Hi there! This is my last weekly recap of 2014– crazy!  I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy 2015.

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:

• Five retailers who nailed it this holiday season. Link
• Amazon reveals holiday gift list, Elsa dolls number one. Link
• Holiday selling spikes late in the game. Link
• Amazon sorts itself out for holiday. Link
• UPS and FedEx cap holiday deliveries amid late surge. Link
• The best holiday sales growth in three years. Link
• Retailers playing nice with after-Christmas returns. Link
• It was a very mobile Christmas. Link

Retailer + Brand News:

• Demand for L.L. Bean boots soar. Link
• Urban Outfitters moving to super-size store in Chicago. Link
• Inside eBay’s secret retail lab. Link
• How Starbucks makes every store feel unique. Link
• American Apparel investor says board withheld key information. Link
• Wal-Mart and Macy’s strive for inventory optimization. Link
• Wal-Mart tests gift card exchange program. Link
• Delia’s store closings are happening and gift cards only valid through January. Link  
• Google fights Marriott’s plan to block wi-fi hotspots. Link
• Shoe customization gains traction. Link
• ASOS ordering system crashes as shoppers seek bargains. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

• Facebook’s popularity among teens dips again. Link
• Pinterest will open promoted pins to all advertisers following success of beta program. Link
• Ten most innovative digital ad products of 2014. Link
• Brands that scored big in social media this year. Link
• Beauty marketers spent 23% more on digital in 2014. Link
• New sales channel – Shop Spot – will let you purchase a product directly from any media source. Link
• Facebook must face lawsuit over scanning of users messages. Link
• Twitter users experience log in problems due to authentication issue. Link
• Netflix primes Tumblr service. Link

Start-ups:

• eCommerce platform adds social good outcome to every purchase. Link
• Crowd-funding startups are looking to refashion the business of fashion. Link
• Xiaomi raises $1.1B at $45B valuation. Link

International:

[APAC]

• China finally closes the ‘third party’ Gmail loophole. Link
• India’s online retailers truly arrived in 2014. How much will they grow? Link
• Japanese retailers gearing up for New Year’s sales. Link

[EU]

• Russian shoppers want imports even after the Ruble’s fall. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

• $30 smartphones are here and they’re getting better every day. Link
• Dr. Pepper, Wal-Mart engage mobile shoppers ahead of college football playoffs. Link
• Amazon sees nearly 60% of consumers shop for holidays on mobile. Link
• The strategy behind Airbnb’s mobile web redesign. Link
• Will 2015 be the experimentation year for mobile payments? Link
• Why 2015 may be the year of multiple mobile apps on one screen. Link

Other:

• LG partners with Mercedes-Benz to develop a system to power self-driving cars. Link
• The Interview nets $15M in online sales during opening four days. Link
• Understanding the Christmas attacks on xBox and PlayStation networks. Link
• Amazon details new features for its collaboration tool. Link