Month: August 2015

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 8.31.2015

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Happy Monday! Industry news from the last week is below.  Sources in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Have a great week!

Brand/Retailer:

  • Amazon rolls out 1-hour alcohol delivery service. Link
  • Free People surpasses H&M, Zara and Forever 21 as top destination for college girls. Link
  • Best Buy’s store-within-a-store bet is paying off. Link
  • Amazon curtails development of consumer devices. Link
  • Abercrombie & Fitch ditches logo, targets grown-ups. Link
  • Why J.Crew decided to ditch high fashion. Link
  • Tiffany profit misses estimates after currency weighs on sales. Link
  • Aeropostale reports Q2 loss. Link
  • Abercrombie & Fitch shares jump after earnings top estimates. Link
  • The Outnet turns to beauty. Link
  • Gap Inc. eliminates on-call scheduling. Link
  • H&M creates a grant for innovations in clothing recycling. Link
  • Days numbered for barcodes as shoppers demand more data. Link
  • At test Target cafes, hot dogs out, salads in. Link
  • Foot Locker CEO: ‘Casualization’ trend is here to stay. Link
  • In new Amazon Prime program, not all goods arrive in two days. Link
  • Why Converse decided to mess with success. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Instagram moves beyond the square. Link
  • Aerie sees sales jump after abandoning airbrushing. Link
  • What Instagram’s new formats may mean for marketers. Link
  • Gisele dances in Stuart Weitzman’s first-ever commercial. Link
  • & Other Stories launches slightly obscure collaboration with new Instagram account. Link
  • YouTube gaming set to launch with upgraded live-streaming feature. Link
  • Facebook and Google want you to do more with those photos. Link
  • Forever21 targets older millennials and they’re using celebrities to do it. Link

Startups:

  • Forget Etsy, app Tictail wants to democratize ecommerce. Link
  • An ex-Apple engineer takes on the furniture industry with couches you can FedEx. Link

International:

  • Hermes first-half profit jumps 20% on faster Japan sales growth. Link
  • GST to apply to all Australian overseas purchase from July 2017. Link
  • Netflix partners with Softbank for Japan launch. Link
  • Suffering at home, Bebe pushes into China. Link
  • Torrid to open first international store in Canada. Link
  • Saks to open its first Off 5th in Western Canada. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Facebook tests digital assistant for its messaging app. Link
  • Etsy’s mobile app lets you locate local artisans on-the-go. Link
  • Google Maps goes after Yelp, Waze with added features. Link
  • Walgreens new app anticipates users’ needs with intelligent messaging. Link
  • Silicon Valley to get a manufacturing innovation institute. Link
  • Why WhatsApp bombed in the US, while Snapchat and Kik blew up. Link
  • Apple lines up September 9th event, seen unveiling new iPhones. Link
  • LG tracks Apple with ‘urbane’ luxury smartwatch. Link
  • Amazon boosts its artificial intelligence chops. Link
  • Target’s Cartwheel app drives 10% more offer downloads via personalization. Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 8.24.2015

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Hi! Industry news from the last week is below.  Sources in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Have a great week!

Brand/Retailer:

  • Macy’s tests chutes, tablets in dressing rooms to repel Amazon. Link
  • TBS to launch a new tech show sponsored by Intel. Link
  • American Eagle strikes successful chord with Aerie brand. Link
  • Target’s latest ecommerce weapon is more precise delivery windows. Link
  • Conde Nast hit web traffic high and turns on the caffeine. Link
  • Comcast to invest $200M in Buzzfeed. Link
  • Uniqlo to try out four day work week. Link
  • Madewell recalls over 50K sandals. Link
  • Gap’s earnings meet estimates as new CEO works to revamp chain. Link
  • Inside Lands End’s quest for a younger, cooler customer. Link
  • Urban Outfitters beats Q2 profit forecasts. Link
  • Sephora sends sales higher at JC Penny. Link
  • H&M launches denim collection made from in-store clothing donations. Link
  • Target is doubling down on design that is both fabulous and functional. Link
  • Gap to test fast fashion model in select stores. Link
  • Gap CEO committed to elevating product before boosting marketing. Link
  • Amazon’s PR troubles show corporate culture impacts brand perception. Link
  • Not just millennials, consumers what experiences over things. Link
  • Forever 21 aims to grow up with its customers. Link
  • Apple shuffles in-store products for updated shopping experience. Link
  • WalMart sees growth ahead in global ecommerce. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Twitter opens up its mobile ad network, introduces video. Link
  • Google’s plan to win the music-streaming marketing war: partner with cool brands. Link
  • Facebook has taken over from Google as a traffic source for news. Link
  • Facebook takes on Medium and Linkedin with new Notes look. Link
  • Twitter gives promoted tweets and video ads more mobile reach. Link
  • Facebook tries allowing GIFs in ads and page posts. Link
  • Google brings Twitter to desktop search results. Link
  • Why Target had the only ad in Vogue’s September issue with a digital edge. Link
  • Snapchat Discover to add Mashable, limit sponsorship takeovers. Link

