Technology consultant Robin Gaster proposes in a new book on Amazon that big tech companies be regulated as utilities and required to provide detailed data about their operations. He argues that would especially benefit the millions of sellers on Amazon’s platform that today have little choice but to accept Amazon’s rules and sometimes arbitrary penalties.

Dave Clark, the incoming CEO of Amazon’s retail unit, reiterated a request Amazon made to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month asking that frontline workers among the company’s more than 800,000 U.S. employees receive vaccines at the “earliest appropriate time.”

Despite creating algorithms to anticipate shoppers’ needs and opening all those warehouses, Amazon can’t meet its one- and two-day shipping pledge to customers without an ever-expanding fleet of pricey jets. That reality has become clearer since the pandemic fueled a surge in online shopping.

To justify to a judge why it suspended web-hosting service for the conservative social media site, Amazon executives cited threats by Parler users to delivery drivers and staff at the ecommerce giant.

Parler went offline late Sunday after Amazon Web Services suspended its account, a potentially crippling blow for the social media site favored by right-wing extremists. Some extremists used the site to advocate violence ahead of last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. Parler responded by suing Amazon for ending the web hosting service.

Retailers can expect fresh opportunities and challenges, technological advancements and possible consolidation in 2021, the Digital Commerce 360 staff says. Shopping patterns are unlikely to return to the 'normal' of late 2019.

The Digital Commerce 360 staff is ringing in 2021 after a challenging, yet exciting year in online retail. Here are the top 15 favorite ecommerce stories of the year, as selected by our editors.

A slew of buyout firms flush with cash are seeking to buy small brands successfully selling on Amazon. These acquiring companies aim to put resources behind those brands, increasing their sales and profits. Meanwhile, the entrepreneurs who have built these small brands can cash out at attractive prices.

Amazon’s object is to persuade potential recruits that there’s no better place to work. The reality is less rosy. Many Amazon warehouse employees struggle to pay the bills, and more than 4,000 employees are on food stamps in nine states.

Starting Friday, the world’s largest retailer is removing the $35 minimum on online orders for Walmart+ members to receive free next-day or two-day shipping for most items. However, grocery orders from stores will still require that amount as a minimum for free expedited delivery.