Electronics
German chains MediaMarkt and Saturn have seen their losses grow by 50 % and turnover stagnate, but owner Ceconomy believes the future is positive as transformation should bring rewards.
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After Apple started selling its products directly on Amazon, a lot of external sellers were banned from the platform and prices have gone up. A US watchdog looks if this is legal.
At the end of this month, Amazon will terminate its Dash order buttons. Earlier this year, the American e-commerce giant had already stopped selling the buttons, but said then they would continue to work.
Amazon will not pay the "Amazon tax" or "Gafa tax" in France, the American e-tailer said in response to the recent ratification of that law. Instead, it will be increasing its selling rates by 3 % in that country, so that the suppliers will in effect pay the tax.
Chinese telecom manufacturer Huawei seems to remain largely unaffected by the sanctions of the United States: turnover increased drastically in the first six months of the year.
Google employees listen to, and analyse in detail, recordings made by its Home speakers and the Assistant app on smartphones. And all that without clear notification, let alone permission, a Belgian news show claims.
Samsung is suffering from the trade war between the United States and China: for the third quarter in a row, the smartphone producer predicts lower profits. Fortunately, the decrease is less dramatic than initially feared.
French electronics chain Boulanger has acquired its Belgian rival Krëfel, including Hifi International from Luxembourg. The new group aims for market leadership in all three of the countries.
Microsoft is going to open its first European store in London's commercial centre, "coincidentally" just a stone's throw away from the local Apple Store.
Domestic appliance manufacturer Miele has announced it will open two experience stores in the Benelux: Amsterdam is planned for next week, Brussels for later in the year. The stores are meant to offer a multi-sensory experience, with workshops and events.
Amazon is working on a device that listens to users and understands how they feel. It is however not sure that it will make it beyond the prototype stage.
German Ceconomy, the holding that includes MediaMarkt and Saturn, has had a tough quarter due to negative currency and calendar effects. Still, the company reaffirms its prospects for the rest of the year.
In the first quarter of 2019, Amazon has more than doubled its net profit - significantly outperforming analysts' expectations. The online giant sees its revenue from subscriptions and web services grow by 40 %, meaning sales in its online stores are now worth only half of the company's total turnover.
Virtual and augmented reality make shoppers more inclined to buy things, a new Belgian PhD study shows. “VR and AR fill in the gaps of traditional marketing”, the University of Brussels study finds.
Amazon has thousands of employees who listen to users' recorded commands to improve the algorithms of voice assistant Alexa. Of course, they do get to hear a lot of sensitive material that way.
Albert Heijn showed his latest innovation at a conference: a delivery robot. The aim is to extensively test the robot on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven.
