Hi there! Below is a recap of news in fashion, retail, and technology over the last week. All sources can be found in the hyper-linked text after each headline:

Holiday:

• Banana Republic offering same-day delivery for holiday. Link
• Beacons pop up in stores ahead of holidays. Link
• Why post-Christmas shopping may be up this year. Link
• Holiday shipments seen at risk in U.S. port labor strife. Link
• Christmas shopping becomes a big deal in Asia, Middle East. Link
• Merchants work to draw in last-minute shoppers. Link
• Online holiday shopping up 15% from last year. Link

Retailer + Brand News:

• Google plans to enhance its shopping site with features that challenge Amazon. Link
• Apple stops online sales in Russia over Ruble fluctuations. Link
• Puma owner Kering said to have explored sports firm sale. Link
• Apple stores are recruiting fashion/luxury experts ahead of Apple Watch debut. Link
• Zara launches home store format. Link
• Etsy links online marketplace to social commerce. Link
• Staples says 1.16M credit cards compromised by hackers. Link
• Net-a-porter buys My Wardrobe domain. Link
• Rent-the-Runway raises $60M to open more stores. Link
• Amazon launches ‘superfast’ deliver in NYC, with one and two-hour delivery options. Link
• ASOS raises its free shipping minimum again. Link
• Estee Lauder purchases Glamglow. Link
• Amazon and the art of distribution. Link
• Rihanna is the new creative director of Puma. Link
• Fedex to buy product-return firm Genco in ecommerce push. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

• Brandy Melville, Instagram’s first retail success. Link
• Bethany Mota is 2014’s most Googled fashion designer, ahead of Kate Spade and Valentino. Link
• Here are the brands whose follower counts were hit hardest in Instagram’s spam purge. Link
• Google’s making it easier to figure out if online ads actually drive in-store traffic. Link
• Instagram is now worth $35B. Link
• Facebook caves to Russian censorship, blocks page supporting Putin critic. Link
• The lesson of the Sony hack: we should all jump to the ‘erasable internet.’ Link
• Paypal Global Strategy Chief jumps to Facebook. Link
• Video ads are performing well on Facebook, but YouTube still accounts for more views. Link
• Why does lifestyle branding sell more than luxury. Link
• Top brand tweets of 2014. Link
• Snapchat reportedly buys Google Glass-like startup, Vergence Labs. Link

Start-ups:

• Food startup Hampton Creek raises $90M. Link
• Clever raises $30M for ‘single login’ education-tech app. Link

International:

[APAC]

• Inside Taiwanese retailers’ amped-up race to delivery your packages. Link
• Who needs Amazon or Wal-Mart? China cuts out the middleman, buy direct from factory. Link
• Advertising on smartphones embraced in China. Link
• Alibaba was the most-searched IPO of 2014. Link
• Burberry beauty box heads to Asia. Link
• Wal-Mart bullish over Sam’s Club in China. Link

[CA]

• Ikea to open string of smaller stores across Canada, primarily for ecommerce pick-ups. Link

[EU]

• Europe’s internet use surges. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

• Airbnb updates its mobile site with responsive design and larger images in search results. Link
• Apple Pay claimed 1% of November’s digital payment dollars. Link
• Messaging app Line’s first acquisition: music streaming service MixRadio. Link
• Why retailers must succeed in introducing mobile payment systems. Link
• Dozens more companies sign up for Apple Pay. Link
• Samsung boots up its smart home division. Link
• Facebook launches major speed improvements in Messenger app. Link
• Blackberry turns back clock with classic QWERTY keyboard. Link
• Samsung hopes to secure top spot on Internet of Things revolution. Link
• T-Mobile allows subscribers to hold on to unused mobile data. Link
• Samsung may be planning Apple Pay-like service. Link
• How mobile is shifting shopping patterns. Link

Other:

• Millennials choose to buy differently. Link
• The most important web design trends for 2015. Link