DTC Brand Archetype, Pushing Shoppers Online, Back to School Retail Setback, Joymode's Exit, YouTubers Turn to Subscriptions, Telemedicine's Moment, Video Games are the New Golf
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Coronavirus Pushes Shoppers Online Much Faster Than Expected
Despite the potential for higher costs, retailers signed up for the ability to take online orders in droves during the second quarter, with PayPal adding 1.7 million merchants, or about three times the typical number.
For some banks, the response has been to completely revamp their credit-card rewards, with American Express Co. offering streaming and wireless credits on its popular Platinum card, long known for its travel and dining perks.
Another setback for retailers: an extinct back-to-school shopping season
Virtual schooling puts more pressure on the struggling industry.
The "emerging patchwork of policies will make it hard for retailers to allocate inventory and target discounts effectively," as Bloomberg opinion columnist Sarah Halzack wrote last week .
Michael Pachter, an analyst at investment firm Wedbush Securities, told MarketWatch any uptick in demand for electronics will “be offset by those households with one or more parents laid off or unemployed because of the pandemic,” who won’t buy new equipment.
Setting Up Joymode to Deliver More Joy
I imagined a customer saying, “Oh, I never thought about hosting a backyard movie night but since I can click a button on my phone and someone will bring me everything I need, I think I’ll do it.” There certainly was some of this, but not near enough for us to succeed.
I specifically want to call out Waynn Lue, Keith Walker, Weston Westenborg, Bailey Wharton, Dustin Roscoe, Tracy Fu and Andre Lee who were with the company from day one all the way through to the end.
With Covid Crushing Advertising, YouTubers Turn to Subscriptions
The number of YouTube creators who no longer rely on advertising for the majority of their income is growing fast. The company has since rolled out additional ways for contributors to make money on YouTube that don’t rely on advertising, such as tools for selling merchandise, charging for memberships, and encouraging small in-app purchases.
Dyer had spent most of his adult life chronicling extreme sports and powerful machinery, running a motocross publication called MX Racer and founding DIRT, a magazine devoted to downhill mountain bikes.
Google owner Alphabet issues record $10 billion bond at lowest-ever price
Alphabet Inc borrowed $10 billion in the investment-grade corporate debt market on Monday, the Google parent's largest ever bond issue, which it secured at its lowest-ever cost of financing.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc ( GOOGL.O ) borrowed $10 billion in the investment-grade corporate debt market on Monday, the Google parent’s largest ever bond issue, which it secured at its lowest-ever cost of financing.
The remaining $5.5 billion will be used for green initiatives, the company said, the largest-ever issue of corporate debt for environment, social and governance endeavors.
The answer largely depends on whether Medicare and private health insurers will adequately cover virtual doctor visits once coronavirus outbreaks subside.
Some of the nation’s biggest insurers, like UnitedHealthcare and Anthem, say they haven’t decided beyond September or October on whether to extend the policies they adopted that allowed for coverage in lieu of doctors’ visits during the coronavirus crisis.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has been a trial by fire, but the experience to date has made clear that the health care system is ready for broader access to telehealth on a permanent basis,” said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, a Democrat who introduced legislation earlier this month.
Executives are getting together in video games, to bond, brainstorm or rampage.
A scene from Grand Theft Auto, a video game in which some professionals are now holding meetings with their clients. With Zoom call fatigue setting in and boozy lunches out of the question during the coronavirus pandemic , housebound executives are finding new ways to meet and bond in video games.
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