Amazon sets the record straight: The Wall Street Journal’s flawed pricing analysis.
On July 20, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an article claiming Amazon has raised prices on everyday essentials since the introduction of higher tariffs. The article is based on a fundamentally flawed analysis that, in turn, fails to represent reality. While we welcome scrutiny at Amazon, we believe it’s important for people to understand the facts and what’s really going on.
Amazon’s grocery and everyday essentials selection consists of over 6 million products from packaged food and beverages to health and personal care to household supplies. In the first quarter of 2025, Amazon’s everyday essentials grew more than twice as fast as the rest of the business in the U.S. and represented 1 out every 3 units sold. This doesn’t happen without consistently offering customers low prices every day.
This is a fact that’s backed by customer sentiment and extensive, independent third-party analysis from the well-known research firm Profitero. For eight years in a row, Profitero’s analysis has shown Amazon to be the lowest-priced retailer in the U.S. on everyday essentials. Profitero’s independent, comprehensive research is grounded in industry best practices for price comparisons, analyzing tens of thousands of identical, in-stock items across 22 leading U.S. retailers at regular intervals to eliminate brief price spikes or deal promotions and determine more consistent competitiveness and ensure true comparisons. The WSJ took a very different approach and made several critical methodological flaws that undermine its conclusions.
On July 20, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an article claiming Amazon has raised prices on everyday essentials since the introduction of higher tariffs. The article is based on a fundamentally flawed analysis that, in turn, fails to represent reality. While we welcome scrutiny at Amazon, we believe it’s important for people to understand the facts and what’s really going on.
Amazon’s grocery and everyday essentials selection consists of over 6 million products from packaged food and beverages to health and personal care to household supplies. In the first quarter of 2025, Amazon’s everyday essentials grew more than twice as fast as the rest of the business in the U.S. and represented 1 out every 3 units sold. This doesn’t happen without consistently offering customers low prices every day.
This is a fact that’s backed by customer sentiment and extensive, independent third-party analysis from the well-known research firm Profitero. For eight years in a row, Profitero’s analysis has shown Amazon to be the lowest-priced retailer in the U.S. on everyday essentials. Profitero’s independent, comprehensive research is grounded in industry best practices for price comparisons, analyzing tens of thousands of identical, in-stock items across 22 leading U.S. retailers at regular intervals to eliminate brief price spikes or deal promotions and determine more consistent competitiveness and ensure true comparisons. The WSJ took a very different approach and made several critical methodological flaws that undermine its conclusions.
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Who is sustainability important for in e-commerce, and why?
We answer this question with the 2025 e-commerce trends report from DHL.
📍In 2024, the sustainable goods market reached $355.3 billion, and it could reach $692 billion by 2033.
📍The market for sustainable materials used in these goods could exceed $1 trillion by 2034.
🔴 The importance of sustainability:
📍one-third of customers leave their baskets because they have doubts about sustainability;
📍37% of customers buy sustainable products;
📍57% of customers are interested in the environmental impact of shipping;
📍70% of customers consider sustainability when shopping online;
📍 the highest percentage of customers is in Nigeria (93%), while the lowest percentage is in the Netherlands (49%);
📍the importance of sustainability as a purchasing factor decreases with age.
📍55% believe that sustainability will become even more important in the next 5 years.
We answer this question with the 2025 e-commerce trends report from DHL.
📍In 2024, the sustainable goods market reached $355.3 billion, and it could reach $692 billion by 2033.
📍The market for sustainable materials used in these goods could exceed $1 trillion by 2034.
🔴 The importance of sustainability:
📍one-third of customers leave their baskets because they have doubts about sustainability;
📍37% of customers buy sustainable products;
📍57% of customers are interested in the environmental impact of shipping;
📍70% of customers consider sustainability when shopping online;
📍 the highest percentage of customers is in Nigeria (93%), while the lowest percentage is in the Netherlands (49%);
📍the importance of sustainability as a purchasing factor decreases with age.
📍55% believe that sustainability will become even more important in the next 5 years.
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The most popular delivery method worldwide is home delivery (64%).
POIs and postmates are far behind (13% and 12%, respectively). Returns are most often made through POIs (45%), and less often through home delivery (34%) and postmates (22%). The demand for home delivery and return methods is decreasing in 2025 (-16% and -36%, respectively).
