Online Shopping

Changing my phone to black and white for a week

By Keisha P. Crabtree 2 days ago

As of late, I have been glued to my phone. From social media to online shopping, I have created an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship with my hand-held friend. During a quarantine-safe hangout, I noticed that my friend’s phone was completely in black and white. Upon questioning her, she told me it helps reduce her screen time. That was exactly what I needed. I’ve done digital detoxes before but had never heard of this method. So I, too, set my phone to the gray scale mode and tried it for a week.

Going into it, my screen time was an embarrassingly high six hours per day (mostly due to TikTok). I wanted to cut that down to by at least half. Immediately, the usual vibrant assortment of apps and red notifications were replaced by dull shades of gray. Texting and calling still felt somewhat normal, but when I scrolled through apps that

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Hero Is a Virtual Shopping Platform That ‘Humanizes’ Online Shopping

By Keisha P. Crabtree 4 days ago

InvestorPlace

7 Blockchain Stocks to Buy to Go Beyond Crypto

Although cryptocurrencies have revolutionized the investment markets, they’re also incredibly risky. I would know. Recently, I explained that I had to exit out of the Bitcoin (CCC:BTC-USD) sector because it was too much. However, for those who are considering virtual currencies, you may be better served with blockchain stocks. First off, I simply don’t know where cryptocurrencies as a speculative vehicle will end up. That’s one of the reasons why I exited before the $50,000 target that I had previously called. Don’t get me wrong — I still believe in the continued rise of Bitcoin, and, therefore, I maintain a modest position. But I also had to get something out of this ride. Otherwise, it’d be for naught. Second, blockchain stocks represent investments in the underlying technology of Bitcoin and other virtual tokens. While I’m not 100% certain what the

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Men’s Wearhouse Intros Contactless Tech to Measure Customers: Will More Retailers Follow?

By Keisha P. Crabtree 6 days ago

Retail, once the mainstay of malls, can’t effectively exist anymore without a web presence. But to be really effective, retail stores should also maintain a brick-and-mortar location or locations. Men’s Wearhouse has embraced this business model with two new types of stores called “next-gen” stores — retail stores that give customers a combination of the online and in-store shopping experience.

Anyone who watches retail (a form of commercial real estate) has seen the rise of the omnichannel customer experience. Take clothes shopping. An example: Customers browse for apparel on their phone or computer, read about the product and its reviews, and order the item for pickup, where they can try it on at a brick-and-mortar store to ensure it’s what they want.

Why the need?

Once people started ordering products online, there was no going back. Some online product ordering works better than others, though. And with

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Online shopping is becoming more sustainable, with reusable boxes and more efficient deliveries

By Keisha P. Crabtree 1 week ago

The efforts are part of a larger shift within the retail industry to eliminate single-use cardboard and plastic as consumers increasingly weigh the environmental impacts of fast and easy shipping. Brands such as Clorox, Haagen Dazs and Seventh Generation are moving toward glass, aluminum and stainless steel packaging that can be returned, cleaned and refilled for subsequent uses, with the help of Loop, a program introduced two years ago at the World Economic Forum.

Sustainability experts say much of the pollution associated with online shopping occurs during “last mile” delivery, that final stretch from warehouse to doorstep. But they say packaging is perhaps an easier — and more tangible — problem to solve. Consumers’ increased reliance on online shopping during the pandemic also put a spotlight on discarded cardboard piling up in recycling bins across the country. Corrugated box shipments rose 9 percent early in the pandemic as Americans

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