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How Tobias Lutke Of Shopify Became A Bold Leader?

cartoon of tobias lutke, founder and ceo of shopify
CEO and founder Tobias Lutke of Shopify may not dwell in the spotlight, but his bold leadership style has enabled Shopify to grow dramatically.

Ahold Delhaize’s Plans to Win the Battle for E-Commerce Grocery

Digital technologies have turned many industries upside down, and many believe the food industry is next. But the question now is who’s going to come out on top? Today, the e-commerce grocery business represents only four percent of all grocery sales with Peapod grocery service leading the way.  However, analysts suggest that online grocery sales will comprise 20 percent of the market by 2025 —  that’s $100 billion worldwide.


Given what’s at stake, many major competitors are jockeying for a position. It includes corporations like Kroger, Walmart and, Ahold Delhaize, as well as new kids on the block such as Amazon. How this all shakes out may depend on the initial strategies each company chooses to adopt. According to research released earlier in the year by Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Nielsen, almost half of Americans now buy groceries online. The surveys they conducted illustrated that 49% of US consumers acquired consumer packaged goods (CPGs) online during a three month period. Not surprisingly, the percentage among millennials, was even higher, at 61 percent, and among Gen Xers, 55 percent. The numbers are expected to grow rapidly with the organizations forecasting that 70% of US shoppers could be buying groceries online by as early as 2022.

The Evolving E-Commerce Grocery Landscape

Ahold Delhaize Infographic

Ordering your groceries online is not actually new. In fact, Peapod grocery service was founded in 1989, which is nearly 30 years ago. Peapod grocery services have since outlasted all other competitors during this time. The company now boasts over 35 million deliveries of grocery orders, and it continues to expand.

Chicago-based Peapod grocery services are affiliated with several grocers throughout the eastern and midwestern regions of the country. These include major grocers like Giant Foods, Stop & Shop, Hannaford, and Food Lion. With the merger of Ahold Delhaize a few years back, Peapod grocery services represent this conglomerate’s primary e-commerce arm.

The e-commerce grocery sector has been highly dynamic for some time. For example, Peapod grocery services operate several models at once. Peapod also has warerooms in addition to distribution warehouses for the preparation of grocery orders outgoing delivery. Unlike warehouses which are free-standing, warerooms are connected to brick-and-mortar grocery stores. Warerooms not only facilitate local delivery but they also provide in-store pickup options for customers.

Walmart, the number one grocery retailer, has a similar model. In fact, Walmart’s stores provide grocery delivery or pickup options to 40 percent of its market (100 metro areas). Kroger, the number two grocery retailer, also offers online delivery services through Kroger Ship. Most recently, Amazon Fresh entered the online grocery retail market. After Amazon purchased Whole Foods in 2017, it now owns eight percent of the retail grocery market. Amazon has plans to have 3,000 cashier-less stores by 2021, and clear competition in this area is advancing. Amazon is sure to bring about large changes including the acquisition rumors concerning Kroger — One option being a union with Ahold Delhaize.

Ahold Delhaize and Peapod Grocery Services

In 2016, Netherlands-based Ahold and Belgium-based Delhaize merged and effectively became one of the world’s largest grocery retailers. Ahold Delhaize combined several brands under one roof including Giant Foods, Food Lion and Stop & Shop. Likewise, Peapod grocery services were included in this merger. This provides them with not only eCommerce capabilities but also home delivery to compete against Instacart, Shipt, Amazon Go and Google Express.

Today, Ahold Delhaize serves over 50 million customers worldwide through its 6,500 stores. Moreover, this doesn’t include its chains of convenience stores and e-commerce services.

For Ahold Delhaize, the inclusion of Peapod grocery services in its arsenal is noteworthy. When Peapod grocery services began, several competitors entered the market. However, through the years, Peapod grocery services were the only ones to persevere. Though consumer preferences played a big role, Peapod grocery services learned many valuable lessons along the way. For one, Peapod grocery services developed streamlined distribution and logistic models. And secondly, Peapod grocery services learned how to connect with customers through drivers who were brand ambassadors.

These insights have served Ahold Delhaize well when one considers the future of e-commerce grocery. Some have criticized Ahold Delhaize for being too slow and cautious in its approach to grocery e-commerce. However, this gradual approach has been a warrant, given the change in the buying patterns of consumers. Ahold Delhaize is in a good position to compete, especially with trends in e-commerce beginning to change more rapidly in this sector today.

Ahold Delhaize’s E-Commerce Pursuits Beyond Peapod Grocery Services

While online grocery orders, deliveries, and pickups are critical for grocery retail of the future, other areas are similarly noteworthy. One of these areas involves “tap-to-go” technology that Amazon will be employing in its cashier-less stores. Items can simply be scanned using an app with direct debits from consumer accounts for payment. They are also experimenting with robots in the stores to take on janitorial tasks. There is no doubt that this level of convenience and efficiency will become the norm in the near future.

For Ahold Delhaize, the company already has such services in place in other countries. For example, in its convenience stores in the Netherlands, near-field communication technologies allow the same tap-to-go conveniences. These same technologies also provide Google Assistant, chatbots with recipes, and blockchain traceability. Experts anticipate these same e-commerce conveniences will be available at Giant Foods and other U.S. Ahold Delhaize stores soon.

