Month: August 2016

Weekly Industry Brief: 8.29.2016

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Our last summer Friday  is upon us…SOS!  Good news is that it’s basically holiday now. Yay!

Below are highlights from the industry over the last week. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headlines.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Nordstrom to start selling J.Crew. Link
  • Tesco enters supermarket ‘time wars’ with same day and click-and-collect. Link
  • Marc Jacobs collaborates with MTV. Link
  • ASOS the most searched fashion retailer on Google in UK. Link
  • Project X points to an Amazon drive-up grocery store in Seattle. Link
  • Sephora’s Magnificent Mile store has a new, high-tech look. Link
  • Aeropostale loses bid to rein in Sycamore. Link
  • Gap and Abercrombie are trapped in retail’s nightmarish discount cycle. Link
  • Urban Outfitters bares all at its HQ. Link
  • How Le Labo took the fragrance industry by storm after starting with nothing. Link
  • Square expands lending and payment services. Link
  • Apple’s retail stores are undergoing major makeover. Link
  • Amazon tests 30-hour work week. Link
  • Startups in Target’s Techstar accelerator race to the finish line. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • London is getting the first Youtube store. Link
  • Apple weighs iPhone video editing app in renewed push on social. Link
  • Snapchat bringing live scores to high school football games. Link
  • Why text message marketing works on millennials. Link
  • Major brands are betting big on podcasts and it seems to be paying off. Link
  • How Revolve is using “style codes” to hack Instagram and Snapchat. Link
  • Warby Parker made a video game to cure your workday boredom. Link

Startup/Emerging Tech:

  • Best Buy set to be virtual reality’s first mainstream test. Link
  • Introducing the first voice-activated hotel room. Link
  • Here’s how shoppable video will finally work. Link
  • Garmin releases its first luxury smartwatch the Fenix Chronos. Link
  • GOAT raises $5M to help sneakerheads buy and sell covetable kicks. Link
  • Helix Sleep raises $7.4M to sell made-to-order mattresses online. Link
  • Five ways beacons are transforming the enterprise. Link

International:

  • Alibaba reportedly in talks to acquire ShopClues. Link
  • UK retail sales defy gloomy Brexit expectations. Link
  • Lower retail prices threaten profits of middleman Li & Fung. Link
  • Myntra claims $1B in sales. Link
  • What’s stopping luxury goods groups in China from moving from bricks to clicks? Link
  • Can foreign tech companies win in China? Link
  • China’s yuan hits its weakest level in over a month. Link
  • EU will rule Apple owes more than $1B in back taxes resulting from Ireland arrangement. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 8.22.2016

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I’m back! Took off last week while in San Fran for work.  Enjoy your weekly briefing of industry news. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Macy’s to close 100 stores. Link
  • Check out Apple’s new store a One World Trade Center. Link
  • How Walmart is surviving the war against Amazon and beating Target. Link
  • Coach’s transformation has taken hold with customers. Link
  • How Estee Lauder is getting millennials to buy its skincare. Link
  • Gap plans to focus on faster fashion and activewear as sales keep sliding. Link
  • Apple’s retail boss wants Apple stores to resemble ‘town squares.’ Link
  • Where we spend is upending traditional retail. Link
  • Westfield’s new World Trade Center mall puts in-store tech center stage. Link
  • How Nike is changing the world. Link
  • Gap shoppers don’t want to ‘dress normal.’ Link
  • Victoria’s Secret is getting cheaper. Link
  • Walmart announces focus on millennials in the apparel category. Link
  • Nordstrom expands Space concept to four new locations. Link
  • Nieman Marcus cuts 80 home office jobs. Link
  • US ecommerce posts its largest gain in nearly two years. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Vfiles launches  crowd-sourced youth magazine. Link
  • Rent the Runway using Snapchat for customer service. Link
  • Instagram launches business tools to help users buy and sell. Link
  • Alibaba’s ecommerce app has a social network Facebook would love. Link
  • There’s real money in messaging, Snapchat and WeChat show. Link
  • Facebook is building its own Steam-style desktop gaming platform with Unity. Link
  • Pinterest jumps into video ads fray. Link
  • Turner and Scripps investing $45M in Refinery29. Link
  • Amazon reportedly planning a $5 per month music service for Echo owners. Link
  • For its first global campaign, Uniqlo ponders why we get dressed every day. Link
  • Jack Wills’ strategy to pay you for the catalog-perfect summer. Link

Start Up and Emerging Tech:

  • This sneakerhead made a stock exchange for shoes. Link
  • Hamlet is a new, free text messaging service allowing users to shop for home décor from the comfort of their phone. Link
  • Topshop will soon integrate electronic circuits into garments. Link
  • How a Wall Street background can help you create fashion. Link
  • The MIT lab that’s quietly pioneering fashion for everyone. Link
  • Kate Spade jumps into the connected wearables category. Link
  • This 16-year-old is making million selling rare sneakers. Link

International:

  • Amazon’s new UK distribution center to create 500 jobs in 2017. Link
  • China’s luxury lifestyles fall prey to the far east slowdown. Link
  • Alibaba’s getting more revenue outside of ecommerce. Link
  • Walmart’s Mexico unit is selling its apparel chain for $853M. Link
  • Ikea to launch ecommerce in Shanghai. Link
  • Growth in online purchases by rural Chinese outpaces that of urbanites. Link
  • China is flooding Silicon Valley with cash. Link
  • Alibaba reports growth, even as China’s economy stumbles. Link
  • Myntra buys majority stake in fashion brand. Link
  • Xiaomi’s once admired strategy for winning China’s smartphone market has backfired. Link
  • For Indian ecommerce, the choice is between discount and bleed or profit and die. Link
  • Zalando plans foreign hubs to get frocks out faster. Link

 

Weekly Industry Brief: 8.8.2016

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Here ya go,  your weekly brief of news from around the industry.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Have a great week!

