Here is a recap of news around the industry from the last week. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.
Brand / Retailer:
- Big retailers search for their spot in shopping’s future. Link
- Music meets fashion as Stella McCartney shows pre-fall line. Link
- GoPro lays off 7% of staff, warns of poor sales. Link
- Under Armour tumbles after analysts say it has a woman problem. Link
- American Eagle managed to beat the odds this holiday season. Link
- The Zappos exodus continues after radical management experiment. Link
- Amazon to open pick-up spot on University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. Link
- Amazon is expanding into the world of ocean freight shipping. Link
- Why Under Armour is paying big ten money to sponsor Yale University sports. Link
- Best Buy lowers sales outlook after holiday sales drop. Link
- WalMart to close hundreds of stores. Link
- US holiday sales rose 3%, missing projections. Link
Social Media / Marketing:
- How Snapchat plans to compete with Facebook for advertising dollars. Link
- Marketing in the moments, to reach customers online. Link
- Coach invests in new campaign to help revive ailing brand. Link
- Foursquare CEO steps down as app seeks to boost growth. Link
- Twitter brings Periscope live video into the newsfeed. Link
- WhatsApp is ditching its $1 annual subscription fee. Link
- Marketers, welcome to the world of emotional analytics. Link
- Marriott’s adventure in online content marketing continues with premier of latest film. Link
- How Michelle Phan is changing the marketing playbook for makeup. Link
Start Ups:
- Meet the houseware startups making high design more affordable. Link
- Ex-Googler’s new venture is turning weed into a hip, lifestyle brand. Link
- Venture capital is terrible at online shopping. Link
- Jawbone raises $165M at half its last valuation. Link
International:
- Apple inks deal for Champs-Elysees deal for flagship store. Link
- Burberry is growing in mainland China again. Link
- Black Friday fuels surprise surge in Brazilian retail sales. Link
- NetFlix global expansion attracts some unexpected customers. Link
- China’s Baidu says in talks to invest in Indian ecommerce startups. Link
- Slump in Hong Kong, Macau hit Burberry’s Christmas sales. Link
Mobile / Wearable / Emerging Tech: