Here is a recap of news in the retail and ecommerce industry from the last week.  Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

• Disney’s fix for retail slump: stream theme-park events in store. Bloomberg
• Ford is taking on Tesla with new electric car group called Edison. Quartz
• Wal-Mart will offer free same-day delivery in NYC. Bloomberg
• Ikea acquires TaskRabbit. Recode
• Jet.com will launch its own grocery line. Retail Dive
• Forever 21 and Taco Bell team up for the next big thing in food fashion. AdAge
• Timberland blazes a new trail in retail with two new retail concepts. Forbes
• Starbucks closes online store to focus on in-person experience. The New York Times
• Wal-Mart steps up efforts to reduce chemicals. Bloomberg
• Macy’s is overhauling its rewards program to win back straying shoppers. Fortune
• Nike de-emphasizes retailers in favor of digital sales. Bloomberg
• Volkswagon to build electric versions of all 300 models by 2030. Bloomberg

Marketing and Social Media

• Clinique is turning print ads into six-second videos. DigiDay
• Twitter just doubled the character limit for tweets to 280. The Verge
• Amazon’s Alexa pairs with Perry Ellis to help men dress. Retail Dive
• Snapchat will put Jeff Koons’ art installations in augmented reality. The Verge
• Facebook plans to add 1,000 moderators. Forbes
• What Tiffany & Co. learned about mobile from watching its competitors. AdWeek
• Brands are doing more experiential marketing. Here’s how they’re measuring whether it’s working. AdWeek
• Google is overhauling its search engine to help paywalled new sites attract visitors. Fast Company

Startup and Emerging Tech

• This $35 add-on will let Amazon Echos place phone calls. TechCrunch
• A blogger’s social media idea sparks a retail revolution, and $1B in sales. CNBC
• Shake Shack’s Danny Myer launches private equity fund. Fortune
• Mastercard users can now browse and buy high-end home décor in virtual reality. Fortune

International

• India’s apparel retailers build new brands for smaller markets. Financial Times
• How Estee Lauder is making its global brand locally relevant in China. Jing Daily
• This Middle Eastern e-Retailer is taking on Amazon. Fortune
• France cracks down on photo-shopped bodies in Ads. AdAge
• More luxury stores closed in China over the last year than in any other country. Jing Daily
• Myntra to manage Espirit in India, curate 15 retail stores. Money Control
• JD.com to help China’s offline retailers harness ecommerce to improve efficiency. South China Morning Post