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Buy Online, Avoid People? GoDaddy Survey Uncovers New Gen Z & Millennial Shopping Habits

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GoDaddy Consumer Pulse highlights ways younger shoppers bend the rules in commerce

TEMPE, Ariz., May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A new survey by GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY) found the latest quirky shopping habits Gen Z and Millennials have adopted are changing the landscape of commerce — with some possibly unintended consequences.  

GoDaddy Consumer Pulse survey finds younger consumers will abandon cart for digital wallets.

In the latest GoDaddy Consumer Pulse* survey of 1,500 U.S. consumers, half of Gen Z (54%) and Millennials (50%) polled in March prefer shopping methods that allow them to avoid other people, like Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store, self-checkout or online shopping, over shopping methods that let them interact with others. Fewer than 1 in 3 (29%) Gen X and Boomers feel the same way.

Younger consumers’ priorities appear to starkly contrast with older generations. The new data shows night-and-day differences in the ways these younger generations shop.

Bots over humans: 15% of Gen Z and 10% of Millennials prefer talking to a chatbot over a human customer service representative, compared to 3% of Gen X and Boomers.

Curbside pickup or bust: The majority of Gen Z (86%) and Millennials (76%) purchase items online for in-store or curbside pickup at least once per month, with 1 in 4 Gen Z (23%) and Millennials (27%) doing so weekly. This is in contrast to half of Gen X and Boomers (51%) who never purchase items online to pick up at or in the store.

Budgetless shopping: About 4 in 10 Gen Z (39%) and Millennials (43%) have used Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) to purchase items they couldn’t afford, compared to 22% of Gen X and Boomers. Only 16% of consumers have never used BNPL.

Working hard or hardly working? Gen Z and Millennials shopping habits know no time bounds, particularly during the workday. Half of Gen Z (54%) and Millennials (50%) report they shop online while at work, compared to only 18% of Gen X and Boomers.

Digital wallets > credit cards: 54% of Gen Z and 41% of Millennials have skipped completing a purchase due to a business not accepting digital wallets, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, compared to Gen X or Boomers (17%). 1 in 10 (10%) Gen Z only use their phone to pay for items when shopping in-person, with 5% of Gen Z reporting they don’t even carry a physical wallet anymore. In contrast, more than 1 in 4 (27%) Gen X and Boomers have never used digital wallets.

Big or little lies? Around 1 in 4 Gen Z (27%) and Millennials (25%) said they have lied to be able to return an item they purchased, compared to 11% of Gen X and Boomers.

“Gen Z and Millennials want to shop online from their phones and be left alone, which makes providing an automated, personalized, yet hands-off experience for consumers all the more vital,” said Alex Avramenko, head of commerce growth at GoDaddy. “Is your online store truly mobile-friendly? Is it easy to find options for digital wallet payments or in-store pickup? These aren’t just trends. Consumers have consistently shown their desire for simple, convenient ways to shop and pay will make or break a sale, and small businesses need to adopt this new vision of what doing business looks like.”

The different generations do agree on some things.

POS devices could be more user-friendly: More than half (51%) of consumers have felt anxious when paying for items in-person because of the point-of-sale (POS) device at the checkout, most commonly because they weren’t sure how to use the device. This was felt more strongly by younger consumers, with 66% of Gen Z and 58% of Millennials and 44% of Gen X and Boomers feeling anxious at checkouts.

The physical wallet still reigns in retail: When shopping in-person, most consumers (59%) report carrying a physical wallet and exclusively paying with physical credit cards. However, 41% of consumers at least occasionally use their phone to pay for goods in-person.

Death of the laptop: More than half (56%) of consumers choose to use their phone when making larger online purchases of $150 or more, whereas only 36% would use their laptop, and just 8% prefer a tablet. Younger consumers are slightly more likely to prefer shop on their phones, with 70% of Gen Z and 63% of Millennials preferring to pay via a smartphone, vs. 49% of Gen X and Boomers.

Parking is not a dealbreaker: Most consumers (61%) said a lack of easy parking nearby does not factor into whether they will shop at a store. Although some people care about parking a lot. 4 in 10 shoppers (39%) report that they will not shop at that store that doesn’t have easy parking nearby.

The data is clear—to capture consumer sales, small businesses need to sell online. This means businesses with a brick-and-mortar store need to sell both online and in-person.

Small businesses that don’t have an online store can tap into the power of AI and use GoDaddy Airo® to build a website, generate a digital product catalog and more in minutes. For retailers looking for ways to provide more online conveniences, GoDaddy offers user-friendly smart point-of-sale terminals to enable younger consumer favorites like Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store and Tap-to-Pay.

To learn more about GoDaddy and its products, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

*GoDaddy Consumer Pulse is a series of surveys of consumers ages 18 and above conducted throughout the year.

About GoDaddy
GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo®, the company’s AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy’s expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com. 

Source: GoDaddy Inc.

