Month: October 2014

Weekly Industry Round Up: 10.27.2014

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My recap of top industry news from last week.  All sources can be found in the hyperlink after the headline:

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Target eyes holiday turnaround on free shipping and faux fur. Link
  • Retail’s new battleground: The I want what I want when I want it generation. Link
  • Trunk Club to open first brick-and-mortar store on Madison Avenue. Link
  • Under Armour’s rising sneaker sales have yet to tread on Nike. Link
  • Gilt names former Starwood Hotels exec as chief marketing officer. Link
  • Etsy launches card reader for in-person payments. Link
  • Amazon posts largest quarterly loss in 14 years. Link
  • Macy’s links with Google to show mobile users what’s in stock nearby. Link
  • Rakuten, Japan’s Amazon, launches fashion site in the U.S. Link
  • Staples is the latest retailer to be hit by hackers. Link
  • Apple shutting down Beats Music app and rolling it into iTunes. Link
  • J.Crew says it will sit out athletic trend. Link
  • Sears said to be closing 77 stores. Link
  • Groupon’s site now has dedicated pages for 7 million businesses across the US. Link
  • Bloomingdale’s equips fitting rooms with iPads for smart shopping. Link
  • Anthropologie may open in AT&T’s former NYC headquarters. Link
  • Asos sees future payoff from 2014 investments. Link
  • FedEx, UPS make plans for better holiday season. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Ello bans advertising and raises $5.5M in new funding. Link
  • Facebook launches new Rooms app that harkens back to early days of Internet chatrooms. Link
  • Groupon channels Yelp with new listings service. Link
  • Behind Twitter’s move to become a mobile-services shop. Link
  • Tumblr to make over $100M in revenue next year. Link
  • How Facebook is changing the way its users consumer journalism. Link
  • New Target CEO makes mark on holiday efforts. Link
  • Pandora gives musicians a data dashboard to see where their fans are. Link
  • North America holds tight to world’s largest ad spending share. Link
  • Haul videos influence holiday shopping. Link
  • Snapchat rolls out first advertiser. Link

Start-ups:

  • Glamsquad raises $7M for on-demand styling and beauty services. Link
  • Tindr to take a swipe at monetization with new premium dating upgrade. Link
  • Digital lockers will take parcels and clean laundry. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Zalora opens first offline shop. Link
  • India’s Snapdeal forays into premium designer segment. Link
  • China’s Alipay offers ePass payment service for U.S. retail websites. Link
  • Apple set to open 25 new stores in China by end of 2016. Link
  • Zara stumbes in India. Link
  • Taobao Marketplace launches click-and-collect in Singapore. Link

[AU/NZ]

  • Sydney’s Big Commerce takes on Amazon with Alibaba deal. Link

[EU]

  • American Eagle lands in UK. Link
  • Amazon web services to open German center. Link
  • Primark prepares to make entrance in U.S. Link

[CA]

  • Target Canada to experiment with overstocking in turnaround effort. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • Urban Outfitters tackles in-app product search challenge. Link
  • Google wants to organize your life with new email app. Link
  • TestFlight Beta testing goes live for all iOS developers. Link
  • Amazon takes retail approach to push flagging Fire phone. Link
  • Google wants Inbox to be your email system for the next decade. Link
  • Amazon quietly launches app store within its main Android app. Link
  • Square launches app marketplace to make third-party integration painless for businesses. Link
  • Twitter unveils Fabric, a welcome gift to mobile developers. Link
  • Fitbit announces new fitness trackers, including its first smartwatch. Link
  • Microsoft makes progress with phone and tablet sales. Link
  • Nike sees brighter wearables future with Apple. Link

[Apple Pay coverage]:

  • Square encircled as Apple, Paypal aim for mobile payments. Link
  • Apple Pay threatens a competing approach to simplifying payments. Link
  • CVS and RiteAid disable Apple Pay. Link
  • CurrentC is the big retailers’ clunky attempt to kill Apple Pay and credit card fees. Link
  • Bank of America customers double-charged in Apple Pay snafu. Link
  • Jumio launches card-scanning mobile checkout for retailers’ iOS and Android apps. Link

