Month: September 2015

Weekly Industry Brief: 9.28.2015

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Below are selected highlights from the week in retail, fashion, technology, and ecommerce. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Quirky is filing for bankruptcy and selling its smart home subsidiary. Link
  • Amazon offered discounted Prime memberships on September 25th. Link
  • WalmartLabs snaps up Silicon Valley based Punchtab, with focus on Sam’s Club customers. Link
  • Groupon is laying off 1,100 employees and shuttering operations in seven countries. Link
  • Hermes launches a content website to promote its men’s line. Link
  • Apple is about to change everything we know about TV. Link
  • Kenneth Cole is revamping its brand identity by embracing its activist past. Link
  • H&M’s plans for global domination: expanding beauty and opening three stores a day. Link
  • Why Coach is focusing on ready-to-wear. Link
  • Kit and Ace continues its expansion from in-store coffee shops to technical silk for spring. Link
  • H&M sales recover in September after weak August. Link
  • Target hires executive for new operations role. Link
  • Can America’s biggest beauty retailer take on Sephora? Link
  • Uber has a new pre-paid ride service called UberEvents. Link
  • Macy’s to hire 85,000 workers for holiday shopping season. Link
  • Amazon getting ready to launch it’s “Etsy killer.” Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Most Instagram users are outside the U.S. Link
  • Instagram hits 400 Million users, soars passed Twitter. Link
  • Facebook will bring in $163B in global ad revenue this year. Link
  • Kardashians off to a big start with their own web channels. Link
  • Five things to know about Facebook’s Internet initiative. Link
  • Balmain for H&M releases first image from ad campaign. Link
  • Facebook takes 360 degree video out for a spin. Link

Startups:

  • You can now have wine delivered with your Blue Apron dinner. Link
  • Quixey reaches into apps to boost mobile commerce. Link
  • Lyft moves customer support team to Nashville to combat high-priced San Francisco market. Link

International:

  • Mobile and marketplaces lift French online retail sales in the first half. Link
  • Sephora partners with Indian beauty retailer. Link
  • Google announces plan to put WiFi in 400 train stations across India. Link
  • Alibaba makes Beijing a hub. Link
  • France rejects Google’s efforts to limit application of privacy ruling. Link
  • Nike sprints ahead as China sales defy economic slowdown. Link
  • Billionaire’s startup brings Black Friday to Pakistan’s shoppers. Link

Mobile:

  • You can now order your Starbucks before you get to the store. Link
  • Websites attract bigger audiences but users spend more time in apps. Link
  • Four brands whose creative approach to mobile marketing are getting big results. Link
  • Apple says half of devices have downloaded iOS9. Link
  • More brands flock to Amazon Dash but largely remains an experiment. Link
  • Smartphone users spend almost all their time in their three favorite apps. Link
  • Samsung and Oculus announce $99 gear VR headsets for Galaxy phones. Link
  • Samsung touts mobile payment success. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 9.21.2015

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Below are selected highlights from the week in retail, fashion, technology, and ecommerce. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Burberry becomes first major fashion brand with an Apple Music channel. Link
  • Walgreens offering same day delivery with Postmates. Link
  • Small-batch, crafted denim is on the rise. Link
  • Restoration Hardware’s new teen line. Link
  • If you don’t offer same-day shipping, you’re disappointing 56% of millennials. Link
  • Under Armour expects to generate $7.5B in revenue by 2018. Link
  • Kohl’s latest collaboration is with Thakoon. Link
  • Apple says iPhone pre-orders are beating last years’ pace. Link
  • Move over millennials, here comes generation Z. Link
  • Amazon Prime offers six months of the Washington Post for free. Link
  • Postmates CEO on a potential partnership with Lyft. Link
  • The upcoming H&M x Balmain collection is two months away. Link
  • Under Armour and Sports Authority partner to reward work outs. Link
  • Target to foster retail tech startups. Link
  • J.Crew going back to basics. Link
  • Jet.com attracts millennials. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Facebook may gain alternative to the like button. Link
  • Six lessons brands can learn from Lauren Conrad’s social success. Link
  • Pinterest surpasses 100M monthly users. Link
  • Instagram is on track to becoming a $5B product. Link
  • Snapchat is now hosting exclusive live stories from the NFL. Link
  • Facebook bends to advertiser viewability demands. Link
  • Fake Google site combats apathy towards refugees. Link
  • Facebook is putting more of your data into its ad-relevancy machine. Link
  • Facebook preparing to launch its Office product. Link

Startups:

  • CentreStyle, built by teenagers, helps you get dressed in any weather. Link
  • Startup seeks to help brands sell excess fashion stock. Link

International:

  • American Eagle Outfitters wants its slice in Western Europe. Link
  • Refinery 29 heads to the UK, then Germany and France. Link
  • UK’s online sales growth slowed in August. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Amazon has 6 new devices and an actual plan for hardware. Link
  • Walmart simple text could be Walmart’s version of magic. Link
  • Walmart built the fastest-growing retail app by focusing on one key shopper habit. Link
  • The most popular paid iPhone app right now is an ad blocker. Link
  • Stripe unveils a new tool to help retailers build native buying experiences in apps. Link
  • Facebook looks to bring virtual reality to mobile devices. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 9.14.2015

