Friday’s business headlines
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Jane King has a look at Friday’s business headlines.
Bed Bath & Beyond introduces new brands
Bed Bath & Beyond is introducing several new brands.
The chief executive officer says shoppers are increasingly skipping the national brand names and looking to try private labels.
It will launch six of its own brands in the next six months, aiming to get those items on shelves and on its website ahead of the busy back-to-school and back-to-college season.
It’s planning to launch at least 10 private labels in the next two years, while it simultaneously embarks on remodeling about 450 Bed Bath & Beyond stores.
Walgreens expands digital health platform
Walgreens is expanding digital health platform to add more providers.
The find care platform will have 11 new and four expanded collaborations with national and local providers.
Use of the digital health platform has rapidly increased to nearly 20 million visits, equal to a thirteenfold rise in web traffic versus last year.
Credit card with fingerprint scanner
Samsung and Mastercard are officially teaming up on a credit card with a built-in fingerprint scanner.
Per the announcement, all someone will need to do to authenticate a payment is pop their thumb onto one of the chips embedded into the card.
The plan is to allow for “safer interactions with reduced physical contact points” by foregoing the need to even bother touching a pin pad at all.
Netflix launching app similar to TikTok
Netflix is launching a short-form video feature similar to TikTok.
Fast Laughs is available only for the iPhone. Netflix said it would be testing on Android “soon.”
The feature will include a feed of funny clips from Netflix’s comedy catalog, including films, series, sitcoms and stand-ups.
One in eight Americans have Spring Break trip plans
The spring break season is traditionally the first major travel period of the year-but only about one in eight Americans plans a spring break trip this year.
Destination analysts says the data suggests that Americans remain wary about traveling amid the COVID-19 pandemic and that they may prefer to defer their travel plans until the process of vaccinating the populace is more complete.
For those who do plan to travel, the top reason is relax and escape stress.