Cyber Monday Edition! You’re probably still on conference calls, waiting for the final hours of sales to hit your constant flow of reports, hoping for the ultimate win of a glitch-free Cyber Monday (sorry, J.Crew!)…so while you are doing that, take a look at a recap of news from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headlines.

[Special Section!] Holiday Shopping

• Cyber Monday runs up $840M so far in US sales online. TechCrunch
• Black Friday online sales surge to new records with mobile pushing fastest. Fortune
• This Black Friday, some mall visitors came out for more than bargains. Washington Post
• Thanksgiving ecommerce sales hit a record $2.87B, up 18.3% year-on-year. Techcrunch
• At $1B a day or more, online shopping in the US has already set a new record this month. CNBC
• Macy’s CEO sees strong start to holidays, helped by coat sales. Bloomberg
• Inside the Wal Mart vs. Amazon battle over Black Friday. The Wall Street Journal
• Nike, Macy’s suffer technical snafus on Black Friday. The Wall Street Journal
• Soaring web sales continue to dominate holiday retail. CNBC
• Millennials and the cosmetics boom. New York Times
• Five digital stats that sum up Cyber Monday and Black Friday. AdWeek
• Cyber Monday sales up 16% so far, even though best deals were already gone. AdAge

Brands and Retailers

• Amazon wants you to buy an Echo next to that Whole Foods turkey. Bloomberg
• Retailers offering delayed shipping options to avoid peak charges. The Wall Street Journal
• Retailers experiment with a new philosophy: smaller is better. New York Times
• Victoria Beckham scales up with $40M private equity investment. Fashionista
• Crew to close more stores amid sinking sales. Fashionista
• Everlane is opening its first brick and mortar stores, after years of swearing it wouldn’t. Washington Post
• WeWork reportedly expanding into retail. Retail Dive
• Inside the revolution at Etsy. New York Times
• The future of retail in the age of Amazon. Fast Company
• High-end stores that don’t actually sell anything are the future of retail. Quartz
• Urban Outfitters surprises with strong Q3 earnings. Chain Store Age
• Abercrombie same-store sales blow past estimates. Business Insider

Marketing and Social Media

• Advertisers leaving YouTube due to ad placements. Seeking Alpha
• Inside year three of REI’s #OptOutside campaign. AdWeek
• How Sephora is quietly supporting female entrepreneurs. Glossy
• Facebook debuts web-based VR experiences within standard newsfeed. Marketing Land
• From collaborations to new stores to Paris Fashion Week, here’s how Lacoste is trying to stay relevant. Fashionista
• Snapchat debuts two new advertising products. TechCrunch

Startup and Emerging Tech

• Augmented reality will transform city life. Venture Beat
• Meet the Everlane of skin care. The Cut
• Robot makers raise funding in fight against Amazon. Bloomberg
• Baidu unveils home robots and smart speakers. Venture Beat
• Four futuristic features every retail store will have by 2025. Time

International

• Amazon recruits Indian merchants on hunt for lower priced merchandise. New York Times
• Amazon gears up to begin selling in Australia. Reuters
• French shoppers to spend more online this holiday than last year.  Reuters
• Demand for gold in China lifts profit at world’s largest jeweler.  Bloomberg
• Amazon is selling its cloud services business in China to local firm.  Fortune