Month: March 2016

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.28.2016

1 Comment

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. (P.S. I love feedback. Shoot me a message in the comments or on Twitter if you’ve got any!)

Brand/Retailer

  • Everlane’s founder on building a business with radical transparency. Link
  • Rent-the-runway expands into everyday clothing rentals. Link
  • Why Target is fast-tracking food innovation. Link
  • Aerie launchies Men’s underwear with body positivity campaign. Link
  • Crew to double Mercantile stores, open 10 new Madewell stores in 2016. Link
  • Uniqlo selling on shopping app Spring. Link
  • Target preps for Marimekko launch. Link
  • Nike’s third quarter sales miss estimates, hurt by strong US dollar. Link
  • Madewell adopting a buy now, wear now press strategy. Link
  • Lululemon’s Lab Concept opens in New York City. Link
  • Nordstrom hires Amazon vet as chief technology officer. Link
  • Amazon opening fulfillment center in Kansas. Link 
  • Nike kicks up 56% increase in ecommerce sales. Link 

Marketing/Social Media

  • Google is building YouTube Connect, a live-streaming app to take on Periscope. Link
  • Pinterest works to pin down path to wider international audience. Link
  • Twitter co-founder creates new media company Matter Studios. Link
  • Instagrammers really want you to turn on notifications to avoid death my algorithim. Link
  • Email is dying among mobile’s youngest users. Link
  • Line builds out its chat app for businesses as Facebook Messenger threat looms large. Link
  • Google is redesigning its biggest cash cow, Adwords. Link

Start Ups

  • Trax & Wax is a vinyl subscription service for those craving that fresh underground dance sound. Link
  • Get ready to pay more to have others do your chores. Link
  • How one woman is going after a $17B plus-sized opportunity. Link
  • Delivery startup DoorDash raises $127M in latest round. Link

International

  • McDonald’s, Pizza Hut cook up new plans for India. Link
  • FedEx to expand ecommerce reach in China, Japan. Link
  • Swedish payments provider, Klarna, looks to expand ecommerce presence. Link
  • Giants clash on nascent Indian ecommerce market. Link
  • China changes online import tax rules, a move to help cosmetics. Link
  • Will Apple’s cheapest iPhone in history satisfy Chinese consumers? Link
  • Social commerce takes off in China. Link
  • Alibaba reaches 3 Trillion Yuan milestone even as China slows. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Adobe announces personalization technology concept to bridge online and brick-and-mortar. Link
  • Makeup brands testing augmented reality to drive conversions. Link
  • PayPal drops on concern that ApplePay threatens online payments volume. Link
  • Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff. Link
  • Two thirds of UK online traffic is mobile. Link 

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.21.2016

Leave a comment

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. (P.S. I love feedback. Shoot me a message in the comments or on Twitter if you’ve got any!)

Brand/Retailer

  • Todd Snyder to open for NYC store in October. Link
  • Starwood plans to accept Arbang Groups offer, outbidding Marriott. Link
  • Aeropostale says its exploring strategic alternatives, in dispute with supplier. Link
  • Crew revenue edges up on growth at Madewell chain. Link
  • At Nike, extending the track to the runway. Link
  • Fedex says retailers should be paying more for web delivery. Link
  • American Apparel offering on-demand delivery via Postmates partnership. Link
  • Avon cutting jobs and moving headquarters to UK. Link
  • Everlane founder on iterating and ‘fixing’ fashion retail. Link
  • Low oil prices hit luxury retailers hard. Link
  • Spotify now has 30 million subscribers. Link
  • Gap’s clothing empire is clambering to reclaim its relevance. Link
  • Chanel introduces Monsieur, entering the men’s watch market. Link
  • Teens experiencing attitude shift and its affecting Tiffany’s business. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Uber teams up with Marc Jacobs. Link
  • Michelle Phan takes on new digital category with comic series. Link
  • How REI’s stop-shopping campaign brings in more shoppers. Link
  • Instagram will soon go algorithmic in its feed. Link
  • Clique Media Group creates Obsessee, a social-media only content brand targeted towards 14-22 year olds. Link
  • Companies planning to boost mobile ad spend by 38% this year. Link
  • Twitter begins switching its algorithmic timeline on by default. Link
  • Lord & Taylor settles FTC’s deceptive advertising charges. Link

Start Ups

  • ‘Brotailers’ redefining how guys buy clothes. Link
  • Online jewelry retailer Blue Nile to open first DC “webroom.” Link
  • Why clothing startups are returning to American factories. Link
  • How Maple built an insanely efficient food delivery machine. Link
  • Instacart gets Red Bull and Doritos to pay your delivery fees. Link
  • Why online-first retailers are flocking to Nordstom. Link

International

  • Facebook sees big growth in Asia despite free basics controversy. Link
  • Canadian January retail sales rebound, lifting first quarter growth outlook. Link
  • LI & Fung sees difficult year after earnings beat estimates. Link
  • Alibaba takes tough stance on fight with counterfeits. Link
  • Airbnb will open its Cuba listings to users outside the United States. Link
  • China’s consumers spend up on spas, travel and entertainment. Link
  • Uniqlo launches first range of hijabs in the UK. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Michael Kors unveils its first Android Wear smartwatches. Link
  • Nintendo’s free smartphone app Miitomo comes to Japan. Link
  • Alibaba spreads its wings into virtual reality for shopping. Link
  • Selected Lowe’s stores to use Hololens in kitchen redesign. Link
  • Amazon wants to patent the pay-by-selfie. Link
  • Nike gets personal with new fitness app and products. Link
  • Everything that Apple announced in 3/21 Keynote. Link
  • Apple unveils a smaller iPad Pro, Apple’s vision of the future of computers. Link

 

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.14.2016

Leave a comment

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. (P.S. I love feedback. Shoot me a message in the comments or on Twitter if you’ve got any!)

