Happy Thanksgiving week slash one-week-til-Cyber-Monday! This year marks my first year in many years that I won’t be on the phone every other hour for war room check-ins over the holiday weekend.  Wishing everyone positive comps and no website crashes!

In the meantime, do a quick skim of the industry news from the last week here. Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands + Retailers

• Walmart passes Apple to become No. 3 online retailer in U.S. TechCrunch 
• Levi’s plans IPO that values the company at up to $5B.  CNBC
• Ticketmaster and Fanatics link up to sell march and tickets on each others’ platforms.  TechCrunch
• J.Crew CEO steps down.  Fast Company
• Get ready for the first-ever trillion-dollar shopping season.  Fast Company
• Netflix is testing a mobile-only subscription to make its service more affordable.  TechCrunch
• Rent more than the runway: why soon you won’t own any clothes at all.  Fast Company 
• Why JP Morgan’s top internet analyst expects breakout growth for Facebook and Amazon shares in 2019.  CNBC
• In the era of online shopping, the retail store is immersive theater.  Quartz
• How Amazon now shapes what our stuff looks like.  Gizmodo
• Nike’s huge new flagship looks like the future of retail.  Fast Company
• FAO Schwarz puts a new spin on its dance-on piano as part of comeback.  CNBC
• Starbucks to lay off 5% of corporate workforce. The Wall Street Journal

Marketing + Social Media

• GirlBoss is launching a Linkedin-like platform that’s exclusively for women.  AdWeek
• YouTube is now showing ad-supported Hollywood movies.  AdAge
• ThirdLove CEO had perfect response to Victoria’s Secret shade.  Fast Company
• Advertisers are giving people with 1,000 Instagram followers endorsement deals.  Fortune
• Buzzfeed will tell you want millennials want, for a fee.  Bloomberg
• Making YouTube videos stoppable just got a lot easier for influencers.  AdWeek
• Facebook is shutting down its connected-TV ad network.  Digiday
• Snapchat’s new commerce channel lets consumers shop without leaving the app.  AdWeek
• Spotify, Pandora turn to podcasts for listeners, profits.  The Wall Street Journal
• Saks launches holiday gift guide chatbot on Messenger.  AdWeek
• Snapchat launches Bitmoji march and comic strips starring your avatar.  TechCrunch

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• iHeartMedia is acquiring ad ad-tech startup to expand programmatic audio advertising.  AdWeek
• Ford and Walmart join forces for driverless delivery pilot in Miami.  AdAge
• Walmart is using virtual reality simulation to train employees for Black Friday.  Vox
• Facial recognition’s growing adoption spurs privacy concerns.  The Wall Street Journal
• Fashion’s infatuation with AR continues.  Glossy

International

• Disney receives Chinese approval for purchase of Fox assets.  AdAge
• The great promise of China.  The New York Times
• How Allbirds plots international growth.  Digiday
• How Michael Kors is driving Chinese tourists to US stores.  Glossy
• Another foreign furniture giant is following IKEA to India.  Quartz