I’m back! I’ve been traveling (China and Hong Kong! So, lots of headlines about China…) and super busy but I’m so glad to be back and catching up on industry news. I’ve been gone for a bit so here is a recap of news over the last few weeks.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

• Net-a-porter and Tiffany’s ecommerce exclusive. Link
• Gilt Groupe’s founder launches new shopping app. Link
• Why the future of ecommerce depends on better roads. Link
• What Nordstrom’s festival tour means for retail. Link
• Amazon challenges Netflix by opening Prime to monthly subscribers. Link
• Amazon updates wedding registry, adds new features. Link
• Target’s Marimekko collection opens to muted response. Link
• Nordstrom’s new bottom-line focus results in job cuts. Link
• Amazon shuttering Myhabit.com. Link
• Amazon teams up with luxury merchants to sell $7,000 ball gowns. Link
• Gap to open design studio in Brooklyn industrial complex. Link
• Amazon reports better than expected profits in first quarter. Link
• Amazon pledges same-day delivery to all urban areas. Link
• Coach announces that its cutting 300 jobs. Link
• Gap bets on basics for growth. Link
• Aeropostale seeks bankruptcy protection, closing all Canadian stores. Link
• Walmart is looking for new retail tech from startups. Link
• Macy’s woos millennials with ramped-up wedding business. Link
• The greening of Adidas. Link
• ASOS and Wayra launch fashion tech accelerator. Link

Marketing/Social Media

• How Snapchat killed the homepage. Link
• Starbucks launches controversial rewards program. Link
• Promoted tweets with hashtags have higher CPAs, lower CTRs. Link
• Amazon has begun labeling some of its products as Prime-exclusive. Link
• Why Land’s End is introducing an Amazon Prime-like subscription. Link
• A commitment to unretouched images landed model Iskra Lawrence the career of her dreams. Link

Start Ups

• Zalora, Rocket Internet’s unprofitable Asian fashion portal is selling off business units. Link
• Amazon eyed up Everland, Le Tote and more for acquisition in a wider fashion push. Link
• Pepsi launches emoji pop up store at Story. Link
• This new tool wants to make the off-price clothing business easier. Link
• Farfetch raises $110M towards global omni-channel domination. Link

International

• China’s cult of the ordinary commands big influence. Link
• Alibaba to buy controlling stake in Lazada for about $1B. Link
• Abercrombie & Fitch expands Middle East presence. Link
• Chinese economic growth last quarter will be slowest in years. Link
• Foreign products get more expensive for Chinese shoppers. Link
• China regulator to launch campaign to clean up ecommerce online ads. Link
• Levi’s applies to add retail operations in India. Link
• Flipkart eyes on becoming India’s largest furniture retailer by year end. Link
• Myntra launches Mizuno in India. Link
• Apple asks India to waive local sourcing requirement. Link
• Alibaba sales surge as Chinese consumers defy economic gloom. Link
• Gucci departs IACC following Alibaba membership. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

• Shoppers flock to apps shaking up retail. Link
• Shopping app Spring launches one of the first bots on Facebook Messenger. Link
• Inside the making of Taco Bell’s artificially intelligent, drunk-tolerant TacoBot. Link
• Dunkin’ Donuts to launch delivery in Boston via app. Link
• TopShop looking for the next big thing in wearable tech. Link
• Bots, Messenger and the future of customer service. Link
• Toms drives home the impact of its donations through VR. Link