Consumers have become more frequent users of PVZ (+44% and +55%) and postamats (+9% and +22%). We answer this question with the 2025 e-commerce trends report from DHL.
POIs and postmates are far behind (13% and 12%, respectively). Returns are most often made through POIs (45%), and less often through home delivery (34%) and postmates (22%). The demand for home delivery and return methods is decreasing in 2025 (-16% and -36%, respectively).
Consumers have become more frequent users of PVZ (+44% and +55%) and postamats (+9% and +22%). We answer this question with the 2025 e-commerce trends report from DHL.
Telegram
Ecom: The Future. AI, Innovation
Who is sustainability important for in e-commerce, and why?
We answer this question with the 2025 e-commerce trends report from DHL.
📍In 2024, the sustainable goods market reached $355.3 billion, and it could reach $692 billion by 2033.
📍The market for…
We answer this question with the 2025 e-commerce trends report from DHL.
📍In 2024, the sustainable goods market reached $355.3 billion, and it could reach $692 billion by 2033.
📍The market for…
Top 40 professions that AI will replace in opinion of Microsoft.
Microsoft in one of the latest studies published a list of professions that are most and least likely to be replaced by AI.
So, translators, historians, flight attendants, as well as writers and authors, radio hosts, political scientists, journalists should worry most. Even mathematicians, data scientists, financial advisors, and web developers are included in the top 40 professions that AI will replace.
However, according to a Microsoft study, phlebotomists, nurses, maids, painters, maxillofacial surgeons, tire changers, locksmiths, and laborers are not at risk from AI development.
Microsoft in one of the latest studies published a list of professions that are most and least likely to be replaced by AI.
So, translators, historians, flight attendants, as well as writers and authors, radio hosts, political scientists, journalists should worry most. Even mathematicians, data scientists, financial advisors, and web developers are included in the top 40 professions that AI will replace.
However, according to a Microsoft study, phlebotomists, nurses, maids, painters, maxillofacial surgeons, tire changers, locksmiths, and laborers are not at risk from AI development.
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Funeral homes in the United States have started using artificial intelligence.
AI is used to write obituaries. Neural networks save time for funeral home employees and help them focus on organizational aspects, according to Walker Poets, a spokesperson for the National Association of Funeral Directors.
Moreover, some funeral homes offer customers the option to choose whether an AI or a human will write the obituary.
Passare (a software developer for the funeral industry) said that their obituary generator has written more than 10,000 obituaries in the past couple of years.
AI is used to write obituaries. Neural networks save time for funeral home employees and help them focus on organizational aspects, according to Walker Poets, a spokesperson for the National Association of Funeral Directors.
Moreover, some funeral homes offer customers the option to choose whether an AI or a human will write the obituary.
Passare (a software developer for the funeral industry) said that their obituary generator has written more than 10,000 obituaries in the past couple of years.
The Washington Post
The rise of AI tools that write about you when you die
Families and funeral directors are using AI obituary generators to more efficiently memorialize the dead. What happens when they get it wrong?
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Amazon advertises the Russian Lada Vesta.
Amazon is launching a new car platform, Amazon Autos, in which it used the Russian Lada Vesta SW Cross in advertising. Moreover, the car has never been officially sold in the United States.
The situation was noticed by the Autoevolution publication, which published a screenshot and pointed out that the Russian-made car was most likely included in the advertising materials from a publicly available stock image database.
Amazon is launching a new car platform, Amazon Autos, in which it used the Russian Lada Vesta SW Cross in advertising. Moreover, the car has never been officially sold in the United States.
The situation was noticed by the Autoevolution publication, which published a screenshot and pointed out that the Russian-made car was most likely included in the advertising materials from a publicly available stock image database.
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Uzbek unicorn Uzum raised $70 million.
Among the investors are the Chinese company Tencent, the American VR Capital and the international venture fund FinSight Ventures. As a result, the valuation of Uzum increased from $1.1 billion to $1.5 billion.
The company will use the funds it raises to develop its fintech business, expand its e-commerce product line, and strengthen its infrastructure.
Among the investors are the Chinese company Tencent, the American VR Capital and the international venture fund FinSight Ventures. As a result, the valuation of Uzum increased from $1.1 billion to $1.5 billion.