Other:

  • How to turn your company into a movement. Link
  • The psychology of web design. Link
  • Roku could file for IPO soon, raises as much as $150M. Link

 

Weekly Industry Round Up: 10.20.2014

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Top industry news from last week.  All sources can be found in the hyperlink after the headline:

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Google adopts a model for its delivery service that targets Amazon. Link
    • Google introduces $95 Amazon Prime competitor. Link
    • Google unveils subscription plan for same-day Express delivery services, adds 3 more cities. Link
  • Target teams up with mcommerce app to test curbside shopping. Link
  • Macy’s to open at 6pm on Thanksgiving Day. Link
  • Apple Pay launches Monday, October 20th. Link
    • Apple Pay draws hundreds of banks. Link
    • On Monday you’ll be able to do your shopping with Apple Pay. Link
    • 34 places where you can start using your iPhone to buy stuff. Link
  • Modcloth hit by second round of layoffs. Link
  • Conde Nast pushes on ecommerce. Link
  • Burberry first half sales rise amid digital growth. Link
  • With fashion strategy, can eBay boost emerging designers and itself? Link
  • Urban Outfitters shares down on weak Q3 comps. Link
  • A bid for Reebok kicks off. Link
  • Nordstrom plans more rack store openings for Fall 2015. Link
  • H&M’s & Other Stories launches online in US. Link
  • Bloomingdale’s new Palo Alto store has high-tech touches for digitally savvy shoppers. Link
  • Abercrombie names Ann Inc executive to be president of its Hollister brand. Link  
  • Nordstrom seeking space or second Manhattan store. Link
  • TopShop and Kate Spade Saturday opening in DC. Link
  • Walmart building two new online fulfillment centers in Georgia and Pennsylvania. Link
  • Gap teams up with art magazine in exhibit with apparel as canvas. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Google misses analyst expectations on slower click growth and higher expenses. Link
  • Twitter introduces Audio Cards so you can listen to music directly from your timeline. Link
  • Whisper’s selling point is anonymity but that may be at odds with its evolving business model. Link
  • Snapchat launches ads. Link
  • Spotify announces family plan for up to five users. Link
  • Inside Pinterest, the coming ad colossus that could dwarf Twitter and Facebook. Link
  • Chanel got 1.8M Instagram followers virtually out of nowhere. Link
  • Tumblr debuts first desktop app on the Mac App store. Link
  • Twitter’s music strategy: no app, just better listening. Link
  • Gap Factory to launch star-studded holiday push. Link
  • Twitter to roll out buy button to general public in early 2015. Link
  • Five trends your marketing team should budget for. Link

Start-ups:

  • MakeSpace, “cloud” storage for your stuff, goes national. Link
  • Smartzer zips up $400K to make fashion videos shoppable. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Costco makes first foray into China via Alibaba. Link
  • China’s 382M millennials demand corporate social responsibility. Link
  • Alipay Wallet has 190M annual active users, processing over 50% of Alipay’s daily transactions. Link
  • Acne Studios lands in Hong Kong. Link
  • Amazon seals major Indian deal with Future Group. Link

[AU/NZ]

  • Forever 21’s Aussie debut in Brisbane. Link

[EU]

  • Ikea targets French expansion. Link
  • Toys ‘R Us launches localized site in Poland. Link
  • French bank to allow sending money with tweets. Link

[A/ME]

  • TopShop opening in Cairo. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • American Eagle lures customers into fitting rooms with help of beacons. Link
  • Apple’s iPad Air 2 is thinner, faster and has TouchID. Link
  • GoldieBlox, the toymaker trying to get girls hooked on engineering, goes digital with new iOS app. Link
  • Is Google changing its mobile search results? Link
  • Travel, retail and media are the top three industries taking over the app store. Link
  • MasterCard will borrow a Touch ID trick for fingerprint scanning credit card. Link
  • Reddit debuts official mobile app. Link
  • LVMH: It may be time for a smartwatch. Link
  • Starbucks ramps up in-store mobile strategy for the holidays. Link
  • Microsoft plans to launch a wearable device within weeks. Link