Brand/Retailer

  • Target looking to hire 20 people for mysterious start-up called Goldfish. Link
  • Amazon finds air freight partner. Link
  • Amazon debuts its first live show that lets you shop while you watch. Link
  • High-fashion brands split on faster retail cycle. Link
  • Dozens of Jos. A. Brank stores closing due to poor sales. Link
  • Patagonia to help fund residential solar installations. Link
  • Top 25 innovative consumer and retail brands of 2015. Link
  • Nordstrom cutting 120 tech jobs to save profits. Link
  • Why Brooks Brothers is investing in veteran tailors. Link
  • Burberry becomes focus of takeover talks. Link
  • Zara uses supply chain to win again. Link
  • The North Face doubles down on locally sources manufacturing. Link
  • Roberto Cavalli launches website. Link
  • Modcloth enters bridal foray. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Snapchat has a secret team possibly building a pair of smart glasses. Link
  • British Vogue tests breaking fashion news alerts on WhatsApp. Link
  • Buzzfeed launches new ad format to further monetize its big social reach. Link
  • Facebook acquires video filter app Msqrd to square up to Snapchat. Link
  • L’oreal creates unbranded content hub to woo beauty fans. Link
  • The relationship between Instagram and music is a powerful one. Link
  • Retail analysts cautiously optimistic about Abercrombie & Fitch. Link
  • Under new CMO, Lowe’s debuts marketing rebrand. Link
  • Platform bets big on branded social loyalty. Link

Start Ups

  • Personal shopping services seek scale. Link
  • Whole Foods and Instacart to offer home grocery delivery to more US households. Link
  • Does this new online marketplace really use a stock trading model? Link
  • Marla Malcom Beck sold Bluemercury to Macy’s for $210M and now she’s betting on vegan cosmetics. Link
  • Made-to-measure menswear maker Indochino raises $30M as it eyes the wedding market. Link

International

  • Apple refiles application for retail stores in India. Link
  • Culture gap impedes business efforts for US trade with Cuba. Link
  • Victoria’s Secret, Nike cashe in on rising girl power in China. Link
  • EU regulators to release findings on barriers to cross-border ecommerce. Link
  • Alibaba’s logistics arm gets funding to boost delivery speed. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Amazon Echo users can now ask Alexa to pay their credit card. Link
  • True Religion to arm associates with Apple Watches in clientelling move. Link
  • Robots may someday engage male shoppers who shy away from in-store interactions. Link
  • Ferragamo puts microchips in shoes to bid to fight fraudsters. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.8.2016

Leave a comment

Here is your Tuesday recap (sorry, busy Monday!) of industry news over the last week from around the web.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Abercrombie & Fitch posts unexpected rise in comparable sales. Link
  • Herschel goes high-tech with its new magic fabric. Link
  • Yoox Net-a-porter partner with IBM. Link
  • Amazon is about to give QVC a run for its money. Link
  • Under Armour debuts first ever 3D-printed shoes. Link
  • Why big retailers are going solar. Link
  • Samsonite confirms deal to buy Tumi. Link
  • Valentino eyes IPO in 2017 after revenue exceeds $1B. Link
  • Online retailer Everlane seeks valuation north of $250M in investment talks. Link
  • Fashion is dull and other key points about the state of Urban Outfitters’ business. Link
  • Aerie shows it pays to tell young women to love their bodies. Link
  • Seeking millennials’ kids and babies, Target spends big on tech. Link
  • Analysts see mixed message in teen market. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Apple finally joins Twitter with eye toward socializing its customer service. Link
  • Snapchat catches up with Facebook, clocks 8B daily video views. Link
  • New York Magazine building out branded content studio. Link
  • The Instagram Effect: How the platform drives decisions at fashion brands. Link
  • Facebook reaches 3 million advertisers, launches your business store video tool. Link
  • Amazon Prime now finding fashion followers. Link
  • Pinterest’s buyable pins help lure new sales and customers. Link

Start Ups

  • How this digital entrepreneur rocketed a fashion business from 4 to 350 employees. Link
  • Why show startups are making sneakers from wool. Link
  • ‘Warby Parker of suits,’ Combatant Gentlemen opens pop-up shop in Nordstrom. Link
  • The hot ecommerce app Wish has hundreds of millions of users. Link
  • Augment raises over $3M in Series A funding from Salesforce. Link
  • You can now make voice calls using Slack. Link
  • Bed-in-a-box startups challenge traditional mattress makers. Link

International

  • The billionaire African behind the continent’s greatest retail empire. Link
  • Amazon to open second largest delivery center in Hyperbad. Link
  • Zalando targets logistics as mobile fashion sales grow. Link
  • Victoria’s Secret to open flagship in Shanghai. Link
  • Europe’s antitrust enforcer on Google, Apple and the year ahead. Link
  • com’s revenue growth beats expectations. Link
  • Apple is selling more phones in India’s biggest cities than you might think. Link
  • Ikea to open first India store at Hyperbad. Link
  • Uber launches in Pakistan. Link
  • Adidas to boost China outlets by a third with 3,000 stores. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • The North Face to launch insanely smart Watson-powered shopping app next month. Link
  • Apple sold 116M Apple Watches in 2015. Link
  • Is 3D printing the next industrial revolution? Link
  • Amazon expands Alexa AI with new tap and dot voice-controlled speakers. Link
  • Google is plotting ways for developers to cash in on virtual reality Cardboard. Link
  • Google Fiber is coming to San Francisco. Link
  • From science fiction to reality, retailers get serious about drones. Link