The Retail Times is a weekly newsletter covering retail tech news from Canada and around the globe.
Subscribe to R|T using the form at the bottom of this page to ensure you don’t miss out on the most important retail tech news every week!
How Bridgit’s co-founders tapped into a market ignored by tech (BETAKIT)
Bridgit COO Lauren Lake shares more about Bridgit’s founding story and how the company discovered its niche on the #CIBCInnovationEconomy podcast.
Diving into a New Career with Aquatic Informatics CEO Ed Quilty
Cleantech superhero Ed Quilty fell into the business of saving lives through water monitoring. After losing the University internship he wanted, he turned a closed door into an unlimited window of opportunity.
On the #CIBCInnovationEconomy podcast series, we learn how, and why that’s the same advice he gives his employees today.
Restaurants are COVID hot spots. Cutting the number of diners could help a lot. (MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW)
A new model that used smartphone data to monitor infection spread found that limiting public venues to 20% of capacity would cut infections by 80%.
Biden promised to reclassify gig workers. But how will he actually do it? (VICE)
Biden has outlined a plan for ensuring workers on gig economy apps receive employee-rights and benefits — but the labor movement is under no illusions that his administration will easily deliver on those plans.
JD.com wants a network of 5 million stores as e-commerce battle heats up (CNBC)
JD’s recent moves underline the fierce competition among China’s leading e-commerce players in their hunt to get more consumers in the smaller cities.
DoorDash IPO filing shows big revenue growth, profitable quarter (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
The company’s revenue for the September quarter more than tripled from the same period a year earlier.
Walmart and Cruise launch pilot to deliver orders via self-driving cars (VENTUREBEAT)
GM-backed autonomous vehicle startup Cruise today announced a partnership with Walmart to deliver orders from a Scottsdale, Arizona store to customers’ homes.
Four startups share how they’ve adapted to remote work during COVID-19 (BETAKIT)
Leaders from Willful, Doxim, Soapbox, and Drop provide their perspective on the new ways of working for Canadian tech – remote, in-office, and hybrid.
Instacart taps Goldman Sachs to lead IPO at $30 billion valuation, sources say (CNBC)
Instacart was valued at $17.7 billion last month, when it raised $200 million in a private fundraising round.
Shop till you drop (REST OF WORLD)
On Singles Day, China’s biggest shopping holiday, delivery workers have been striking. E-commerce giants have little incentive to change.
Iconic Tower Records returns as website selling vinyl, cassettes, CDs (DEADLINE)
The new Tower Records has online events, the return of its Tower Pulse! magazine, a merchandise section, and, of course, music, music, music, including vinyl and cassette selections in various genres.