Out of office!

Hi everyone! I’m enjoying the holidays (and going on my honeymoon!) and will resume posting my weekly updates in January.

In the meantime, keep up with the articles I’m reading by following me on Twitter: @carolann_larkin.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Weekly Industry Brief: 12.13.2016

Here is your weekly industry brief over the last week. Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Cheers!

Brand/Retailer

Cyber Monday drives $52B in online sales. Link
Aerie opens concept store in New York. Link
LA City Attorney suing Sears, Kohl’s, Macy’s, JC Penney for alleged pricing scheme. Link
Starbucks’ Schultz sees sweeping retail consolidation. Link
Millennials making bigger investments in makeup. Link
Revolve launches beauty. Link
Ikea adapts to growing urban populations. Link
American Apparel to close nine stores by end of December. Link
Museums rethink retail. Link
Sports bras are making Lululemon a lot of money. Link
Kylie Jenner and Shopify prepare for what may be the most hyped pop-up ever. Link
Starbucks 5-year plan: lots of stores, food and cold drinks. Link
Google signs deal with Cuba’s state-run telecommunications company. Link
Nordstrom turns to electronic gifting service amid shift online. Link
There’s a Crossfit war being fought over your feet. Link
Net loss grows at Neiman Marcus. Link

Marketing/Social

Ikea renamed products after frequently Googled problems that those products solve. Link
How Costco appeals to millennials and Gen Z without specifically targeting them. Link
Snapchat adds four new features including much-requested group chat. Link
Weibo’s comeback lures luxury brands. Link
Selena Gomez inks $10M deal with Coach. Link
How Revolve is leveraging user-generated content for its beauty business. Link
Kylie Cosmetics sidelines journalists at store opening. Link
Instagram brings live video broadcasts to all U.S. users. Link
Facebook Live will spin up 360-degree streaming to match YouTube. Link

Startup/Emerging Tech

Job cuts at Honest Co. could mean deal, IPO are tabled. Link
Prada uses video, virtual reality to market fragrance. Link
Why AR will be bigger than VR. Link
L’Occitane ups technology with smart beauty fitting room. Link
Retail chatbots show the power of artificial intelligence, just in time for the holidays. Link
Adidas to sell 3-D shoes to public. Link

International

Here is your industry news over the last week. Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

Amazon captured 31% of online spending over Cyber Weekend. Link
Google says it will run entirely on renewable energy in 2017. Link
Global online sales of apparel, footwear rise 13% on Cyber Weekend. Link
Minkoff to offer self-checkout option at Soho store. Link
Burberry, Coach shares up on rumored takeover talks. Link
Amazon opening a store that will eliminate checkout – and lines. Link
Johanna Ortiz to launch capsule for Moda Operandi. Link
Patagonia donating its $10M in Black Friday sales to charity. Link
Bralettes lifting sales at American Eagle. Link
Birthday at Burberry? Luxury brands add personal services. Link
Can fast-fashion brands like Zara go sustainable? Link
Starbucks CEO steps down again. Link
Adidas just opened its largest store in the world. Link
British Fashion Council teams with Google on digital fashion education program. Link
Bohoo enters bid for NastyGal. Link
You can now order Oreos online. Link
Under Armour to become official uniform supplier to MLB. Link
Reformation teamed up with Haim for a very on brand New Year’s Eve collection. Link
Fast fashion: How a Zara coat went from design to Fifth Avenue in 25 days. Link
With $720 self-tying sneaker, Nike loosens ties to retailers, encourages customers to buy direct through Nike+ app. Link
Rent-the-runway mines user data to design sleek new flagship. Link
Todd Snyder opens NYC flagship. Link
US retailers value enthusiasm over experience for holiday hires. Link

Marketing/Social

While we weren’t looking, Snapchat revolutionized social networks. Link
Twitter buys little-known startup to gain a new head of product. Link
Tyson Foods launches new venture fund to back food and agriculture startups. Link
Microsoft’s new chatbot won’t talk politics or racism. Link
Domino’s rewards loyal patrons with shares, profits. Link
Twitter struggles to turn prominence into profit. Link

Startup/Emerging Tech

Cult beauty brand Glossier raises $24M to expand into retail, international. Link
Bringing virtual reality to a population that needs it for something more than gaming. Link
With arrival of touch controllers, Oculus Rift finally reaches its potential. Link
Rag & Bone takes on virtual reality with Google. Link
Alexander McQueen designs a 3D-printed umbrella. Link
Six mobile apps to make holiday shopping easier. Link
Marriott launches its own tech startup accelerator. Link
Hearst is launching a 10-person team tasked with building voice-activated experiences. Link

International