The retail technology week in numbers

$15 billion…Alibaba is working on an initiative called Alibaba DAMO Academy which will see it more than double R&D spending to $15 billion over the next three years.

Five million…Google’s mobile payment app, Tez, which launched in India on 18th September, has been downloaded five million times on Play Store.

76%...of British consumers are ready for stores to transform into showrooms, according to a new survey by HSO involving 100 people. 

£10 billion…With Black Friday fast approaching, Salmon is predicting that £10 billion will be spent via mobiles during November. It is also tipping the rise of voice ordering at Christmas.

$65.63…PayPal shares closed at a new high last week, on the back of its divorce from eBay and various new partnership arrangements with the likes of Facebook, Baidu and Citi.

Thursday saw shares hit $65.63 on the NASDAQ. 

1.9%...September saw UK retail sales increase by 1.9% on a like-for-like basis from the same time last year, when they went up 0.4% from 2015, according to BRC/KPMG research.

40%...Walmart online sales increased 63% in the first quarter, and then 60% in the second. And the retailer expects the good times to continue into next year. In a press release this week announcing its new $20 billion share buyback authorisation, it touched on its 2019 outlook, including an expected 40% increase in online sales. 

1,000… Kansas City has become the latest US city to show initiative/embarrass itself (delete where applicable) over Amazon’s plans for a second HQ.

The e-tailer is looking to open somewhere in North America an equivalent to its massive presence in Seattle. It says it will invest around $5 billion in the construction and operation of the new HQ, and plans to grow it to provide 50,000 jobs. Amazon is thought to prefer a city with more than one million people, a stable and business-friendly environment and locations that can attract and retain technical talent.

The company is asking cities to impress it (deadline of 19th October) with such incentives as tax credits, relocation grants and fee reductions. And Kansas City’s Mayor is on the case, buying 1,000 Amazon products and reviewing them on its website (cringe…well, at least all the products are going to charity). Mayor Sly James has been busy promoting his publicity stunt on the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

He gave all products five star reviews. So, if you’ve ever wondered where he stands on Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal, here you go: “It tastes great in milk, or your favourite milk alternative, or enjoy it with no milk at all”. Erm, thanks for that.

If you find such a carry on a tad desperate, bear in mind that the city council of Stonecrest, Georgia voted to change its name to Amazon, Georgia if the e-commerce giant chooses it as the HQ destination.