Leveraging Ahold Delhaize Merger for Future Success in E-Commerce

There must be innovative strategies now with Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go seeking to expand its presence in the retail grocery sector. Likewise, Walmart, Kroger, and other retailers are rapidly shifting gears in anticipation of a growing online consumer market. However, Ahold Delhaize is already ahead of the game. In fact, in 2017 online customer sales grew by double digits for Ahold Delhaize to €2.8 billion. From Peapod grocery services to new in-store technologies, Ahold Delhaize is already leveraging experience, innovation and customer loyalty to success.

The Future of Neuromedicine: A Glimpse at This Rapidly Evolving Space

Over 100 million Americans are affected by a kind of neurological illness. Such conditions result in over $800 billion in annual costs. Likewise, over 40 million in the U.S. suffer from mental illness or psychiatric disease. The impact of psychiatric diseases is similarly profound, affecting not only individuals but families and society at large.

Together, these conditions comprise the field of neuromedicine. However, neuroscience offers tremendous hope. Rapidly advancing neuroscience technologies promise an array of new diagnostics and interventions that could dramatically change neuromedicine of the future.  Bold leaders in the neuromedicine field plan to make this a reality sooner than later.

Advances in Immunology and Neuroscience

Bold Graphics: the future of neuromedicine infographics

future of neuromedicine infographics

Two renowned scientists have received this year’s Nobel  Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Their discoveries of immune checkpoint proteins revolutionized cancer treatments through focused antibody therapies. These same techniques have already advanced care for brain cancers within neuromedicine today. Neuroscience, however, has other notable immune system advances as well.

For example, neuromedicine research is exploring the link between organisms in our intestinal tract and our brain’s functioning. Our intestines are home to 80 percent of our immune system. This area of neuromedicine, in addition to new antibody therapies, hold great promise for the future.

A Bold New World – Stem Cells and Gene Therapies

The use of stem cells in neuroscience continues to advance rapidly. By using stem cells, defective cells causing a disease may be replaced allowing better functional abilities. Alternatively, stem cells can be used in neuromedicine to protect function by adding cells that compensate for faulty ones. Stem cell treatments are being explored actively in neuroscience for conditions like Parkinson’s disease and ALS.

Notably, gene therapies and precision medicine are making huge impacts in other areas of healthcare. The same will apply to neuromedicine as well. For example, genes may be turned “off” or altered to treat neurological disorders like epilepsy and neuromuscular disease. Genome projects are also identifying a number of new biomarkers for neuromedicine conditions. These advances will permit earlier detection of risk or disease that can better prevent or slow onset of illness.

Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Cures – Neuroimaging Developments

For decades, neuroimaging advances have radically changed the practice of neuromedicine. The future of neuromedicine will see more of the same in this regard. Currently, the combination of high-resolution MRI with functional tracers using PET scan or other techniques is revealing bold new insights. New neuroscience has evidence about poorly-defined conditions like schizophrenia and fibromyalgia and how they are being exposed through these techniques.

The advances in neuroimaging go well beyond diagnosis, however. In fact, neuroscience projects are actively trying to define a neural connection map of the human brain. Specifically, the researchers at the Child Mind Institute are combining anatomical, functional and diffusion MRI data for this purpose. Neuromedicine projects like this could completely change our understanding of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

New Technologies, New Approaches in Neuromedicine

Several new developments in neuroscience are expanding the possibilities for future neuromedicine care. For example, transcranial MRI-guided ultrasound therapies could completely change the treatment of some brain and spine cancers. These techniques not only avoid incisions and radiation, but they are more precise and reduce recovery times. Other new technologies involve electroceuticals. Low-powered electrical devices are being researched for conditions like pain, depression, Parkinson’s disease, and others.

David Eagleman, Standford Neuroscientist quote on Neuroscience
Impact of Neuroscience on Society

Naturally, machine learning and artificial intelligence are already making an impact in neuromedicine. AI is being used in neuroscience research to help identify patient risks in developing mental health disorders like depression. Also, “smart” brain stimulators are being evaluated treatments for a range of neurological and psychiatric illnesses. These implantable wireless devices manipulate brain signals in an effort to attain better patient outcomes. As increasing amounts of data are integrated, these “big data” systems could rapidly advance neuroscience research and neuromedicine care.

The Future of Neuromedicine Is Needed Now

At present, over 1,000 known neurological conditions exist in the world today. Many of these conditions are degenerative illnesses that develop later in life. With a global population that is rapidly aging, advances in neuroscience are needed sooner. Fortunately, advances in neuroscience research and neurological care are happening quickly.  There are over 500 new drugs for neurological illnesses currently being tested by American pharmaceutical companies. Without question, innovation in the neurosciences is at an all-time high. Not only is the neuroscience landscape boldly expanding, but an array of companies and researchers are leading the way. For this reason, the future of neuromedicine is looking brighter than ever.

The Future of Neuromedicine Infographic

future of neuromedicine infographics

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