Boxed App for Bulk Grocery Shopping

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A new app called Boxed is going after bulk retailers like Sam’s Club, Costco, and BJ’s, according to Fortune. Boxed lets customers order bulk groceries and more via smartphone. The company reportedly has over one million users. Executives told Fortune that Boxed has already raised over $25 million in Series B funding. There’s delivery available for nearly everything —  groceries, electronics, alcohol, diapers, and even laundry.

The app personalizes the shopping experience in a way that brick-and-mortar retailers can’t. In 2013, Pando Daily reported that Boxed uses technology that targets personal preferences and offers customization. A person would be notified than an item that he or she viewed is on sale.

Unlike warehouses like Sam’s Club and Costco, Boxed doesn’t offer a membership fee, which could make it especially enticing to budget-strapped millennials.

Boxed executives told Fortune that they are targeting the young millennial customer.

The appeal of the app (and delivery) is undeniable to those who live in urban environments and do not have cars.

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Costco ‘shocked’ by one-day sales of $3.5M on Alibaba’s TMall site

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Costco will expand more heavily into China after it sold $3.5 million worth of goods over a 24-hour period with the help of Alibaba.

In October, the Seattle-area retail giant announced it was partnering with Alibaba to enter the China market for the first time. In doing so, Costco planned to sell some of its merchandise, including some of the Kirkland brand products, to consumers visiting the Tmall e-commerce platform.

As part of an Alibaba announcement today regarding Tmall Global’s performance, Costco said it sold $3.5 million worth of merchandise on Singles Day, which is China’s equivalent Cyber Monday.

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Costco works with Alibaba to limit risks as it enters China

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CHICAGO — By selling directly to Chinese consumers on Alibaba’s platform, a move announced last week by the American retailer Costco Wholesale, it aims to employ local knowledge and a low-cost structure to avoid missteps that caused even Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, to stumble in China.

Many global retailers opening in China have struggled to find product mixes and store designs that appeal to local customers. In addition to Walmart, others like Best Buy and eBay have fallen short of expectations in one of the fastest-growing consumer markets.

Costco’s virtual storefront on the Alibaba site Tmall is designed to help the company study consumer shopping habits with no brick-and-mortar costs and fewer risks, signaling a new approach to expanding in China.

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Costco implements new international e-commerce site

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Costco Selects Reply and hybris to Implement Its New International E-Commerce Site.

CHICAGO, April 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Reply [MTA, STAR: REY], a company specialising in the design and development of enterprise solutions based on new digital media, and hybris software, an SAP company and the world’s fastest-growing commerce platform provider, today announced that they have developed and delivered Costco Wholesale Corporation’s new international e-commerce site, Costco.com.mx.

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Millennials and Costco

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The suburban, car-loving, McMansion-owning parents of millennials represent Costco’s (COST) core customer base. But what about millennials themselves?

As far as retail success stories go, few can compete with Costco’s run in recent years. In surveys, customers routinely weigh in on how much they love the Costco shopping experience, and the company’s unique business model is celebrated in TV documentaries and glowing magazine profiles alike.

But the fact that in early March Costco reported lower-than-expected earnings and its stock price has slumped now has some wondering if the company can stay on its hot growth streak going forward. In particular, concern is being raised that Costco’s membership model and its bulk-goods products don’t appeal to the nation’s young consumers—and that the Costco experience might not be a good match for the millennial generation even after they grow older and have families.

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11 Things You Didn’t Know About Costco

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Often much less maligned than its retail warehouse counterparts, Costco has developed a sort of cult following among thrifty shoppers and supporters of workers’ rights alike. But if you’re one of these wholesale superfans, how much do you truly know about the company?

You may have heard that the first Costco warehouse opened in Seattle and that their Kirkland brand was originally supposed to be “Seattle Signature.” Perhaps you’re also aware that the company spends no money on advertisements, instead hoping programs like their “treasure hunts,” which feature steep but limited-time discounts on luxury — and occasionally outlandish — items, will keep customers coming back. But if you’re a true die-hard fan of the shopping mecca, you’ll need to read on for the true treasures.

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Sam’s Club VS. Costco: Do Lower Prices Trump Employee Happiness

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Sam’s Club and its two major competitors, Costco Wholesale Corp. and the privately held BJ’s Wholesale Club, are in a battle for customers. For many the choice comes down to cost. Price isn’t the only factor, but if one of the three were appreciably more expensive, customers would be scurrying for one of the others. Wholesale clubs don’t attract customers with frills — all are pretty stark with a warehouse-like environment — and having items for sale at the lowest possible price is the differentiator between these stores and traditional low-cost retailers like Wal-Mart or Target .

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Costco Defies the Big Box Apocalypse

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With so many retailing giants such as J.C. Penney , Sears, and Best Buy falling by the wayside in what has aptly been named the “Big Box Apocalypse,” it’s very reassuring to see Costco , the leading warehouse retailer in the U.S., thriving in the midst of all the retail industry snafu. Costco is still posting healthy gains even as the once mighty Wal-Mart  and Target  struggle to remain afloat. So what makes Costco tick?

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Costco stands out over the holidays

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Heavy discounting and slow traffic weighed on retailers’ December sales results, but Costco Wholesale Corp. ( COST ) was among the few that bucked the trend.

The wholesale club reported sales at stores open at least a year rose 5% for the month, topping expectations for a 2.6% increase. Among the stronger performing categories were garden, automotive, apparel, small appliances and home furnishings. The consumer electronics category posted improvement from recent months, but the metric still declined slightly.

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Costco co-founder Sinegal honored with top retail award

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Costco Wholesale co-founder Jim Sinegal has been awarded the National Retail Federation’s Gold Medal Award, the organization said Tuesday. The trade association said that under Sinegal’s long tenure as chief executive the Issaquah-based company grew into the biggest warehouse-club retailer in the U.S.

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