Month: August 2017

Weekly Industry News: 8.28.2017

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Hi! Another week of Amazon-filled news (…and I did enjoy buying my cheaper apples and avocados today). Anyway, here are some industry headlines from the past week.  As always, sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

  • Everlane’s quest to make the world’s most sustainable denim. Fast Company
  • Whole Foods just got less expensive. Business Insider
  • More than half of online sales growth in the US came from Amazon last year. Business Insider
  • Amazon’s private brands have grown from $0 to $2.5B in sales in less than a decade. Business Insider
  • How Target is using small-format stores to score with younger shoppers. Retail Dive
  • Macy’s hires eBay executive amid management shakeup. The Wall Street Journal
  • Sears inked two more licensing deals that will put a wide range of products on shelves outside of Sears. Chicago Tribune
  • These are the 10 most popular mobile apps in America. Recode
  • How Barney’s is navigating luxury’s slowdown. Fortune
  • How Lush is winning at both online and brick-and-mortar beauty retail. Fashionista
  • Target bets big on in-house brands. Business of Fashion
  • Consumer products retailers are at a crossroads as a new threat rises. Retail Dive
  • Beyond Amazon and Alibaba, what’s next for ecommerce? TechCrunch
  • Burt’s Bees to launch makeup line. Women’s Wear Daily

Marketing and Social Media

  • How retailers are using personalization to win customer loyalty. Forbes
  • Google issuing refunds to advertisers over fake traffic, plans new safeguards. The Wall Street Journal
  • How Instagram and Snapchat are benefitting from Facebook’s declining teen and tween numbers. AdWeek
  • Tiffany makes inroads with millennials as Hepburn era fades. AdAge
  • How Hollister came back from the dead. Bloomberg
  • Snapchat is adding manual controls for advertisers concerned about brand safety. AdWeek

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Google Home launches WalMart shopping. Seeking Alpha
  • Amazon has developed an AI fashion designer. Technology Review
  • Shopify’s ecommerce empire is growing in Amazon’s shadow. Bloomberg
  • Mobile payment company Square just opened its first brick-and-mortar store. AdWeek
  • Target and Cartwheel apps merge ahead of mobile payments launch. TechCrunch
  • Here is the Ionic, Fitbit’s long-awaited answer to the Apple Watch. Fast Company

International

Weekly Industry News: 8.21.2017

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Hello!  Here are some industry headlines from the past two weeks.  As always, sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

  • ASOS to open up second US distribution center. Reuters
  • Wal-Mart applies for patent for blimp-style floating warehouse. Bloomberg
  • Amazon adds “instant pick up” in US brick-and-mortar push. Reuters
  • Big spending expected for Back to School. AdAge
  • Jump in US retail sales largely due to ecommerce spending. The Wall Street Journal
  • Wal-Mart sales rise as retailer dodges industry malaise. The Wall Street Journal
  • Gap shares rise as Old Navy boosts results. Reuters
  • Target boosts forecast as back-to-school season aids turnaround. Bloomberg
  • TJ Maxx maps plans for continued brick-and-mortar expansion. Bloomberg
  • Macy’s and Levi’s team up on limited edition denim shop. WWD
  • North Face parent company to buy Dickie’s for $820M. The Wall Street Journal
  • Toys ‘R’ Us will return to Times Square. Bloomberg
  • TopShop creative chief steps down. Fashionista
  • Amazon’s private label business is booming thanks to device sales and expanded fashion lines. TechCrunch
  • Inside the L.A. mall that’s defying the retail apocalypse. Fast Company
  • Canada Goose debuts its first sweater collection. AdWeek

Marketing and Social Media

  • Instagram is testing a way to invite friends to join a live video. AdWeek
  • How Glossier hacked social media to build a cult-like following. Entrepreneur
  • Sephora creates a digital community for loyal customers. WWD
  • Patagonia steps up its public lands activism with first ever TV commercial. Fast Company
  • Amazon Prime will be in more than half of US households by year’s end. CNBC
  • Apple is entering the content streaming war against Netflix. Fast Company
  • Fashion’s hottest brands and top selling products. Business of Fashion
  • Cutting out the middleman has shortened the lifespan of fads. The New York Times
  • Facebook adds eBay’s Daily Deals to its marketplace on mobile. TechCrunch
  • Facebook tests targeting ads to people who visited brands’ brick-and-mortar stores. MarketingLand
  • Macy’s pins hopes on new marketing. AdAge
  • Marketers step up as tech leaders take AR mainstream. AdWeek
  • Baidu and JD.com partner to send search users straight to the checkout. Bloomberg
  • Facebook introduces “Watch” video product for short series. Bloomberg

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Look for Apple to release an AR-ready iPhone soon. Fast Company
  • Amazon partners with ASU to offer Echo Dot to 1,600 engineering students. ZDNet
  • Target buys software startup aimed at same-day delivery. Bloomberg
  • Alexa brings hands-free TV to more devices. TechCrunch
  • Shake Shack’s new chatbot can answer 300 customer questions. Digiday
  • NastyGal founder raises $1.2M for new venture, GirlBoss Media. Forbes

International

Weekly Industry News: 8.7.2017

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Hello!  Here are some industry headlines from the past week.  As always, sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

  • Uniqlo tries new approach: shirts in vending machines. The Wall Street Journal
  • Now at Saks: salt rooms, a bootcamp and a peek at retail’s future. The New York Times
  • Retail’s not dead and physical stores still matter, Goldman says. CNBC
  • Aldo to buy Vince Camuto in a merger of shoe brands. The New York Times
  • The luxury arms race: Michael Kors and Coach target takeovers. The New York Times
  • Amazon is rolling out secure delivery hubs for multi-dwelling buildings. Retail Dive
  • Under Armour shares reach record low as retailer cuts 2% of its workforce. CNBC
  • American Apparel is relaunching very soon. Racked
  • Under Armour’s game plan to revive sales may hit snags. Reuters
  • Yoox Net-a-porter open to partnerships in different markets. Reuters
  • Apple’s services generated more than $27.8B in revenue in 12-month period. The Wall Street Journal
  • Adidas powers ahead against Nike with second quarter growth. Business of Fashion
  • Amazon owns a whole collection of secret brands. Quartz
  • These retailers make the most money per square foot on their real estate. CNBC
  • Netflix makes first acquisition with comic-book publisher. AdAge

Marketing and Social Media

  • Amazon is launching a home makeover show featuring YouTube stars that’s designed to sell products. Business Insider
  • Etsy suspends brand campaign, shifts marketing strategy. AdAge
  • Airbnb and Nat Geo found the perfect place to watch the eclipse. Fast Company
  • How consumer brands can connect with customers in a changing retail landscape. Harvard Business Review
  • Babies R Us wants to give millennial parents a more honest message about parenthood. AdWeek
  • Google is developing technology for Snapchat-like media content. The Wall Street Journal
  • How H&M is using Instagram to drive interest in its newest brand. Glossy

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • For Outdoor Voices, opening stores is all about building community. Fashionista
  • Apple’s AR glasses are no longer an “if” but a “when.” Fast Company
  • Chatbots bring new income stream to ecommerce. VentureBeat
  • Amazon Alex just made it even easier to find the right music on Echo. Fortune

International

  • Europe’s luxury brands may be returning to form. The New York Times
  • Alibaba launches new membership program. WWD
  • Alibaba, Marriott team up to serve Chinese tourists abroad. The Wall Street Journal
  • How Alibaba plans to win over luxury brands. Glossy
  • Brits will soon gain the right to have their online history deleted. Fast Company