Other:

  • HBO to launch standalone service in 2015. Link
  • Apple introduces a new mac mini, drops the base price to $499. Link
  • Nordstrom employee handbook has only one rule. Link
  • Ikea to invest in solar, wind power next year. Link
  • This Tumblr has discovered the dark secrets of the J.Crew catalog. Link
  • IBM paying $1.5B to shed its chip division. Link

Weekly Industry Round up: 10.13.2014

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Top industry news from last week.  All sources can be found in the hyperlink after the headline:

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Gap shares plunge after company announces a new CEO. Link
  • H&M’s & Other Stories opens in New York. Link
  • Why Urban Outfitters and REI chose checkout to spearhead responsive design push. Link
  • Amazon to open first brick-and-mortar store in New York City. Link
  • The booming market for second-hand luxury online. Link
  • eBay brand itself as place to ‘shop the world.’ Link
  • Bloomingdales tries smart fitting rooms. Link
  • Kmart data breach confirmed. Link
  • Kate Spade transformed a construction barricade into an interactive shopping experience. Link
  • Spring taps Beyonce as first celebrity shop. Link
  • Forever 21 opening in Philadelphia. Link
  • Nicole Miller finds growth with digital approach. Link
  • One Kings Lane closing LA office. Link
  • NastyGal is exclusive stylist for Lena Dunham’s book tour. Link
  • Target is going big with its innovative Boston store, CityTarget. Link
  • TopShop’s collab is a 90’s club kid’s dream. Link
  • Under Armour holds a game show to find its future. Link
  • JC Penney plucks Home Depot exec as new CEO. Link
  • Louis Vuitton pop-up is an upscale apartment in Hong Kong. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Google launches custom affinity audiences for display ad targeting. Link
  • How Glossier crafted launch on Instagram. Link
  • Why Dove is trying Snapchat for Self-esteem effort. Link
  • Marketing firms mining your selfies. Link
  • How Avon is retooling its digital game. Link
  • Twitter sues US government over data disclosure rules. Link
  • Facebook developing app that allows anonymity. Link
  • Facebook’s ad network opens to everyone. Link
  • Snapchat blames third party clients for devastating photo leak. Link
  • Fashion brands push social media ads. Link
  • Google’s mobile campaign is New York’s own scavenger hunt. Link

Start-ups:

  • Beepi raises $60M to sell used cars to the smartphone generation. Link
  • Children’s clothing marketplace Totspot raises $1.8M. Link
  • Bark & Co. debuts its first ecommerce site with doggie destination BarkShop. Link
  • Rocket Internet gets into the speedy grocery deliveries game with ShopWings. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Zara launches online in South Korea. Link
  • Chinese internet giant Baidu buys Brazilian discounter. Link
  • Xiaomi hires former Google executive to lead India product team. Link
  • Alibaba invests $50M in TV remote app Peel. Link

[AU/NZ]

  • H&M’s first Sydney store to open this month. Link
  • Zara opens second Perth store. Link

[EU]

  • Google denies half of all Europeans’ right to be forgotten requests. Link
  • One in three UK children now owns a tablet. Link
  • Britain loves wearables: One in ten set to use hardware as wearable tech explodes. Link

[LATAM]

  • Ann Inc. sets Loft entry in Mexico. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • AppleWatch lands Vogue China cover. Link
  • Bloomingdales: Beacons need value-driven campaigns, consistent experiences. Link
  • Wearable technology that feels like skin. Link
  • iPhones, iPads and the search query gap. Link
  • Low price, high hopes for OnePlus phone. Link
  • Fashion and functionality meet in smart jewelry. Link
  • Google hopes to make a splash in the phablet market. Link
  • Apple confirms October 16th event, iPads and iMacs expected. Link
  • Gimbal says beacons and smartphones will alter the consumer landscape. Link
  • What to expect from the new iPad. Link

