Over the past 40 years, networks such as HSN and QVC have made live commerce a familiar concept: presenters gushing over the features and hard-to-beat prices of goods on live TV for consumers to buy.

More than 50% expecting more automation spending in the coming year, but stresses like concerns about labor availability, are showing more than ever. Those stresses are reflected in our survey, along with user preference for solutions that are integrated, turnkey and not prone to parts-availability problems. In short, our readers are dealing with high order volume, more difficulties finding labor, and subsequently, they want reliable automation to help them step up to these challenges.

Developed by Shadow Robot in collaboration with HaptX and Tangible Research, the Tactile Telerobot is a pair of robotic hands that allows users to grasp objects and even feel realistic touch feedback from virtually anywhere.

With most people in Japan relying on public transportation to get around, between a Monday-to-Friday commute and weekend leisure outings it’s not unusual to pass through a train station almost every day. So if you’re going to be at the station anyway, why not get your grocery shopping done while you’re there?

Last quarter, the company had introduced an on-demand grocery delivery service in Toronto and Montreal by opening two micro-fulfillment centers in respective cities.

Shoppers in the Netherlands this month are testing a new store format that takes retail automation to a whole new level, deploying what’s essentially a “buy online/pick up in store” (BOPIS) model in which robots prepare the orders.

The slowdown will apply to buying, leasing and developing warehouses. Amazon's warehouse network is now double what it was in 2020; it spent $25.4B on leased property in 2021, and $5.8B on build-to-suit development

Robotic advancement has reduced human effort a lot. Industries are increasingly depending on robots to enhance their production capacity. Robotic Dogs are used for patrolling by the defence forces. They have found their way into our household to do daily chores like trimming grass and cleaning.

Parcel lockers, typically set up in car parks, petrol forecourts and outside retail outlets for quick and easy collections, are a way of easing the burden on workers as labour shortages and Covid-19 disruption add to pressures.

Quick commerce services exploded in New York City last year. Roughly a half dozen start-ups in the city promise to deliver online grocery purchases to customers’ doors in as little as 10 to 20 minutes after ordering.

Logistics firms are finding new options to deal with a scarcity of storage, including building multistory facilities and choosing locations farther from coastal ports.

I didn’t know who or what a Getir was at the time, but a Google search quickly brought me up to speed. They’re an ‘ultra fast’ grocery delivery service that originated in Turkey. Customers can order groceries via an app and have them delivered in as little as eight minutes.