This is my first Cyber Monday away from brand-side commerce in many years. I hope you are all swimming in positive (profitable) comps! In the meantime, you can checkout headlines from the last week here.  Sources are in the hyperlinked text.

Brands and Retailers

• Walmart passes Apple to become No. 3 online retailer in the U.S. TechCrunch
• Black Friday is now retail’s digital stress test.  Bloomberg
• Black Friday sales were the best they have been in years – but companies lost out because they weren’t ready for success.  Business Insider
• Amazon, Apple and Facebook once led the market. Now they are driving it down.  The New York Times 
• Victoria’s Secret is bringing back swimwear after abandoning it nearly 3 years ago.  Business Insider
• Amazon reports customer data snafu as holiday shopping heats up.  AdAge
• Thanksgiving online spend hits a record $3,7B, mobile accounted for one-third of sales.  TechCrunch
• Kohl’s cracks the retail code.  Fortune
• A new wave of beauty brands are catering to the post-Glossier customer.  Fashionista
• Former Toys ‘R’ Us employees get a long overdue severance payout.  Fast Company 
• Columbia Sportswear says the president’s new wave of levies will not bring jobs back to the US.  The New York Times
• Walmart, J.Crew, Lululemon: Retailers’ websites struggle to handle the Black Friday bonanza.  Fortune
• Neiman Marcus is exploring options that include a sale.  StocksBeat
• The new trend in luxury retail? Not selling anything.  Fashionista
• Gap considers closing hundreds of stores with urgency.  Fortune
• Walmart is finding ways to be nimble and thinking like a startup.  AdWeek
• Ikea to slash thousands of jobs in restructuring.  The Wall Street Journal
• GM plans to cut 14,000 jobs, close factories as downturn looms.  TechCrunch
• Amazon exec tapped to lead Airbnb to the public market.  TechCrunch
• US Postal Service exposed data of 60 million users.  TechCrunch

Marketing and Social Media

• LinkedIn violated data protection by using 18M email addresses of non-members to buy targeted ads on Facebook.  TechCrunch
• Cards Against Humanity sold diamond and TVs for 99% off on Black Friday.  TechCrunch
• Why holiday windows still matter.  The New York Times 
• Ticketmaster and Fanatics link up to sell march and tickets on each others’ platforms.  TechCrunch
• Instagram is purging fake followers from the app.  Fortune
• Apple’s gorgeously detailed holiday ad has a moral that all creatives should take to heart.  AdWeek
• Coca-Cola wiped its social media accounts and relaunched with a positive, happy new look.  AdWeek
• Facebook Watch pivots to an older audience.  CNBC

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• Google Home Hub is a makeup how-to machine for your vanity.  Fast Company
• For retailers and brands, sustainability needs good tech.  Forbes
• Neo banks are finally having their moment.  The New York Times
• Amazon aims to put digital wallet in brick-and-mortar stores.  The Wall Street Journal

International

• Alibaba vs. Amazon reveals China’s digital commerce edge.  AdAge
• Dolce & Gabbana in China storm over videos seen as racist.  AdAge
• How Farfetch leverages its WeChat strategy.  Jing Daily
• Lowe’s to exit Mexico retail business.  The Wall Street Journal