Month: February 2016

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.29.2016

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Leap day edition! Did you hear Zappos gave their employees the day off?

For the rest of us, here is your Monday recap of industry news over the last week from around the web.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Online lingerie retailer Adore Me to open brick-and-mortar stores. Link
  • Kohl’s to test smaller format stores. Link
  • Restoration Hardware announces membership program. Link
  • Samsung reinvents retail in New York’s meatpacking district. Link
  • How the CEO of Barney’s turned the retailer around. Link
  • American Eagle Outfitters’ new warehouse meets omnichannel needs. Link
  • Adidas launches subscription box service. Link
  • Nordstrom’s high cost for online sales. Link
  • Tommy Hilfiger launches ‘inclusive’ clothing line for kids with disabilities. Link
  • Frances Valentine launches ecommerce. Link
  • Rachel Zoe dives into retailwith first standalone store. Link
  • Retailers reconsider store counts as traffic dips. Link
  • Click-and-collect programs gave Target a holiday boost. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Facebook enhances everyone’s Like with Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, Angry Buttons. Link
  • Getting YouTUbe stars to sell your product. Link
  • Instagram has over 200,000 advertisers just five months after opening the spigot. Link
  • Retailers hope smaller stores, personalization and digital will stanch the bleeding. Link
  • Amazon’s ‘The Fashion Fund’ follows Vogue’s design competition. Link
  • NBC replaces ads with paid content from American Express. Link
  • Snapchat using Nielsen as standard measure for its advertising. Link

Start Ups

  • MakeSpace raises $17.5 Million for hassle-free storage units. Link
  • HomeMe launches with app to take the pain out of apartment rentals. Link
  • Same-day delivery startup Deliv gets funding boost from UPS. Link
  • com acquires online retailer Hayneedle. Link
  • GoPro spends 20% of its cash on hand to acquire two video editing startups. Link
  • RocketClub lets early adopters earn a financial stake in startups. Link

International

  • UK consumers do more shipping on mobile devices. Link
  • Cross-border ecommerce is luring Chinese shoppers. Link
  • The Montreal company shaking up luxury fashion, one pair of $860 sweatpants at a time. Link
  • India’s Flipkart sees value cut 27% amid startup shakeout. Link
  • Amazon partners with British supermarket chain Morrisons for fresh grocery deliveries. Link
  • Ilea’s India bet runs into thicket of rules. Link
  • Mideast online retailer Souq.com raises $275M from investors. Link
  • Japan manufacturing output up in January, retail falls. Link
  • With humility, Starbucks will enter Italian market. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Will virtual reality save retail? Link
  • Mobile payments gain big traction among millennials. Link
  • Meet Fabric, Twitter’s new mobile app built specifically for developers. Link
  • Square cash takes aim at businesses with new ‘Cash Drawer’ feature. Link
  • Apple surpasses Fitbit as the world’s largest wearable maker. Link

 

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.22.2016

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Here is your weekly recap of news I found around the web about fashion, retail and ecommerce. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Amazon raises its free shipping minimum for non-Prime members to $49. Link
  • BirchBox co-founder joins First Round Capital as first female partner. Link
  • VF Corp falls after fourth quarter results trail estimates. Link
  • Neiman Marcus opens new store on Long Island as luxury sales slow. Link
  • Coach is now a full-fledged American fashion house. Link
  • Wal-Mart, reporting slower ecommerce growth makes plans to expand number of products available online. Link
  • Nordstrom tumbles after holiday sales miss analyst estimates. Link
  • Wal-Mart still outshined by Amazon despite spending billions. Link
  • Google is expanding its same-day delivery on groceries. Link
  • Proenza Schouler skillfully mixed commerce on the runway for Fall 2016. Link
  • Prada dealt new blow as finance chief quits luxury maker. Link
  • Kit and Ace lays off 10% of staff. Link
  • Ex-Lululemon CEO advising Adidas on how to target women. Link
  • Ralph Lauren to bring management of distribution site in house. Link
  • Amazon’s private label push: a new fast-fashion giant? Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Shopping is coming to Snapchat. Link
  • Time Inc. buys two car-focused YouTube channels. Link
  • Gatorade’s Super Bowl Snapchat filter got 160 million impressions. Link
  • Alexa Chung debuts collection for Marks & Spencer. Link
  • Why Starbucks is overhauling its loyalty program. Link
  • Facebook plans to put ads in Messenger. Link
  • Snapchat now lets everyone pay to design geofilters. Link
  • Facebook’s huge plan to shake up dull world of telecoms. Link
  • How Kanye and Adidas ‘Yeezy-hacked’ the business model of celebrity endorsements. Link
  • Google doing away with ads along the right rail. Link