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SOURCE GoDaddy Inc.

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Agile Robots Launches Agile ONE SN Humanoid at NVIDIA GTC Berlin and Pilots Humanoids with Audi

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BERLIN, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On 21 October, Agile Robots and NVIDIA launched the research humanoid Agile ONE SN at NVIDIA GTC Berlin. Agile Robots has released its new-generation Diana 7 and Diana 3 arms, both supporting the Franka Control Interface (FCI).

Agile ONE SN: humanoid reference platform

Agile ONE SN is built on the NVIDIA Isaac GR00T development platform. The 1.4-metre, 43-kilogram humanoid has dual WUJI tactile five-finger hands and 71 degrees of freedom in total, runs on NVIDIA Jetson Thor and ships with the GR00T 1.7 open VLA model. Skills developed on it can transfer to the full-size industrial Agile ONE. Availability is planned for early 2027.

Two days earlier, at the Invest in Germany Summit in Berlin, NVIDIA announced plans to invest in Agile Robots.

“Agile ONE SN gives R&D labs around the world a complete humanoid platform that is ready from day one,” said Dr. Zhaopeng Chen, founder and CEO of Agile Robots.

Application: humanoids in Audi’s logistics

Agile Robots, AUDI AG, Dassault Systèmes and NVIDIA also announced a joint project at Audi’s Ingolstadt plant. In the Audi Production Lab, mobile humanoids pick parts from containers and sequence them for final assembly, a task performed around one million times a day. The workcell is first tested in a DELMIA virtual twin accelerated by NVIDIA Omniverse libraries.

Diana 7 and Diana 3: one interface, from lab to industrial payloads

Diana 7 extends Franka Research 3 to higher payloads and reach, while Diana 3 brings the same force-control platform to entry-level research. Both share ±0.05 mm repeatability and 0.5 N relative force-control accuracy, and both support FCI, so Franka Research 3 code moves directly to Diana.

Diana 3 keeps seven degrees of freedom, joint torque sensing and compliant control for precision manipulation, lab automation and sample handling. Diana 7, shown at the 26th China International Industry Fair in Shanghai (12–16 October), offers 7 kg payload and 923 mm reach, and weighs 2 kg less than before.

About Agile Robots

Founded in Munich in 2018 by robotics researchers from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Agile Robots provides AI-powered robotics solutions and employs more than 3,500 people worldwide. With its subsidiaries BÄR Automation, Franka Robotics, idealworks and Krause Automation, it covers all areas of AI-driven robotics.

For inquiries, please contact us via apac-sales@agile-robots.com and visit our official website at www.agile-robots.com 

CONTACT:
Agile Robots
apac-sales@agile-robots.com 

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SOURCE Agile Robots

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ECOVACS WINBOT W3 OMNI Named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026

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NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2026 /CNW/ — ECOVACS ROBOTICS, a global leader in home service robotics, is honored to announce that its WINBOT W3 OMNI has been named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026 list[1]. This recognition underscores ECOVACS’ leadership in the robotic window cleaning, driven by relentless technological innovation, and highlights how these breakthroughs are reshaping everyday life in meaningful ways.

Acclaimed by TIME for turning the demanding task of cleaning floor-to-ceiling windows into a more effortless experience, WINBOT W3 OMNI builds on ECOVACS’ strong market position in the category, with the company shipping approximately 1.075 million robotic window cleaners in the first half of 2026 and capturing over 50%[2] of the global robotic window cleaner market in 2025. This market leadership is underpinned by ECOVACS’ pioneering role in defining and continuously advancing the robotic window cleaner category. Since introducing WINBOT, ECOVACS has continued to drive user-focused innovations that elevate cleaning performance, simplify the cleaning process, and bring greater autonomy to window care.

For more than two decades, TIME Best Inventions list recognizes groundbreaking innovations with the potential to change how we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible. Selected through a rigorous editorial process, ECOVACS WINBOT W3 OMNI earns its place on TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026 list, recognized for its originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.

WINBOT’s recognition by TIME as one of the Best Inventions reflects more than a single product breakthrough. It is built on ECOVACS’ years of technological expertise, extensive patent portfolio and ability to leverage core technologies across robotics, sensing, algorithms and intelligent manufacturing. With more than 3,100 patents granted and over RMB 5.2 billion invested in R&D since 2018, ECOVACS has established a strong technological foundation for translating its broader robotics capabilities into innovations tailored to the unique challenges of window cleaning. This accumulated expertise enables the continuous evolution of WINBOT, helping advance the category and deliver increasingly intelligent, reliable and effective cleaning experiences.

Showcasing ECOVACS’ innovation prowess, WINBOT W3 OMNI features a revolutionary station equipped with Vortex Wash, the industry’s first contact-free wiping pad washing system that eliminates the hassle of hand-washing dirty pads. Combined with the TruEdge scrubber, which brings precise edge-to-edge cleaning with millimeter-level accuracy, WINBOT W3 OMNI delivers a more thorough, hands-off cleaning experience.