Brand/Retailer:

  • Amazon opening 18 more warehouses before holiday. Link
  • Plus size fashion is having a moment. Link
  • Amazon launches Amazon One, a dedicated cargo plane. Link
  • After digital spree, brands spending on stores again. Link
  • When the shop looks a lot like home. Link
  • Stella & Dot launch fine jewelry with Covet. Link
  • How Lululemon equipped Olympians for Rio. Link
  • Under Armour teams up with Kohl’s to target women. Link
  • Banana Republic disappoints Wall Street. Link
  • Gamestop acquires 507 AT&T stores. Link
  • Calvin Klein names its first Chief Creative Officer. Link
  • Walmart buying Jet.com for $3B. Link
  • Aeropostale in talks for sale. Link
  • Adidas continues to seek a buyer for golf unit. Link
  • Target resumes selling Amazon’s gadgets years after rift. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Instagram takes a page from Snapchat, takes aim at it too. Link
  • Facebook is testing video ads during live broadcasts. Link
  • Nike’s latest ad stars the first transgender athlete on a U.S. national team. Link
  • Brands diving into Instagram stories. Link
  • The FTC cracks down on influencer posts. Link
  • Inside the new Teen Vogue, being lead by millennials. Link
  • Why Net-a-porter is going back to basics with its ad message. Link
  • How social media fuels the fortune of fast fashion. Link

Start Up:

  • Japanese biometric startup feels future at its fingertips. Link
  • New service promises to find any Hermes or Chanel bag within 72 hours. Link
  • How Glossier is using the internet to build a beauty brand for the Instagram generation. Link

International:

  • Britain is now the world’s cheapest luxury market. Link
  • Amazon Fashion launches in Mexico despite major challenges. Link
  • Nordstrom Rack expanding in Canada. Link
  • Jack Ma is opening his wallet to Europe but not to Europeans. Link
  • China’s tech trailblazers. Link
  • US chains confront growing competition in China. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Apple has completely changed its approach to TV. Link
  • Emerging tech trends changing how people design homes. Link
  • 5 reasons chatbots will revolutionize the way we do business. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 8.1.2016

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Wowsa. It’s already August. Here is your weekly brief of industry news I’ve collected from around the web. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Weekly Industry Brief 8.1.2016

Brand/Retailer:

  • L’oreal to acquire IT cosmetics in $1.2B deal. Link
  • Amazon delivers huge profits in second quarter blowout. Link
  • Macy’s, Nordstrom fight for identity in an off-price retail world. Link
  • Walgreens to shutdown ecommerce site Drugstore.com. Link
  • Dollar General buys Walmart Express stores, to sell fresh produce. Link
  • How Adidas wiped out a chunk of its own management to drive growth. Link
  • How Lululemon equipped Canadian Olympians for Rio. Link
  • Peek inside Apple’s first Brooklyn store. Link
  • What the changing tenant list in Times Square says about retail. Link
  • Luxottica cuts 2016 outlook as U.S. weakness hits profits. Link
  • Giant shopping mall company Westfield is turning to 10 startups to breathe new life into retail. Link
  • Under Armour founder Kevin Plank’s $5.5B plan for Baltimore. Link
  • Google follows Facebook with an amazing quarter of results. Link
  • Starbucks’ Schultz to step back, focus on high-end strategy. Link
  • Jennifer Lopez and Guiseppe Zanotti launching footwear and handbags together. Link
  • How Lovely Bride founder built a wedding chain for cool girls. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Inside the Revolve house, the buzziest brand activation of the summer. Link
  • What to expect from Abercrombie’s new and improved look. Link
  • Amy Schumer is joining Old Navy’s roster of funny girls. Link
  • Vice Media makes another fashion acquisition. Link
  • Reddit, the anti-corporate corner of the internet will soon allow brands to sponsor regular posts. Link
  • Madewell’s 24-day denim campaign includes a Goop jumpsuit. Link
  • Ralph Lauren comes back to TV after 8 years for Olympic spot. Link
  • Instagram, the $50B grand slam driving Facebook’s future. Link

Start Up:

  • Good Eggs raises $15M to expand across the US. Link
  • This New York based start-up accelerator is supporting the next generation of retail disrupters. Link

International:

  • Flipkart buys Jabong for $70M. Link
  • China’s Didi Chuxing buys Uber China. Link
  • India will finally get affordable, homegrown versions of Zara and H&M. Link
  • Longchamp plans to open six stores in India. Link
  • Burberry buys up remaining stake of retail operation in China. Link
  • Amazon takes on Alibaba with Japan portal for Chinese shoppers. Link
  • China’s shopping craze fills wallets. Link
  • Hong Kong’s swank generation of fashion bloggers turning hobbies into careers. Link
  • Alibaba and insurer AXA join to calm global customers worried about fakes. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Beauty shopping augmented with new mobile apps. Link
  • Alibaba launches Buy+, using VR to make shopping more interactive. Link
  • Facebook has really big plans for virtual reality. Link
  • Apple drops a new iOS 10 beta with a hundred new emojis. Link