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:

Retailer + Brand News:

• Free delivery creates holiday boon for U.S. consumers at high cost. Link
• Coach to acquire Stuart Weitzman in $574M deal. Link
• U.S. Postal Services says package deliveries rose 18% in December. Link
• C.Wonder shutters operations. Link
• First look at the new furniture Ikea is bringing to the U.S. Link
• J.C. Penney closing 39 stores in April. Link
• Target’s next partnership: Lilly Pulitzer. Link
• Forever 21 embarking on biggest expansion to date; will open 50 new stores in next three years. Link
• Google wants to sell you auto insurance. Link
• Holiday web sales grow almost 14%. Link
• Payments business will bypass banks. Link
• Fab.com founder to start Bezar.com, an online pop-up marketplace for modern design. Link
• Modcloth co-founder exists; Urban Outfitters’ Matt Kaness joins as CEO. Link
• H&M links with Coachella for festival fare. Link
• Macy’s revamps to reflect shifting shopper. Link
• Zara to open more than a dozen new stores in U.S. this year. Link
• J.C. Penny and Macy’s to shut stores and lay off employees. Link
• Apple touts U.S. job creation, says app stores sales rose 50%. Link
• Macy’s mulls taking on T.J. Maxx, Nordstrom Rack in “off-price” wars. Link
• Kate Spade, Michael Kors shares decline as discount concerns spread. Link
• Wet Seal closing two-thirds of its stores. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

• Twitter planning to sell ads on apps and other sites. Link 
• Zuckerberg’s endorsement sends book flying up the charts. Link
• Rival social networks gain users but Facebook captures more attention. Link 
• Americans use more online social networks. Link
• After conquering Asia, the Selfie Stick does Las Vegas. Link
• Office Depot and Office Max unveil first combined brand push. Link
• McDonald’s launches next step in brand refresh with ‘Signs’ campaign with a Tumblr component. Link
• CES gadgets and gizmos offer marketers a new bag of tricks. Link
• Nike and AKQA turn people’s running data into 100,000 unique videos. Link 

Start-ups:

• Jet is the new trendy ecommerce site. Link
• Cuff raises $5M and partners with Richline to bring smart jewelry to the mainstream. Link
• This company lets you try on fitness trackers, Warby Parker style. Link

International:

[APAC]

• Abercrombie & Fitch launches 10 new ecommerce sites in Asia. Link
• Uber tests cargo delivery service in Hong Kong. Link
• Uniqlo global sales soar. Link

[EU]

• Click and Collect overtakes home delivery at John Lewis. Link
• Five ways technology could shape UK retail in 2015. Link
• U.K. Black Friday online sales surge 135%. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

• Taco Bell to give away 1M Doritos Tacos with mobile orders in January. Link
• Macy’s is 2014 Mobile Retailer of the year. Link
• Yahoo Mail iOS app now lets you track packages, customize Today view. Link
• Context-focused WiFi Alliance competitor to iBeacons due to arrive in devices this year. Link
• App usage grew 76% in 2014, with shopping apps leading the way. Link
• Target reaps rewards of mobile push as holiday traffic hits 60%. Link
• Wearables may be headed mainstream but many still aren’t ready for primetime. Link
• Apple’s cut from app sales reached $4.5B in 2014. Link
• Spotify makes shift to mobile with 52% of listening now on phones and tablets. Link
• Target hits mobile milestone. Link
• Google’s real-time voice translation service for mobile devices is on the way. Link

Other:

• Blackstone’s Byron Wien offers predictions for 2015. Link
• Kevin McKenzie on reinventing the shopping mall.Link
• Google-backed fund donates to Charlie Hebdo’s biggest issue ever. Link
• Amazon and Netflix win big at the Golden Globes.Link
• The five most disruptive innovations at CES 2015. Link