Beyond WINBOT, ECOVACS is bringing robotics to more corners of everyday life through its expanding multi-category portfolio, from indoor floor care to outdoor pool cleaning and lawn maintenance, to make daily life easier and give people more time for what matters most.

About ECOVACS ROBOTICS:

Founded in 2006, ECOVACS ROBOTICS is a global leader in home service robotics with a diverse portfolio of products encompassing robotic vacuum cleaners and robotic window cleaners. With its expansion into robotic lawn mowers, commercial cleaning robots, robotic pool cleaners and robotic pet companions, ECOVACS solidified its position as a multi-category leader in home service robotics.

Guided by the vision “Robotics for All”, ECOVACS continues to advance technology and enhance the user experience to make life smarter and more stylish for consumers worldwide. With sales subsidiaries in Germany, the United States, Japan, and Singapore, ECOVACS products reach nearly 180 major markets and serve over 38 million households globally.

A testament to this market leadership, ECOVACS ROBOTICS has ranked first in China’s robotic vacuum cleaner market by share for ten consecutive years (2015-2024).

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SOURCE ECOVACS ROBOTICS

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Compal and ARC Cloud Forge Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Large-Scale AI Infrastructure

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The MOU outlines a global strategic collaboration spanning advanced AI computing systems, high-performance GPU clusters and next-generation data center infrastructure.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Compal Electronics, Inc. (TWSE: 2324) (“Compal”) and ARC Cloud today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance their strategic collaboration in large-scale AI computing infrastructure.

Signed during the 2026 OCP Global Summit, the MOU establishes a framework for collaboration across multiple projects. As part of their broader collaboration, the companies will explore opportunities related to a data center development roadmap of up to 100 MW. The partnership also aligns with ARC Cloud’s plans for continued expansion through significant capital investments in AI infrastructure and data center development across the United States, including California, Nevada, Texas and Georgia.

The collaboration brings together Compal’s advanced AI server technologies and manufacturing expertise with ARC Cloud’s end-to-end capabilities in AI infrastructure investment and the design, deployment and operation of large-scale GPU clusters.

The partnership extends beyond AI server supply to encompass system engineering, technical validation, deployment coordination and ongoing support. By aligning advanced computing technologies with infrastructure requirements, the companies aim to accelerate the delivery of computing capacity for AI model training, fine-tuning and inference.

“AI computing is moving toward increasingly integrated, high-density systems that require closer coordination between technology manufacturers and infrastructure providers,” said Alan Chang, Vice President of Infrastructure Systems Business Group (ISBU) at Compal. “Our partnership with ARC Cloud allows us to build on our engineering strengths and explore new opportunities to support the growing NeoCloud market.”

How the Companies Will Work Together

Under the MOU, Compal will contribute its expertise in AI server manufacturing, rack-scale integration and liquid-cooling technologies. ARC Cloud will bring its capabilities in infrastructure investment, strategic technology partnerships, and the engineering and operation of high-performance GPU clusters.

The companies will work to align system configurations, production schedules and data center deployment requirements, while exploring cooperation in joint engineering, system validation and lifecycle technical support. These efforts are intended to improve deployment efficiency and operational readiness as AI computing environments grow in scale and complexity.

“AI customers need more than access to GPUs. They need computing environments that can deliver consistent performance for demanding workloads,” said William Tiah, Co-Founder of ARC Cloud. “Working with Compal allows us to bring system engineering and infrastructure planning closer together, helping us build and operate reliable GPU clusters as demand for AI computing continues to grow.”

About Compal

Founded in 1984, Compal is a leading global manufacturer of computers and smart devices and a Forbes Global 2000 company, partnering with top-tier brands worldwide. The company has expanded into cloud servers, automotive electronics, smart medical and healthcare, and advanced communication solutions. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, Compal operates globally across the U.S., Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, and Poland. Website: https://www.compal.com

About ARC Cloud

ARC Cloud (Accelerated Research Computing) is a U.S.-based, full-stack NeoCloud company specializing in the investment, development and operation of large-scale AI computing infrastructure. With end-to-end capabilities spanning data center development, GPU cluster design and deployment, infrastructure orchestration and operations, and cloud-based AI services, ARC Cloud provides dedicated GPU compute, managed infrastructure, model deployment and production inference for AI developers, enterprises and cloud service providers. Website: https://arccloudai.com

Forward-Looking Statements

The MOU establishes a framework for cooperation and does not constitute a binding investment or purchase commitment. The potential 100 MW data center development roadmap referenced in this announcement is exploratory and does not represent a confirmed project, capacity commitment, purchase commitment or revenue forecast. Specific projects, capacity, commercial terms and timelines remain subject to further agreements and applicable conditions. Actual outcomes may differ from current expectations.

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SOURCE Compal Electronics, Inc.

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