Other:

  • Delta to ‘elite’ flyers, you’ll need to spend more money. Link
  • Marriott fined by FCC for blocking guests’ wi-fi. Link
  • What’s all that data worth? Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY ROUND UP: 10.7.2014

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Top industry news from last week.  All sources can be found in the hyperlink after the headline:

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Asos rises on Amazon bid talk. Link
  • Walmart opens Click-and-Collect facility. Link
  • Fab launches Hem, a new online furniture shop. Link
  • eBay opens fine art live-auction sites for second time. Link
  • HP is splitting into two publicly-traded companies. Link
  • Selfridges’ new £40m site reviewed. Link  
  • Smaller Bloomingdale’s sets tone for expansion. Link
  • How Kate Spade Saturday is carving out its own identity online. Link
  • Uniqlo opens first L. and Philly stores. Link and Link
  • Zalando makes lackluster debut in Germany IPO. Link
  • Into the Gloss launches its own line of beauty products.Link
  • With new app, Groupon goes after grocery deals.Link
  • Retailers predict holiday sales to grow 4% this year.Link
  • Amazon lets you add items to your wish list by tweeting.Link
  • Curbside powers same-day pickup at Target, raises $8M. Link
  • Gap Inc’s social media: selling feminism and equality, not t-shirts. Link
  • Alexander Wang unveils sport H&M ad campaign for his new collection.Link
  • Delias puts itself up for sale.Link
  • REI to embark on ambitious website makeover.Link
  • Saks Fifth Avenue to open in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Facebook agrees to ease policies on using real names for accounts. Link
  • Yahoo reportedly looking into Snapchat investment. Link
  • Facebook looks to the healthcare field as it eyes increasing engagement. Link
  • Buzzfeed introduces Buy It button on sponsored posts. Link
  • Facebook receives EU approval for $19B WhatsApp deal. Link
  • Twitter teams up with MIT to create new research lab to analyze every tweet. Link
  • Pinterest curates its own content with new weekly collections called “Pin Picks.” Link
  • Facebook updates research strategy. Link

Start-ups:

  • Houzz raises $165M for ecommerce push. Link
  • MiniLuxe brings high-tech beauty salons nationwide with $23M in new funding. Link
  • New e-delivery service sends groceries right to the trunk of your car. Link
  • com is a new marketplace that gives customers cash back. Link
  • AppBoy raises $15M. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Zara partly cedes China web control to Alibaba to aid growth. Link
  • Chinese online shoppers favor U.S. e-retailers. Link
  • South Korean mobile powerhouse buys Shopkick. Link
  • India will top China in device sales growth next year, report finds. Link
  • TopShop invests in mobile-social for China push. Link
  • China’s fragrance market can reach its potential. Link

[AU/NZ]

  • Lorna Jane dumps plan to sell. Link
  • Williams Sonoma confirms November 18th opening date in Melbourne. Link

[CA]

  • Staples closes 15 stores in Canada. Link
  • Spotify expands to Canada. Link
  • Sears to sell down Canada stake. Link

[EU]

  • Forever 21 cuts losses as it tries to crack UK. Link
  • Launching marketplace, eBay aims to drive consolidation in Russia. Link

[LATAM]

  • Williams Sonoma takes e-commerce operation to Mexico. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • eBay to split off PayPal as mobile payments gain ground. Link
  • Visa says Apple Pay will pave the way for more mobile wallets that people can actually use. Link
  • Square raises $150M. Link
  • What Rue La La is doing with iOS8. Link
  • Burberry has a special group dedicate to wearable tech and innovation. Link
  • Apple Pay promises big changes at the cash register. Link
  • Apple confirms slower adoption rate of iOS8. Link
  • Target ramps up mobile for personalized holiday experiences. Link
  • Groupon launches standalone app for receipts-based offers. Link

Other:

  • Consumers now expect everything to work on all devices. Link
  • Google announces new Spain campus for entrepreneurs. Link
  • Froont wants to make sharing responsive web design as easy as sharing code. Link