,600 of its vans to Merchants Fleet.

Uber will acquire Drizly, an on-demand alcohol marketplace, for $1.1 billion in cash and stocks.

As online sales of furniture and other heavy goods grows, smaller sellers have been at a disadvantage without a national logistics partner. Deliveright and Shopify are changing that.

EcoCart offers e-commerce consumers a chance to purchase carbon offsets at checkout to lessen the environmental impact of the order.

SamCart, an D2C e-commerce platform, has closed a $10 million Series A round of funding, led by TTV Capital.

Social Auto Transport aims to connect the gig economy with car dealers to help improve the customer service experience.

UPS takes part in a business panel on why Congress should support last-mile delivery and electric vehicles.

Walmart will begin using drones from Zipline International to run a pilot delivery program along the Arkansas and Missouri border this summer.

As global e-commerce soars, businesses are looking for solutions that enable seamless payment options designed for local markets. Payments technology firm PPRO just raised $180 million to help design local payment solutions.

General Motors will spend $800 million to make a plant in Ingersoll, Canada the home of its first electric commercial delivery vans.

The FAA has given its first approval to a drone operator to fly autonomous drones outside the visual line of sight of the operator, moving the industry one step closer to potential drone deliveries.

When he tried to sell GM’s iconic Hummer brand to the Chinese a decade ago, Jim Taylor never imagined he would import tiny electric delivery van bodies from China to finish in the plant that spawned the hulking SUV.

As retailers faced a decline in customers during COVID-19 lockdowns, many turned to scanning applications to help meet a surge in online orders.

Walmart will test a temperature-controlled box from HomeValet that enables home deliveries of groceries while ensuring those products remain fresh and safe for consumption.

COVID changed consumer behaviors and the result has been a growing realization the supply chain is no longer proactive but rather reactive to quickly shifting consumer demands.

General Motors has created a new battery-electric first-to-last-mile business eyeing an $850 billion delivery market. Following a second pilot program, FedEx Express is slated to get the first 500 units of the EV600.

French company Scallog is partnering with Bastian Solutions to bring “goods-to-person” robotics to North American e-commerce warehouses.
French company Scallog is partnering with Bastian Solutions to bring “goods-to-person” robotics to North American e-commerce warehouses.

Owners of Chrysler, Ram and other FCA vehicles can now use a Grubhub app through their in-vehicle dashboards to place online food orders.

Workhorse Group booked its biggest order for its electric delivery vans, but the deal requires the company to come through on time starting this July — maybe.

U.K.-based Arrival picks Charlotte, North Carolina, as its North American headquarters. It’s a 30-minute drive from its planned microfactory in South Carolina and close to UPS, a major customer for its electric vans.

Motiv Power is adding to its order book for medium-duty electrified chassis and generating revenue. Special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) interest is growing.

The inside-out design of Canoo electric delivery vehicle means it could have many appearances as public trading for the $600 million SPAC-sponsored startup nears.

Electric delivery van maker Workhorse Group draws tough questions from analysts following battery supply issue and lack of deliveries to UPS.