The competition between Walmart and Amazon appears to be heating up. Walmart beat revenue expectations, but fell short of estimates for profit in the holiday quarter and reported a slowdown in online sales. Greg Alvo, CEO of OrderGroove and Chris Versace, Chief Investment Officer at Tematica Research join The Long and The Short to discuss the future of America's largest retailer.
Alvo reminds us that Walmart is growing its omnichannel approach. Just because e-commerce sales slowed down doesn't mean its overall business is slowing down. Versace says online demand exceeded expectations this year and Walmart is trying to navigate this new trend. He also says the pullback in e-commerce investments could be a long-term play for Walmart as it fights to compete with Amazon.
Plus, how will Walmart expand its offerings to be equal to Amazon? Versace says continuing to focus on selling fresh foods and finding partners that will continue to help expand products on Jet.com are key. He also suggests that Walmart thinks about expanding its private label brands and bumping up quality to compete with Amazon.
Ty Young, CEO of Ty J. Young Wealth Management, joins Cheddar to discuss Trump's moves as he returns to Washington D.C. and how it may affect the U.S. economy.
Starbucks’ decision to restrict its restrooms to paying customers has flushed out a wider problem: a patchwork of restroom use policies that varies by state and city. Starbucks announced last week a new code of conduct that says people need to make a purchase if they want to hang out or use the restroom. The coffee chain's policy change for bathroom privileges has left Americans confused and divided over who gets to go and when. The American Restroom Association, a public toilet advocacy group, was among the critics. Rules about restroom access in restaurants vary by state, city and county. The National Retail Federation says private businesses have a right to limit restroom use.
President Donald Trump is talking up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout of data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI.
Chris Ruder, Spikeball Founder and CEO, explains how he and his friends put roundnet on the global map, plus, how Spikeball helps people "find their circle."
J.W. Roth, CEO of Venu Holding Corporation, discusses the company's IPO and plans to redefine live music entertainment with their fan founded, fan-owned model.
Variety's Clayton Davis discusses why more than just the 1% are struggling after the LA fires. Plus, how awards shows will pivot to help victims. Watch!
Emily Hosie, CEO of Rebelstork, explains the concept of Returns Recommerce, plus how her company raised $18M to address the industry-wide issue of returns.
