On October 6, it was reported that the US retail major "Amazon" opened a physical store, 4-Star Store, in the UK that handles home appliances and miscellaneous goods. This 4-Star Store only sells popular products that have been rated 4 stars or higher by purchasers on the company's online shopping site. They already have more than 30 stores in the United States. However, this is the first time they have expanded overseas. At the newly established store, about 2,000 items carefully selected from popular products sold in Amazon UK are being displayed. Digital price tags are attached so that customers can check the price of each item, the rating of the star, and the number of ratings. In addition, the company explained that consumers who visit physical stores can purchase products at the same price as online, and Amazon Prime members can also get various benefits.
On October 6, it was revealed that The Home Depot, the largest home improvement store in the United States, has partnered with Walmart, a major retailer in the United States, for delivery operations. Since Walmart announced in August 2021 that it will offer Walmart GoLocal, a service that delivers to consumers' homes for Small and Medium-Sized Retailers, the Home Depot is attracting attention as the first large customer. The contract period and service fee have not been announced yet. The Home Depot explained that the service could be used to deliver small tools, paints, do-it-yourself supplies, and more to Texas. The company has also indicated its intention to expand its delivery areas by the end of the year.
On October 6th, "TMON," which operates an online shopping business in South Korea, announced that it has partnered with, a short video platform "TikTok" from China. It is attracting attention as the first Korean company to partner with TikTok. TMON is considering aiming for sales promotion by promoting products with videos, with the influence of TikTok, which has been increasing the number of users in recent years. Specifically, the company explained that it will do its utmost to support the creators of TikTok to create videos introducing their products. In addition, some creators may appear as presenters in a live stream hosted by Timon.
"Mercari," a major flea market app company, announced that it will start data linkage with "Marui Web Channel," an online shopping site operated by "Marui Group," which operates major department stores. Specifically, the online shopping site has introduced the payment service "Merpay," which allows users to pay with Merpay when shopping via Marui's app. In addition, by linking the purchased products to the "List on item" function of "Mercari" and by eliminating the trouble of entering information when listing the products, it is said that the convenience of the user will be greatly improved. Mercari has been developing its omni-channel strategy by partnering with Marui Group in February 2020 and opening a physical store at its department store. They explained that this data alliance is expected to have the effect of further improving the user's experience beyond online and offline in the form of "fusion of primary and secondary distribution."