Month: June 2017

Weekly Industry Brief: 6.26.2017

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Happy Monday! Here is your weekly brief of news from the last week in retail and ecommerce. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headlines.

Brands and Retailers

  • eBay will now match Amazon’s, WalMart’s and others’ prices on over 50,000 items. TechCrunch
  • Amazon’s grocery ambitions spell trouble for big food brands. Wall Street Journal
  • Google rolls out Google Jobs. Seeking Alpha
  • Uber founder resigns as CEO. New York Times
  • Amazon launches new ‘try before you buy’ Prime wardrobe service. Fortune
  • Etsy will cut 15% of its workforce in a new round of layoffs. TechCrunch
  • Nike will start selling directly on Amazon. Racked
  • Yoox Net-a-Porter shares jump on Alibaba interest. Business of Fashion
  • Adidas has nearly doubled its US sneaker market share. Yahoo Finance
  • StitchFix hires its first CFO; is an IPO next? Recode
  • Sources say Eddie Bauer to explore options including sale. Reuters
  • Why America’s retailers are tapping into wellness for growth. Business of Fashion
  • Nestle sale of L’Oreal stake could spark domino effect. Business of Fashion
  • How Bonobos fits at WalMart. Forbes
  • Louis Vuitton in talks to open US factory. Business of Fashion
  • Sears closing another 20 stores. Fortune

Marketing and Social Media

  • Reddit looks to lure advertisers with video and redesign. Wall Street Journal
  • Google will stop reading your email for Gmail ads. AdAge
  • Moda Operandi is driving Instagram purchase through Amazon Pay. Glossy
  • Now Facebook is getting into original TV programming. Fast Company
  • Club Monaco’s new collection and campaign taps into 90’s nostalgia. Fashionista
  • Crash diet pricing: the ecommerce path to success. Women’s Wear Daily
  • Retailers’ efforts to lure shoppers to stores with experiences still missing the mark. CNBC
  • Instagram is testing a major new feature. Forbes

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Ikea and Apple may be cooking up the next big thing in retail. Fast Company
  • Houzz raises a huge $400M round at $4B valuation. TechCrunch
  • Can the Drybar model be replicated with makeup? Fast Company
  • JD.com invests $397M into luxury marketplace Farfetch as part of new strategic partnership. TechCrunch
  • Why Apple and J.P. Morgan are chasing Venmo. Wall Street Journal
  • Casper raises $170M and plans I.P.O. New York Times
  • Amazon said to be working on translation services for AWS customers. TechCrunch

International

  • Digital-savvy CEO at France’s Carrefour seeks to turn it around. Bloomberg
  • Middle East retailers need to invest in mobile shopping platforms and secure websites. The National
  • What China’s $1T new Silk Road spells for fashion. Business of Fashion
  • Sears Canada closing 59 stores as it seeks bankruptcy protection. Fortune

Weekly Industry Brief: 6.19.2017

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Happy Monday! Here is a recap of industry news from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

  • Amazon to buy Whole Foods for $13.7B. BBC
  • UPS to add delivery surcharge cost for holiday shipments. Wall Street Journal
  • Walmart confirms it is buying Bonobos for $310M. Recode
  • Nike cuts 2% of workforce. Business of Fashion
  • H&M misses sales forecast as fast fashion pressure builds. Business of Fashion
  • Inditex posts 18% rise in first quarter profits. Business of Fashion
  • Zara sees sales growth due to fresh designs, tech. Bloomberg
  • Jet.com will phase out Costco private label products. Bloomberg
  • Estee Lauder’s latest investment is in science-based, internet-beloved beauty brand deciem. Fashionista
  • Amazon launches Prime Reload, offering 2% back on purchases funded through debit cards. Techcrunch
  • Freelance work marketplaces are looking more and more like ecommerce websites. Quartz
  • The fast-fashion trend that’s changing how you buy furniture. Fortune
  • Why the beauty industry is betting big on supplements. Business of Fashion
  • Jessica Alba’s Honest Co. to sell goods on Amazon.com. Fortune
  • Our jeans are ruining the planet but this company wants to fix that. Racked
  • Best Buy wants you to try gadgets before you buy them. Fortune
  • Neiman Marcus ends talk of a possible sale. Wall Street Journal
  • GM laying off about 1,000 works amid downturn in passenger car sales. Wall Street Journal

