Monday Minutes - March 26, 2018

  Monday Minutes

Monday Minutes 

In this week’s Monday Minutes, read up on Walmart’s blockchain initiatives, Dean Foods’ milk production cutbacks, and how AI, AR, and VR are redefining the eCommerce landscape.

Walmart Brings Blockchain Technology To The Food Business

Food safety is a growing concern as consumers are becoming more conscious of the environment and diners/shoppers are more interested in local, organic food. Walmart plans to address this issue by using blockchain technology to create a food tracking system to track food production from farm to table. The retail giant has already launched its blockchain pilot project in China, where they are tracking meat from farms in China to supermarket shelves. Walmart is quickly setting themselves apart as a blockchain leader solving one of the global food supply chain’s most vexing problems.

Dairy Farmers Lose Contracts With Dean Foods

Dozens of dairy farmers have to find a new place to sell their milk to after Dean Foods decided to end their milk contract with them. Some reasons for canceling the contracts include lower consumer demand for milk as well as aggressive competition in the milk processing business. It is a critical time for these dairy farmers as they scramble to find new customers to sell their milk.

Technology Redefining The ECommerce Landscape

How are AI, AR, and VR changing eCommerce? Here are three ways.

  1. Virtual and augmented reality technologies have redefined the consumer shopping experience by creating a more immersive selling experience.
  2. Artificial intelligence has helped sellers streamlined their back-office operations. Some examples include the dropshipping model and the use of robots to assist in logistics management.
  3. Processing payments between buyers and sellers have become more accessible with technologies such as gift cards and e-wallets.