Startups:

  • Google Ventures just led a $100M investment in 3D printing startup Carbon3D. Link
  • 50 companies that may be the next startup unicorns. Link
  • Thread raises $8M to scale personal styling service. Link

International:

  • Zalando sees success by tailoring its brand to each market. Link
  • AirBnB’s China strategy is to get more people to leave China. Link
  • Uber raises $100M from Tata of India. Link
  • Luxe for sale as Cartier, Prada become bargains in Brazil. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • LinkedIn unveils app to compete with corporate directory. Link
  • Google adds Marshmallow to its Android pantry. Link
  • Swatch CEO signals plan to add smartwatch range. Link
  • Ralph Lauren is bringing its sensory ‘smartshirt’ to market for $295. Link
  • Mobile video advertising is growing three times as fast as spending on desktop video. Link
  • Samsung introduces new phones, Samsung Pay and Periscope competitor. Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 8.17.2015

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I’m back! Industry news from the last week is below.  Sources in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Have a great week!

Brand/Retailer:

  • ModCloth’s new line, new CEO offer fresh start. Link
  • Yahoo buys Polyvore for more than $200M. Link
  • Apple swaps online ‘store’ for ‘buy’ buttons. Link
  • Sephora launching beauty box subscription service. Link
  • Brad Goreski will sell C.Wonder on QVC as its new creative director. Link
  • Alibaba to buy back $4B of stock after share price rout. Link
  • Inditex surge takes Zara owner’s market value past $100B. Link
  • How Olivia Kim is teaching Nordstrom to think small. Link
  • Lime Crime slapped with FDA warning for ‘unsafe’ lipstick. Link
  • NBC Universal invests $200M in Vox Media. Link
  • Ellen Degeneres’ lifestyle brand is coming to Bergdorf Goodman in September. Link
  • Google launches new company, Alphabet. Link
  • Target tiptoes into grocery delivery. Link
  • Restoration Hardware is going to sell fancy furniture for teenagers. Link
  • Zalando raises annual sales forecast after strong second quarter. Link
  • Old Navy delivers another win for Gap’s July comps. Link
  • Online sales leading toward smaller, urban warehouses. Link
  • Warby Parker signs on to Nordstrom’s pop-up concept. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Facebook joins the live-streaming crowd with a service for celebrities. Link
  • Instagram takes on growing role in the art market. Link
  • Facebook reverses plan to limit data for advertisers. Link
  • Comcast is about to launch a major video platform called Watchable to rival Facebook and Google. Link
  • Amazon tweaks ads on its site, in possible challenge to Google. Link
  • Inside Taco Bell’s Snapchat strategy. Link
  • Levi’s latest campaign seeks to make denim look cool again. Link
  • Target to have shoppable ads in Vogue’s September issue. Link

Startups:

  • Snapdeal will invest $100M in its research arm over the next three years. Link
  • Will ‘Uber for Models’ disrupt the industry? Link
  • Why Time Inc invested in visual search engine Snap Fashion. Link
  • Jessica Alba’s startup, Honest, valued at $1.7B. Link

International:

  • Alibaba lands Macy’s as first U.S. department store for its online portal. Link
  • As Macy’s eyes China, some see need for focus at home. Link
  • Beauty without borders as South Korean products sell in America. Link
  • How Nordstrom is avoiding a Target-style collapse in Canada. Link
  • How Western fashion brands are using social media in China. Link
  • Smartphone shopping offers big opportunities in Indonesia. Link
  • Rural Chinese villagers are the hot new ecommerce market. Link
  • Five reasons India will become the world’s next ecommerce giant. Link
  • Ikea opens concept store in Abu Dhabi. Link
  • Hudson’s Bay sets sites on Europe. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Google wires San Antonio for fiber-optic internet. Link
  • In a shift, Rite Aid to accept Apple and Google mobile payments. Link
  • Apple looking at facial recognition for easing photo-sharing. Link
  • Web retailers, now with stores, teach new tricks. Link
  • Google: Going mobile only is fine for our search results. Link