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
- Starbucks becomes first retail brand to use WeChat’s gift card product. Link
- Mexico overtakes Canada as No. 2 U.S. exporter ahead of Trump. Link
- China Consumers Association cites ‘Misleading’ Singles’ Day promotions. Link
- China’s retail sales climb 10.8% in November. Link
- ASOS boosts U.K. sourcing after pound’s Brexit fall. Link
- Wal-Mart to invest $1.3B in Mexico. Link
- Hong Kong loses Ralph Lauren flagship, braces for more closures. Link
- Staples agrees to sell European operations to Cerberus Capital. Link
- Marks & Spencer to shutter its 10 stores in China. Link
- Uniqlo targets 100 more stores in China expansion. Link