Industry brief  for the week of July 13th – July 19th 2014. All sources can be found in the hyperlink after the headline:

Retailer News:

• Nordstrom integrates Instagram to create shopping experience. Link
• Tory Burch launches FitBit jewelry collection. Link
• eBay partners with Sotheby’s for online auctions. Link
• Nordstrom in talks to buy Trunk Club. Link
• H&M’s NYC flagship will sell all product categories. Link
• Zara’s parent company to implement RFID technology in all stores. Link
• Puma teams up with We Go Hard for autumn/winter 2014. Link
• Warby Parker teams with Into the Gloss for new aviators. Link
• West Elm’s collaboration with Etsy could be the start of a new wave of partnerships. Link
• Under Armour to join forces with Samsung for wearables. Link
• Amazon reveals subscription ebook service. Link
• Rent the Runway goes ‘Unlimited’ with monthly subscription service. Link
• Ulta takes a chance on new brands. Link
• Design Within Reach is bought by Herman Miller. Link
• Dell now accepts Bitcoin for all online U.S. purchases. Link
• Online version of Ikea catalog adds shopping lists, favorites. Link
• This package could help Amazon use 200 times fewer boxes. Link
• Fendi opens Soho pop-up shop. Link
• Kate Spade launches first swimwear collection. Link
• Modcloth cuts almost 15% of its staff. Link
• Macy’s rethinking Brooklyn unit’s future. Link
• Neiman Marcus enables Visa checkout to boost ecommerce conversion. Link
• Uniqlo designed MoMa security staff’s new uniforms. Link
• How Ikea wins business through co-creation and collaboration. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

• Snapchat adds filters that unlock art based on your location. Link
• Twitter inches closer to ecommerce with CardSpring deal. Link
• Google Plus rescinded its real-name mandate. Link
• Turning likes into a career: social media stars. Link
• Brands go digital in extended sponsorships with music festivals. Link
• Agencies increase focus on cause marketing. Link
• Imgur roles out powerful new viral image search tool. Link
• Pinterest launches new category pages you can follow on mobile & web. Link
• Facebook tests new ‘buy’ button for online purchases in U.S. Link
• YouTube’s new content push: investing in its own stars. Link
• Beauty bloggers changing the face of the make-up industry. Link
• Buzzfeed cracks the Pinterest code. Link
• Facebook explains why it wants to be a retail store. Link

Start-ups:

• Kate Bosworth to launch new fashion app called Style Thief. Link
• An app that is like Tinder for shopping. Link
• Higgle lets like-minded shoppers name their price when they buy together. Link
• Threadflip raises $13M to grow workforce by 40%. Link
• App tracks product price drops with a simple screenshot. Link
• Why entrepreneurs are jumping on the drinkable meal bandwagon. Link
• Meet the Uber of the retail world. Link

International:

[APAC]

• Alibaba strikes deal with Nielsen to shed more light on Chinese shopping habits. Link
• Line’s new ecommerce app for Thailand is the scruffy cousin to its shopping app in Japan. Link
• Chinese ecommerce firm JD.com relaunches eBay-like Paipai to take on Alibaba. Link
• Five takeaways from Japan’s report on internet usage. Link
• WalMart increases Indian wholesale business. Link
• The world’s largest duty-free mall set to open in September in China. Link
• Amazon India introduces shopping via Twitter hashtag. Link

[AU/NZ]

• Apple brings trade-in program to Australia. Link
• TopShop close to Perth opening. Link

[CA]

• Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters coming to Winnipeg. Link

[EU]

• Primark plans US expansion. Link
• In EU, Google to stop labeling apps with in-app purchases as “free.” Link
• eBay doubling down on Click-and-Collect service in Britain. Link

[A/ME]

• Neiman Marcus debuts duty-free deals in the Middle East. Link

[LATAM]

• Alibaba teams up with Brazil postal service firm. Link
• Baidu search engine enters Brazil. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

• Starbucks testing mobile ordering system. Link
• Music messaging app lets users chat with song snippets. Link
• Visa tries to unseat Google Wallet and PayPal. Link
• Google Wallet iOS app adds gift cards, invoicing and the ability to send money from debit cards for free. Link
• Google inks deal to make smart contact lenses. Link
• Kim Kardashian’s iOS game couple make $200M this year—here’s how. Link
• Mobile marketing trends dominating the first half of 2014. Link

Other:

• UPS announces expansion of early morning delivery service. Link
• AirBnB gets a rebrand. Link
• Pinterest’s unique approach to building new features users love. Link
• Ex-Amazon manager gets funding to help retailers battle Amazon. Link
• Fashion labs: how tech is changing the way we dress and shop. Link