Month: November 2015

Weekly Industry Brief: 11.30.2015

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Happy Cyber Monday!  Below are some industry highlights from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Note: I’ll be taking a short break with the weekly updates as I ramp up at my new job. More to come soon. Cheers!

Holiday:

  • When and where do Black Friday’s biggest crowds actually hit? Link
  • Black Friday shopping with thinner crowds as Americans spend more online. Link
  • Black Friday News: fewer people in stores, Everlane gives profits to factory workers. Link
  • US holiday sales on track amidst online boost. Link
  • US store sales down slightly for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Link
  • Online sales surge ahead of brick-and-mortar retailers’ big day. Link
  • Holiday shopping unlikely to cheer many investors. Link
  • Thanksgiving/Black Friday online sales hit $4.5B, 34% of purchases made on mobile. Link
  • Google shares Black Friday location data for marketers. Link

Brand/Retailer:

  • Neiman Marcus web site suffers outages for second straight day. Link
  • Burberry, Google launch interactive video experience at London flagship. Link
  • Wal-Mart revamps ecommerce technology as Amazon applies pressure. Link
  • Amazon touts new drone prototype, plans multiple designs. Link
  • Kate Spade’s CMO talks phone-charging purses, Pixar and dressing room selfies. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • How Nordstrom and Sephora are nailing social media going into Black Friday. Link
  • J.Crew and American Girl embrace social commerce ads for the holidays. Link
  • Target’s big digital holiday campaign combines Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram. Link
  • Snapchat debuts Story Explorer, a more detailed approach to live events coverage. Link
  • Shopping app Spring proves to be an inexpensive asset for young brands. Link
  • Vine arrives on the Apple Watch. Link
  • These ecommerce companies are seeing lots of referral traffic from Pinterest. Link

Startups:

  • Jet.com snags a fresh $350M in funding. Link
  • Deliveroo, an on-demand food delivery services, rasies $100M. Link
  • Rocket Internet’s latest company is ZenRooms, a budget hotel platform for Southeast Asia. Link

International:

  • Facebook prepares for instant articles push in Asia. Link
  • Facebook expands free internet service in India. Link
  • Apple plans to launch Apple Pay in China by February. Link
  • China’s mobile payments war is going global. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Swatch to start selling mobile payment watch in US in 2016. Link
  • Smartphones overtake desktops for holiday shopping. Link
  • Swatch teams up with Visa for a watch that can make payments. Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 11.23.2015

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Happy Monday! Check out industry highlights from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Holiday:

  • Amazon bets on same-day delivery this year to target the procrastinator. Link
  • Best Buy reports softer sales, cautions ahead of holiday quarter. Link
  • WalMart is about to turn Cyber Monday into Cyber Sunday. Link
  • DHL’s new U.S. head talks holiday ecommerce, global trade and China. Link

Brand/Retailer:

  • Sephora’s new retail stores will take cues from YouTube. Link
  • ASOS launches wedding line. Link
  • Retailers scale up online sales distribution networks. Link
  • Consumers increasingly seeking services over things, giving new challenge for department stores. Link
  • Ikea tests click-and-collect in smaller stores. Link
  • Macy’s is launching a Korean beauty shop-in-shop. Link
  • Goop will open a holiday pop-up shop in New York City. Link
  • Polo Ralph Lauren debuts interactive fitting rooms at Fifth Avenue flagship. Link
  • Abercrombie shares rise after third-quarter sales top estimates. Link
  • Here’s why Gap just cut its 2015 profit forecast. Link
  • Martha Stewart ditches eBay for Amazon. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • The potential of geolocation for revolutionizing retail. Link
  • Polyvore on why they sold to Yahoo. Link
  • On Snapchat, brands trust influencers, but verify with only screenshots. Link
  • Conde Nast to shutter Details. Link
  • Facebook launches Fundraiser product to allow nonprofits to set up campaign pages. Link
  • Snapchat’s lackluster ad business threatens $16B valuation. Link
  • Jimmy Fallon unveils brilliant collaboration with J.Cew. Link