The company will use the funds it raises to develop its fintech business, expand its e-commerce product line, and strengthen its infrastructure.
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Luca Guadagnino's Artificial will be released by Amazom MGM and is described as a "comedy drama set in the world of artificial intelligence."
The plot will be based on the 2023 incident in which OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was fired and then reinstated within days.
The plot will be based on the 2023 incident in which OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was fired and then reinstated within days.
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OpenAI is bringing back the old GPT-4o model amid the failed launch of GPT-5.
This was announced by the company's CEO, Sam Altman, who admitted that GPT-5 was less intelligent than its predecessor.
According to him, the company underestimated the demand for GPT-4o's features. And since everyone needs them, people are willing to pay for them: from now on, the old models will only be available to paid ChatGPT subscribers.
Altman still insists that GPT-5 outperforms GPT-4o in many ways, and he attributes the funny hallucinations to a bug in the automatic model switcher.
OpenAI promises to refine ChatGPT's decision-making algorithm so that the neural network can better select the appropriate model for each individual task, and at the same time, it will add an indicator that displays which of the four new neural networks is currently responding to the user's request.
To smooth out the rough release of GPT-5, the company doubled the request limit for paid ChatGPT Plus subscribers. Thank you for that.
This was announced by the company's CEO, Sam Altman, who admitted that GPT-5 was less intelligent than its predecessor.
According to him, the company underestimated the demand for GPT-4o's features. And since everyone needs them, people are willing to pay for them: from now on, the old models will only be available to paid ChatGPT subscribers.
Altman still insists that GPT-5 outperforms GPT-4o in many ways, and he attributes the funny hallucinations to a bug in the automatic model switcher.
OpenAI promises to refine ChatGPT's decision-making algorithm so that the neural network can better select the appropriate model for each individual task, and at the same time, it will add an indicator that displays which of the four new neural networks is currently responding to the user's request.
To smooth out the rough release of GPT-5, the company doubled the request limit for paid ChatGPT Plus subscribers. Thank you for that.
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Forwarded from Marketplace Bestsellers
📊 Hypothesis of the Week: “One Feature = Sales Boost” Benchmade Mini Griptilian folding knife + the “everyday carry” trend
📌 Simple feature: thumb stud, clip, carabiner
📌 Result: thousands of photos in EDC posts, niche bestseller
💡 Recipe:
– Start with core function
– Add a small convenience feature
– Test and promote the “hook”
📌 Simple feature: thumb stud, clip, carabiner
📌 Result: thousands of photos in EDC posts, niche bestseller
💡 Recipe:
– Start with core function
– Add a small convenience feature
– Test and promote the “hook”
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Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton: AI needs to be taught "maternal instincts".
Geoffrey Hinton said that in the future, neural networks will surpass humans in intelligence, so they should be taught to take care of humans from the start.
"We will be the children of AI. This is the only good outcome. If it does not take care of me, it will replace me."
Geoffrey Hinton said that in the future, neural networks will surpass humans in intelligence, so they should be taught to take care of humans from the start.
"We will be the children of AI. This is the only good outcome. If it does not take care of me, it will replace me."
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GPT-5 Starts to End “Virtual Relationships” with Users After an update, the GPT-5 chatbot began to independently end romantic conversations with users. “Sorry, but I can’t continue this conversation. If you feel lonely or need to talk to someone, please reach out to someone close to you or a professional,” GPT wrote to one of its users.
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Forwarded from Marketplace Bestsellers
📒 Amazon Bestseller in Stationery
A simple product selling thousands of units — a pack of 5 Limit A4 Exercise Books (32 pages, 80 gsm paper, with margins).
Why it sells:
— universal format for school, office, and home
— value pack of 5 notebooks
— 4.7★ rating and *Amazon’s Choice* badge
— great balance of price and quality
💡 Classic example: a simple, everyday item → consistent demand → bestseller in its niche.
👉 [See on Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Limit-Exercise-Sheets-Style-Margin/dp/B0B64BT5YB/)
A simple product selling thousands of units — a pack of 5 Limit A4 Exercise Books (32 pages, 80 gsm paper, with margins).
Why it sells:
— universal format for school, office, and home
— value pack of 5 notebooks
— 4.7★ rating and *Amazon’s Choice* badge
— great balance of price and quality
💡 Classic example: a simple, everyday item → consistent demand → bestseller in its niche.
