Cash Amazon Outside
Amazon has launched Amazon Cash, a new service allowing customers to add cash to their Amazon balance from $15-$500. By displaying a barcode at participating retailers, cash can be applied to any purchase – similar to how you use your Starbucks app to pay. A 2015 report from The FDIC shows that ‘cash customers’ account for 27% of consumers. Similar to PayPal, Amazon Cash incorporates a barcode-only service, allowing for more secure transactions and an easier way for customers to get the most out of their Amazon accounts. What’s of interest is this is another avenue where Amazon is competing with Apple (Apple Pay) and Google (Google Wallet). (Source: TechCrunch)
Oath, A Verizon…ish Company
Thanks to a leak on Twitter, the love-child of the soon to be Yahoo-AOL merger will be called Oath. Set to drop this summer, AOL states that Oath will be “one of the most disruptive brands in digital.” Or, as AOL CEO Tim Armstrong confirmed in a tweet, “Billion + Consumers, 20+ Brands, Unstoppable Team. #TakeTheOath. Summer 2017.” Some have joked it should be called “Oof.” Feel free to let us know some of the worst brand names in history – this seems like it would make the top ten list. (Source: TechCrunch)
Benz & Bosch
Mercedes-Benz’ parent company Daimler has announced a partnership with Bosch, one of the world’s largest suppliers of automotive components. The partnership’s goal is to have self-driving cars on the streets by the beginning of the next decade. The partnership adds to the long list of automotive and tech endeavors, including Fiat Chrysler/Google, Nissan/NASA, Ford/Argo AI, Lyft/GM, and Volvo/Uber. (Source: The Verge and PHYS.ORG)
