Hi! Happy Monday. Here is your recap of news I’ve collected over the last week.  Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

• To win back customers, Fendi thinks small. Link
• Mall owners are finding relief from an unlikely source: online retailers. Link
• Microsoft making late entry in ebooks to take on Amazon. Link
• BCBG to close stores, restructure as online shift takes toll. Link
• Five trends that will change the way your customers will shop in 2017. Link
• Why Amazon has launched a new credit card for Prime users. Link
• Kate Spade attracts interest from Coach, Michael Kors. Link
• Victoria’s Secret looks to uncover supply chain issues. Link
• Amazon to add three more fulfillment centers. Link
• Sprint buys 33% of Jay Z’s music streaming service Tidal. Link
• Cassette tape sales rise 74% in 2016. Link
• Yahoo sale to Verizon pushed back. Link
• Louis Vuitton unveiled collaboration with Supreme at Men’s Fall Show. Link
• Apple sues Qualcomm. Link
• Retail malaise puts pressure on chains to shut more stores. Link
• Nike and Ford caught in crossfire of Trump’s free trade overhaul. Link

Marketing/Social

• How fashion brands are using Whatsapp. Link
• The rise of chatbots and their implication on social media. Link
• Alibaba to sponsor Olympics and provide official ecommerce platform. Link
• WeChat’s hot new feature will take time for marketers to figure out. Link
• Snapchat advertisers can now target users based on offline sales data. Link
• A+E to build Lifetime as digital women’s brand under ex-Refinery29 editor. Link

Startup/Emerging Tech

• L’oreal to invest in these five beauty tech startups. Link
• More photos emerge of Under Armor’s smartwatch with HTC. Link
• Rocket Internet closes $1B fund, the largest out of Europe to date. Link
• Rebecca Minkoff announces fashion tech venture capital fund. Link
• Packaging deals bring Internet of Things to crackers, hairspray and tomato paste. Link
• Sears turns to AI to help sell tires. Link
• Robot cards to descend on 10 sites U.S. names as proving grounds. Link

International

• Amazon reportedly ends talks to acquire stake in Middle East ecommerce marketplace Souq.com. Link
• Newegg plans to launch online marketplace in China. Link
• Chinese are celebrating Lunar New Year by escaping China. Link