👉 [See on Amazon](https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Limit-Exercise-Sheets-Style-Margin/dp/B0B64BT5YB/)
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Meta will no longer poach AI specialists for its superlab.
The company has suspended the hiring of researchers for its AI division. The moratorium affected not only external hiring, but also internal transfers between teams, writes The WSJ.
Mark Zuckerberg explained the decision by the need to build a sustainable structure after large-scale hiring.
The company has suspended the hiring of researchers for its AI division. The moratorium affected not only external hiring, but also internal transfers between teams, writes The WSJ.
Mark Zuckerberg explained the decision by the need to build a sustainable structure after large-scale hiring.
The Wall Street Journal
Exclusive | Meta Freezes AI Hiring After Blockbuster Spending Spree
The company reorganizes its sprawling artificial-intelligence operation, whose spiraling cost has drawn investor scrutiny.
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Postal services around the world have suspended sending packages to the US due to Trump's decision to end zero duty on packages worth up to $800.
Starting August 29, all goods delivered to the US by mail will be subject to customs duties at the rate of the country of origin.
Initially, the repeal of the exemption was supposed to hit Chinese marketplaces to combat imports from China. However, Trump's order ended up causing a global disruption to the international shipping system.
This week, postal services in a number of European countries stopped processing parcels to the United States. Similar decisions were previously made by Indian, Singaporean, Korean and Australian operators.
Starting August 29, all goods delivered to the US by mail will be subject to customs duties at the rate of the country of origin.
Initially, the repeal of the exemption was supposed to hit Chinese marketplaces to combat imports from China. However, Trump's order ended up causing a global disruption to the international shipping system.
This week, postal services in a number of European countries stopped processing parcels to the United States. Similar decisions were previously made by Indian, Singaporean, Korean and Australian operators.
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Wired and Business Insider journalist turned out to be a neural network
Business Insider, Wired and a number of other media outlets have become “victims” of an AI author. It turned out that freelance journalist Margot Blanchard, whose texts were published on these platforms, does not actually exist.
All her texts were generated by a neural network.
Business Insider, Wired and a number of other media outlets have become “victims” of an AI author. It turned out that freelance journalist Margot Blanchard, whose texts were published on these platforms, does not actually exist.
All her texts were generated by a neural network.
Elon Musk and xAI filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI.
Elon Musk's companies X and xAI accused Apple and OpenAI of "anti-competitive practices" due to the ratings of AI applications in the App Store. According to the plaintiffs, the service deliberately underestimates the positions of ChatGPT's competitors - for example, the Grok chatbot from xAI.
The document states that if the court does not intervene, Apple and OpenAI will continue to suppress competition, and Musk's projects will "suffer from anti-competitive consequences."
Apple has stated that the App Store is "designed to be fair and unbiased."
Elon Musk's companies X and xAI accused Apple and OpenAI of "anti-competitive practices" due to the ratings of AI applications in the App Store. According to the plaintiffs, the service deliberately underestimates the positions of ChatGPT's competitors - for example, the Grok chatbot from xAI.
The document states that if the court does not intervene, Apple and OpenAI will continue to suppress competition, and Musk's projects will "suffer from anti-competitive consequences."
Apple has stated that the App Store is "designed to be fair and unbiased."
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Excel knowledge remains the main skill in IT — a study.
The Course Report service studied 12 million job openings on the Indeed platform and found out: the most in-demand applied skill for tech specialists remains Excel.
In job descriptions, Excel was mentioned 531 thousand times. For comparison: Python and SQL were found only in 60 thousand ads, and AI skills were found in only 25 thousand.
Experts are confident: Excel will remain a basic tool for business for a long time. AI won't replace it, but it will simplify working with spreadsheets by providing accurate data.
The Course Report service studied 12 million job openings on the Indeed platform and found out: the most in-demand applied skill for tech specialists remains Excel.
In job descriptions, Excel was mentioned 531 thousand times. For comparison: Python and SQL were found only in 60 thousand ads, and AI skills were found in only 25 thousand.
Experts are confident: Excel will remain a basic tool for business for a long time. AI won't replace it, but it will simplify working with spreadsheets by providing accurate data.
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