Marketing and Social Media

  • Conde Nast inks deal with Farfetch.com; ceases Style.com operations. Business of Fashion
  • Time Warner to invest $100M in Snapchat shows, ads. Ad Age
  • Fashion ads, a last bastion of print, are going digital. Wall Street Journal
  • Vice has raised $450 ahead of a potential IPO. Techcrunch
  • Most millennials, especially younger ones, still prefer stores. Retail Dive
  • Facebook Messenger takes another shot at Snapchat – this time with a fine-art twist. Fast Company
  • Your favorite influencers aren’t writing their own content – these women are. Marie Claire
  • Macy’s to revamp loyalty program to keep top shoppers. Wall Street Journal

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Lululemon invests in a cycling apparel startup. Fortune
  • Slack’s possible $9B valuation has Amazon and others calling. Forbes
  • The future of grocery shopping in stores and online. McKinsey
  • Amazon launches a wand with Alexa AI assistant built in. Business Insider
  • Why Stackshare is quietly becoming a secret weapon for developers and Silicon Valley CTOs. Techcrunch
  • Blue Apron will raise $587M in its IPO, valuing itself close to $3B. Techcrunch
  • VCs are valuing Reddit at $1.7B. Fast Company

International

  • Fox in talks to open Urban Outfitters stores in Israel. Globes
  • India to approve Amazon’s retail food plan. Economic Times
  • New own-label brand on the horizon for Next. Retail Gazette
  • Alibaba launches new sales channel in Malaysia and Singapore. Reuters

Weekly Industry Brief: 6.12.2017

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Happy Monday! Here is a brief of industry news I’ve been tracking over the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

  • Macy’s CEO vows to keep shoppers’ attention as malls fade. Bloomberg
  • Amazon launches ‘My Mix,’ a personalized shop filled with your favorite things. TechCrunch
  • Nordstrom family explores taking retailer private, shares surge. Reuters
  • Macy’s considering turning Herald Square roof into a public park. New York Post
  • It’s not just retail that’s changing, it’s us. Bloomberg
  • Amazon’s lending business for online merchants gains momentum. Bloomberg
  • Ikea to try selling through third parties. Reuters
  • UK-based fast-fashion site and new owner of Nasty Gal, Boohoo.com, just raised $65M. Fashionista
  • The rise of luxury strip malls. Business of Fashion
  • Crew and Ralph Lauren: the hard lessons consumers are teaching the fashion industry. Forbes
  • Nike and Adidas are making huge investments that should terrify Under Armour. Business Insider
  • Amazon CPG sales outpacing overall market. Retail Dive
  • Denim makers are emphasizing stretch, comfort and styles that fit more like leggings. Wall Street Journal
  • Cortana can now do price comparisons when you’re shopping online. TechCrunch
  • Target and Cartwheel apps to merge starting this summer, mobile payments and improved maps to follow. TechCrunch
  • Kids clothing brand Gymboree files for bankruptcy protection. Fast Company
  • Saks owner Hudson’s Bay to cut 2,000 as losses mount. AdAge

Marketing and Social Media

  • How bots are inflating Instagram egos. New York Times
  • Selling stuff is no longer the point of retail stores. Fortune
  • Shopify-powered app Frenzy will combine the experience of buying a product drop on your phone. Fashionista
  • Facebook building feature to let users subscribe to news publications. Wall Street Journal
  • Who What Wear launches an ecommerce app. Glossy
  • Why is Google digitizing the world’s fashion archives?  Business of Fashion
  • Snap is developing a second version of Spectacles which may include augmented retail. Techcrunch