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Happy Monday! Below is a recap of the industry from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • eBay set to offer shipping club, starting in Germany. Link
  • Etsy testing same-day delivery in New York. Link
  • Toys R Us lowers free shipping limit for online orders. Link
  • Restoration Hardware gears up to launch new concept. Link
  • Macy’s chasing consumer electronics sales through Best Buy partnership. Link
  • Primark throws its hat into U.S. market. Link
  • Google to start testing grocery deliveries this year. Link
  • Farfetch opens ecommerce platform to brands. Link
  • Lululemon profit exceeds estimates as new styles drive sales. Link
  • Quicksilver files for bankruptcy. Link
  • How low can ‘free shipping’ minimums go? Link
  • Coach to debut luxury line at fashion week. Link
  • Kate Spade delivers more clever accessories for Spring. Link
  • Google follows Amazon web services into on-demand supercomputing. Link
  • Blackberry to buy Good Technology getting deeper into security. Link
  • Etsy getting into the manufacturing business. Link
  • Rebecca Minkoff debuts iPhone-charging wallet and new Apple Watch bands. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Wendy’s VP: millennials respond to realness in video. Link
  • Timberland looks beyond millennials in new ad campaign. Link
  • Kohl’s brings fashion week to shoppers with Lauren Conrad runway livestream. Link
  • Apple exploring creation of its own original video content. Link
  • Uber’s in-car magazine is advertisers’ ticket to targeting local clientele. Link

Startups:

  • Secondhand clothing marketplace thredUP raises $81M Series E let by GSIP. Link
  • Berlin-based online fashion and lifestyle retailer Lesara bags more funding. Link
  • The Black Tux grabs $25M to dress men to the nines. Link
  • Trillenium takes virtual reality into online shopping. Link

International:

  • Ikea moves forward with plans to enter India. Link
  • Russian fashion market’s plunge turns heat on global brands. Link
  • Swatch CEO plays down China turbulence. Link
  • John Lewis to start selling Apple Watch across UK. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Sotheby’s auction coming to an art app near you. Link
  • Everything to know about Apple’s event. Link
  • U.S Consumers now spend more time in apps than watching TV. Link
  • A closer look at the fancy new Hermes Apple Watch band. Link
  • Starbucks app update raises bar on mobile payments. Link
  • eBay’s apps get a refresh. Link
  • Android Pay goes live, Google Wallet becomes cash swap app. Link
  • Amazon dumps the Fire phone. Link
  • Apple wants to sell you an iPhone for $32 per month. Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 9.8.2015

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

Brand/Retailer:

  • Modcloth to open first store, hire fashion director. Link
  • Uber to unveil big ecommerce delivery program with retailers in the fall. Link
  • Nike wants to win winter with a $185 hoodie. Link
  • ASOS Chief and founder to step down after 15 years. Link  
  • Net-a-porter founder Natlie Massenet resigns. Link
  • Fila teams up with Urban Outfitters for exclusive line. Link
  • Etsy’s pulling the plug on Grand St. at the end of September. Link
  • TrueCar helps Sam’s Club get into the car business. Link
  • Amazon Dash button will now be effectively free. Link
  • BagSnob celebrates 10 years with multi-brand ecommerce launch. Link
  • High street retailers are launching own-brand beauty lines. Link
  • Amazon, Google, Netflix team up for royalty-free video. Link
  • Google wants to deliver your groceries. Link
  • Staples, Office Depot certify compliance with FTC information re Link
  • Uniqlo to open brand showroom as first Chicago store. Link
  • Online back to school shopping increases 12%. Link
  • Why fashionable millennials are flocking to online retailers like Everlane for wardrobe basics. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Facebook makes it easier to optimize ad campaigns based on conversions. Link
  • Estimote creates an indoor location system using beacons and “nearables.” Link
  • Facebook advances Bazaar marketplace ambitions. Link
  • See the first brands to test Facebooks iAd-like mobile format. Link
  • Reebok heads back to the gym with new marketing blitz. Link
  • Emily Weiss, blogger to social brand builder. Link
  • From TheFacebook.com to one billion users in a single day. Link
  • Facebook’s Josh Miller named White House ‘Director of Product.’ Link
  • Buzzfeed is laying groundwork for major expansion in Los Angeles. Link
  • Why growth hacking is the next big thing in marketing. Link

Startups:

  • Paris-based online consignment retailer, Vestiaire Collective, raises $37M to advance US growth. Link
  • Amazon buys streaming video startup Elemental. Link
  • What’s driving VC firms to take bigger risks. Link
  • Why AOL bought Millennial Media for $238M. Link
  • NewsCred nabs $42M to help marketers act as publishers. Link

International:

  • Alibaba, JD.com target rural China for ecommerce growth. Link
  • Myer partnership to bring Topshop into 20 stores across Australia. Link
  • UK retailers post worst sales decline since financial crisis. Link
  • Retailers prod China for lower prices after devaluation. Link
  • Uber closes in on $1.2B funding for China. Link
  • Twitter unlocks promoted tweets in 167 more countries. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Amazon Prime expands video downloads to iOS and Android platforms. Link
  • Thanks to Apple Pay, contactless payments will grow by 100% in 2015. Link
  • Forget clothing labels, musicians all want to move into apps. Link
  • Macy’s Backstage focuses on mobile to compete with discount retailers. Link
  • Facebook messenger tops YouTube in app popularity. Link
  • Amazon wants to sell you a $50 tablet this Fall. Link