Startups:

  • LivingSocial offers a cautionary tale to today’s startups. Link
  • Caeden, a wearable tech start-up, introduces a smart bracelet. Link

International:

  • Apple Pay now available in Canada. Link
  • Louis Vuitton to close shops in China amid luxury slowdown. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Samsung Gear VR sold out online at Amazon and Best Buy. Link
  • Google lets users tap mobile apps without downloading them. Link
  • Google brings app into browsers, blurring mobile-desktop lines. Link
  • Dunkin Donuts tests mobile ordering in bid to catch up with Starbucks. Link
  • Can artificial intelligence sell shoes? Link
  • Facebook at Work gets its own version of Messenger with debut of Work Chat. Link
  • Brands look far and wide for a niche in virtual reality. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 11.16.2015

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Happy Monday! Check out industry highlights from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Holiday:

  • H&M to close US stores on Thanksgiving. Link
  • Target keeps Thanksgiving opening at 6pm. Link
  • Don’t expect holiday far at Nordstrom until Black Friday. Link
  • Walmart scales back on Black Friday, offers longer-term discounts. Link
  • Walmart to offer most Black Friday promotions online first. Link

Brand/Retailer:

  • Apple’s Angela Ahrendts on where the company is taking retail next. Link
  • Postmates to buy Sosh, a service for discovering local activities. Link
  • Beats music to shut down on November 30. Link
  • J.C. Penney sales beat estimates, helped by Sephora. Link
  • Rent the Runway will launch everyday fashion rentals next year. Link
  • Urban Outfitters to buy Vetri restaurants. Link
  • How Revolve Clothing took its brand global. Link
  • Marriott buying Starwood in deal valued at $12.2B. Link
  • Yoox Net-a-Porter raises savings estimates amid merger benefits. Link
  • Fossil Group to buy wearable fitness company Misfit for $260M. Link
  • Kohl’s taps Reed Krakoff for its next collaboration. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Tumblr rolls out instant messaging on both web and mobile. Link
  • YouTube launches its long-awaited music app. Link
  • Shopify launches an Instagram for classified listings. Link
  • Oscar winning filmmaker directs a short film for Canada Goose. Link
  • Facebook launches Notify, a notifications app. Link
  • Facebook adds photo recognition to messenger. Link
  • Snapchat says it has 6 billion video views a day. Link
  • Pinterest’s new tool lets you do searches using pictures. Link

Startups:

  • You can now request an Uber through Slack. Link
  • Cola, a new start-up introduces ways to do more in text messages. Link
  • Uber signs digital mapping deal with TomTom. Link

International:

  • Macy’s joins Singles’ Day debutantes in Chinese spending spree. Link
  • China shatters online shopping records in just 12 hours on Singles’ Day. Link
  • Alibaba to invest in U.S. startups as part of expansion plan. Link
  • Amazon may export delivery lessons from India to cut costs abroad. Link
  • Spain’s Mango to shut 450 U.S. sales outlets. Link
  • Facebook restricts more content in India than anywhere else. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Apple, banks in talks on mobile person-to-person payment service. Link
  • Apple may be launching Venmo competitor. Link
  • LG and Google introduce a phone-free smartwatch. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 11.9.2015

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Hi! Here is a recap of industry news over the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • American Eagle acquires high-end men’s label Todd Snyder. Link
  • Google aims to begin drone package deliveries in 2017. Link
  • Best Buy hopes same-day delivery will fend off Amazon. Link
  • Amazon opens a bookstore in Seattle. Link
  • Sephora blends mobile with bricks-and-mortar for first connected boutique. Link
  • Burberry to unify brands under one label in bid to boost appeal. Link
  • Chanel expands ecommerce business with sunglasses. Link
  • JD sues Alibaba for misleading users with speedy delivery pledge. Link
  • H&M’s limited supply of Balmain overwhelms stores, website. Link
  • Michael Kors CEO vows to end retail rollout. Link
  • Holiday shoppers plan to spend more as retailers introduce marketing promotions. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Starbucks’ seasonal #RedCups triggers excitement online. Link
  • Facebook debuts a new way to share music with your friends. Link
  • Vice’s new Viceland channel promises to remake cable with edgy infomercials. Link
  • Pinterest pushes buyable pins to Android phones, introduces Pinterest Shop. Link
  • YouTube now supports 3D virtual reality video. Link
  • Why the collection should be called Balmain x H&M x Instagram. Link
  • Twitter stars and favorites are replaced by hearts and likes. Link
  • Facebook says ad-blocking technology could have impact on sales. Link