Start Ups

  • VCs invested more in space startups last year than in the previous 15 years combined. Link
  • New online fashion retailers are capitalizing on consumers’ desires to purchase clothing that lasts. Link

International

  • Amazon to open parcel locker network in Europe. Link
  • Apple Pay to be launched in China. Link
  • Amazon top open new fulfillment center in UK. Link
  • Twitter has more users than Facebook in Japan. Link
  • eCommerce stakes are high in the Mideast after the largest ever A round for Wadi.com. Link
  • Luxury retailer Saks entering Canada amid cooling economy. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • PayPal matches Stripe with its own native toolkit for apps. Link
  • This luxury watch is getting MasterCard payment functionality. Link
  • Why retailres are missing mobile with millennials. Link
  • Here’s where Google Fiber is headed next. Link

 

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.15.2016

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Here is your weekly recap of news I found around the web about fashion, retail and ecommerce. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Urban Outfitters finding success in niche beauty market. Link
  • How Gilt will be added to Saks’ discount retail stores. Link
  • Burberry faces US lawsuit accusing it of deceptive price tags. Link
  • Victoria’s Secret CEO resigns. Link
  • Nordstrom debuts first TV ad in three years. Link
  • Elizabeth Arden bets on app to boost ecommerce. Link
  • Sears announces it’s closing at least 50 stores. Link
  • Tommy Hilfiger embraces direct-to-consumer shows. Link
  • Kate Spade, H&M and Urban Outfitters go beyond apparel but will it improve sales? Link
  • Without a creative director, Banana Republic appeals to consumers for Fall 2016. Link
  • Amazon shares bounce on news of $5B buyback. Link
  • Apple reportedly filming 6-episode series with Dr. Dre. Link 

Marketing/Social Media

  • YouTube buys BandPage for $8M to attract musicians with money-making tools. Link
  • Vox to join other media companies in ecommerce push. Link
  • Pop Sugar wants to become the mobile shipping cart for fashion. Link
  • Instagram doubles down on video, introduces Facebook-style view counts. Link
  • What marketers should know about Twitter’s new algorithmic “catch up” feed. Link
  • Time Inc buying MySpace parent company. Link
  • YouTube wants viewers to buy directly from review videos. Link
  • Pinterest nabs Google executive to head ad sales. Link
  • Target’s ground-breaking musical interlude during Grammys extends to social. Link

Start Ups

  • Fabletics plans to open 100 stores. Link
  • Startup delivery services run into reality. Link

International

  • India’s Snapdeal raises $200M led by Ontario Teachers’ pension plan. Link
  • Primark to open 6 US stores in 2016. Link
  • Amazon’s Chinese shipping license reflects global goals. Link
  • Chinese tourists boost Japanese all sales to record. Link
  • Rakuten shutters marketplaces in Southeast Asia. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • How Kate Spade and Everpurse got wearable tech right. Link
  • Google/Alphabet building standalone virtual reality headset. Link
  • 15 of the best designs merging fashion and technology. Link
  • Online shoppers prove skeptics wrong buying tons of luxury goods on mobile devices. Link
  • Tech firms push toward future without passwords. Link
  • How smartphones are killing off the fashion show. Link
  • Fitbit taps Public School designers to outfit its latest fitness tracker. Link
  • PayPal Commerce matches Stripe with PayPal’s own toolkit for apps. Link

 

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.8.2016

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Happy Monday! Check out a recap of news from around the web about retail, ecommerce, and technology. All sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Reports rise that Amazon planning massive brick-and-mortar presence but it may not be true. Link and Link
  • Yahoo plans to cut 15% of workforce, reports $4.5B writedown on Tumblr, Americas. Link
  • What any business can learn from Nordstrom customer service. Link
  • The woman who created Netflix’s enviable company culture and how she did it. Link
  • Nastygal to lay off 10% of staff. Link
  • How Shinola boosted online sales with a new take on customer service. Link
  • Burberry to slash number of catwalk shows, speed up sales. Link
  • Are teen retailers finally turning a corner? Link
  • Ralph Lauren had a bummer quarter in America. Link
  • Weak sales at Kohl’s, Ralph Lauren spark selloff in retailers. Link
  • Kate Spade founders talk new accessories brand, Frances Valentine. Link
  • Retailers need to shift focus as consumers crave less stuff. Link
  • Amazon added 17M square feet of distribution center space in 2015. Link
  • Target launches gender-neutral kids home line. Link
  • Ikea revamps restaurants as food business grows. Link
  • Yoox Net-a-Porter beat forecast with larger-than-expected 31% year over year growth. Link
  • Luxury brands can no longer ignore sustainability. Link
  • Michael Kors finds a lifeline online. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Get ready to be blitzed by Chiptole ads. Link
  • See all the ads from the Super Bowl. Link
  • Instagram launches account switching on iOS and Android. Link
  • Fashion industry scrambles to find the right use of Snapchat. Link
  • Instagram extends video ads to 60 seconds. Link
  • Affiliate marketing offers alternative to crowded content marketplace. Link
  • Refinery 29 debuts its first app. Link