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Shopify makes virtual employee bot free for merchants. Venture Beat
  • This startup wants to turn unboxing videos into a big business. Fortune
  • Apple unveils Business Chat, which brings customer service and shopping into iMessage. Techcrunch
  • How artificial intelligence can help you build your own personalized e-boutique. Fashionista
  • This is the next battleground for Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft. Fortune
  • Is Farfetch edging towards a $5B IPO? Business of Fashion
  • How StitchFix is using algorithmic design to become the Netflix of fashion. Fast Company
  • Your complete guide to fashion customization. Fashionista
  • Why The Real Real is opening real-life stores. Glossy

International

Weekly Industry Brief: 6.6.2017

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Hi! Here are the highlights of industry news from the last week.  Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.  Enjoy!

Brands and Retailers

  • Michael Kors to shut 100-125 stores. Wall Street Journal
  • Mickey Drexler to leave J.Crew. Business of Fashion
  • Lululemon to close 40 Ivivva Girls stores. Business of Fashion
  • How Soho became an experiential retail playground. Glossy
  • 12 key takeaways from Mary Meeker’s 2017 Internet Trends Report. AdAge
  • Alexa Chung launches her own fashion line. Wall Street Journal
  • Radio Shack closing 1,000 stores. USA Today
  • Amazon fights Wal-Mart for low-income shoppers. Wall Street Journal
  • Wal-Mart tries using store workers to deliver online orders. Wall Street Journal
  • Canada Goose defies brick-and-mortar gloom. Business of Fashion
  • Inside Hasbro’s digital transformation into a modern toymaker and advertiser. AdWeek
  • Some of Amazon’s own brands are becoming super popular online. Recode
  • Yoox Net-a-Porter group bans fur. Vogue
  • Iconic Parisian department store Le Bon Marche and LVMH go digital with 24 Sevres. Forbes
  • Amazon’s New York City bookstore is about your favorite things not book discovery. Forbes
  • What’s driving the billion-dollar natural beauty movement? Fast Company
  • Tommy Hilfiger is taking his see-now, buy-now spectacle to London. Fashionista
  • Lululemon gains the most in six months as sales begin to recover. Bloomberg

Marketing and Social Media

  • This Gen Z-focused publisher only uses social platforms (10 of them) and doesn’t even have a website. AdWeek
  • Pinterest raises $150M at a $12.3B valuation as it makes a full press into visual search. Techcrunch
  • Publishers are starting to see money from Facebook’s mid-roll ads. Digiday
  • Snapchat acquires location-based data company to ramp up mobile measurement. AdWeek
  • Meeker trends report points to mobile add opportunity. SeekingAlpha
  • 7 Internet trends from Mary Meeker’s 2017 report that marketers should know about. AdWeek
  • Twitter adds new features as it experiments with sponsored live video. AdWeek
  • Instagram ads can now link to brands’ messenger accounts, bots. Marketing Land

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Siri, speakers and software: highlights from Apple’s show. New York Times
  • HomePod speaker and new iMacs: what we saw at Apple’s WWDC. New York Times
  • Apple business chat will bring customer service to the iMessage platform. Techcrunch
  • The way forward with Facebook messenger bots. Venture Beat
  • The RealReal ropes in $50M in new funding. TechCrunch
  • Sakes Fifth Avenue is turning to iMessage to bolster sales. Glossy
  • Toyota is aiming to debut a flying car by 2020. Fortune

International

  • Luxury fashion brands start to sell on China’s WeChat messaging app. Wall Street Journal
  • Aditya Birla fashion plans to trim Forever 21 to turn the label profitable. Economic Times
  • Amazon to take on Australian market. Bloomberg
  • Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE have severed ties with Qatar. Fortune
  • Alibaba: what you should know about new retail. Seeking Alpha
  • Mary Meeker’s focus on China: the key highlights. Recode