Startups:

  • How this startup used Slack to prototype its app’s coolest feature. Link
  • Match, owner of dating sites like Tinder, seeks $403M in IPO. Link
  • Deliv acquires Zipments to grow its same-day delivery service in NYC. Link

International:

  • Sephora to open shops in Iran next year. Link
  • Ikea to double stores in Canada even as website sales soar. Link
  • Why Singles’ Day in China is bigger than Cyber Monday. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • The North Face gives shoppers virtual reality experience. Link
  • Urban Outfitters embraces mobile shopping’s future with 3D Touch support. Link
  • Honest Beauty line comes to mobile with an app offering shopping and makeup tips. Link
  • Best new features of Android Marshmallow. Link
  • MIT is opening an innovation center in Hong Kong. Link
  • Apple debuts shopping category on the app store. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 11.2.2015

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Check out industry news from the last week. All sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Walgreens to buy Rite Aid for $9.4B. Link
  • Poshmark adds retail brands to its seller community. Link
  • Urban Outfitters to end on-call shifts nationwide. Link
  • 76% of online shopping in the US this holiday season will be spent on 1% of products. Link
  • Five retailers that will dominate this holiday shopping season. Link
  • Target will offer free shipping on all online orders. Link
  • Wal-Mart won’t promote free shipping deals over holidays. Link
  • Macy’s makes moves to counter shoppers’ changing habits. Link
  • REI to close on Black Friday. Link
  • Lord & Taylor jumps into discounts game. Link
  • Wal-Mart tries offering fewer products, adding to tensions with suppliers. Link
  • UPS to increase fees, add new one for third-party sellers. Link
  • Kohl’s to add smaller stores in urban areas. Link
  • Some retailers step back from Black Friday frenzy. Link
  • Mall of America gets ready for holiday shoppers by adding WiFi. Link
  • Microsoft goes upscale with Fifth Avenue flagship store. Link
  • Warby Parker expanding beyond eyewear. Link
  • Wal-Mart bets on in-store pickup in holiday showdown with Amazon. Link
  • Coach sales starting to look up. Link
  • Carine Roitfeld x Uniqlo has landed. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Facebook introduces slideshow ad unit to reach consumers in emerging markets. Link
  • Yelp continues shift away from display advertising. Link
  • Target boosts digital, social to 61% of holiday budget. Link
  • Snapchat adds to native ad arsenal with sponsored lens. Link
  • How LuLuLemon puts more focus on feelings. Link
  • Macy’s starts off holiday effort with wish fulfillment. Link

Startups:

  • Why is Silicon Valley pouring millions of dollars into old clothes? Link
  • Doorman is a startup eliminating missed package deliveries. Link
  • New mobile search startup focuses on apps. Link

International:

  • Apple Pay hitting Canada and Australia in 2015, Spain and more in 2016. Link
  • Facebook strives to bring cheap wifi to rural India. Link
  • Hong Kong shoppers go downmarket. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Amazon launches ‘Pay with Amazon’ buttons for mobile apps. Link
  • Nike embraces weather app in campaign to sell gear suited to local conditions. Link
  • QVC: the unlikely juggernaut of mobile shopping. Link
  • JPMorgan challenges Apple Pay with mobile app offering discounts. Link
  • App Store to feature ecommerce apps in new Shopping category ahead of Black Friday. Link
  • Facebook says nearly one third of online shopping transactions are on mobile. Link
  • Samsung sells more phones but for less money. Link
  • Baublebar and Jawbone collaborate on a bracelet for the wearable tech market. Link