Start Ups

  • Jessica Alba’s Honest Co. reportedly seeking IPO. Link
  • A bra company that uses an app to find the right fit raised $8M. Link
  • Fab co-founder sells second startup. Link
  • AirBnB handed over $1.3M in tourist taxes to Paris in Q4. Link
  • Upgrade your jewelry box with the female millennial entrepreneurs behind Gleem & Co. Link
  • Stubhub takes on Ticketmaster with new platform for both primary and secondary tickets. Link

International

  • Walmart brings click-and-collect to Toronto. Link
  • Chinese shoppers in South Korea shun luxury for local brands. Link
  • PayPal data shows 35% of Chinese ecommerce took place on overseas sites in 2015. Link
  • As its market grows, Nigerian ecommerce startup Africa Internet Group raises $83M. Link
  • Aeropostale to open shops in Thai department stores. Link
  • UK online retailer Finery to open in-store shops at six John Lewis stores. Link
  • American Apparel testing UPS service for international delivery. Link
  • How fashion is cashing in on Chinese New Year. Link
  • Australia’s Cotton On plans international expansion. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Virtual reality: coming soon to a clothing retailer near you. Link
  • Under Armour CEO sees technology as company’s undeniable future. Link
  • Amazon’s artificial intelligence agent, Echo, can order you pizza an turn on Spotify. Link
  • Loreal’s latest beauty secret – it’s acting like a tech company. Link
  • Leading virtual reality company is building a cross-platform VR content network. Link

Weekly Industry Brief 2.1.2016

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Sorry I missed the update last week– was busy, busy!  Check out some industry highlights from the last two weeks. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand / Retailer:

  • Sephora created an accelerator program for female-led beauty startups. Link
  • Tiffany’s cuts jobs as sales lose sparkle. Link
  • Ikea wants you to stop throwing away your furniture. Link
  • Birchbox cuts 15% of staff and puts Canada plans on pause. Link
  • Macy’s opens ‘the Etsy Shop’ in an effort to attract millennial shoppers. Link
  • H&M will again open more than one store per day this year. Link
  • Coach is slowly restoring its upscale aura. Link
  • Amazon Payments’ transaction volume surged in 2015. Link
  • Amazon hints at new shipping business. Link
  • Under Armour moves to control own future by opening 200 new stores in 2016. Link
  • Gap taps Abercrombie and Fitch alum as new CMO. Link
  • Amazon’s clothing selection is now bigger than 250 WalMart super centers combined. Link

Social Media / Marketing:

  • Spotify ready to introduce video product. Link
  • Fashion and beauty brands are investing more than ever in influencer marketing. Link
  • Google Glass disappears from social media accounts. Link
  • Google’s ad revenue rises in 2015 despite continued decline in prices. Link
  • Why cross-device programmatic advertising is ready to take off in 2016. Link
  • Facebook launches a sports hub just in time for Super Bowl. Link
  • Instagram is showing you a lot more ads than it used to. Link
  • Teenagers reveal what they think is cool – and what isn’t – in 2016. Link
  • Twitter and GoPro team up for Periscope live-video streaming. Link
  • Weibo, beating Twitter to the punch and lengthens its 140 character limit. Link

Start Ups:

  • Uber prepares meal-delivery service for 10 U.S. cities. Link
  • These 7 startups are poised to join the unicorn club in 2016. Link
  • Uber Rush spells the end of retailer las mile delivery innovations. Link
  • Sesame launches a venture arm to invest in startups that help kids. Link

International:

  • Apple makes a play to open retail stores in India. Link
  • Uber expands cooperation with Alibaba’s Alipay. Link
  • Alibaba teams with Nvidia in $1B bet on cloud computing. Link
  • com tests drones for rural China delivery. Link
  • Google brings wifi to Mumbai’s railway station. Link
  • Why Italian luxury companies are still betting on China. Link
  • Bloomingdale’s continues Middle East expansion with Kuwaiti location. Link
  • Amazon to create 2,500 jobs in the UK this year. Link
  • Facebook criticized in India over free limited internet. Link
  • Alibaba revenue growth seen slowest on record to intensify fight with JD.com. Link

Mobile / Wearable / Emerging Tech:

  • Samsung is opening a VR film studio in New York City. Link
  • WhatsApp joins the billion users club. Link
  • Facebook to shut Parse, tool for mobile apps. Link
  • Google to make smartphones that recognizes faces. Link
  • Facebook and Twitter: users consume mobile content faster. Link