Month: February 2019

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.25.2019

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Hi! Here is a quick recap of industry news from the last week.  Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands + Retailers

  • Target is inviting retailers to its website, taking a different approach than Walmart and Amazon to grow online.  CNBC
  • Inditex launches Pull & Bear in the US.  Bloomberg
  • StitchFix’s radical data-driven way to sell clothes ($1.2B last year) is reinventing retail.  Fast Company
  • Target is accelerating the lingerie wars with bras that cost under $22.  Business Insider 
  • PetSmart vs. Petco: a dogfight that neither one is winning.  The Wall Street Journal
  • Apple could be working with Goldman Sachs on a credit card.  TechCrunch
  • Rook on track for $1B in revenue in 2019.  TechCrunch
  • Charlotte Russe stil searching for buyer as possible liquidation looms.  The Wall Street Journal
  • What the Amazon Coat tells us about the future of shopping.  Business of Fashion 
  • Anheuser-Busch acquires its first spirits company.  Fortune
  • Home Depot among investors in same-day delivery startup, Roadie.  The Wall Street Journal
  • Remembering Karl Lagerfeld, designer who defined luxury fashion.  The New York Times

Marketing + Social Media

  • Pinterest files for IPO as battle for ad dollars continues.  AdAge
  • Nestle and Disney pull ads from YouTube over handing of videos of children.  AdAge
  • The latest Instagram influencer frontier? Medical promotions.  Vox
  • Tide announces it’ll open 2,000 laundry locations in the next two years.  AdWeek
  • Facebook grappling with employee anger over moderator conditions.  Bloomberg
  • Google-Facebook duopoly set to lose some of its share of ad spend.  AdAge
  • Ikea cleans up the River Thames to promote new store. Fast Company
  • Beauty icon Bobbi Brown reinvents herself as a health and wellness guru.  CNBC
  • Nike and Serena Williams redefine what it means to call a female athlete crazy.  AdWeek
  • Instagram is testing a donation sticker in Stories.  The Verge
  • How Kellogg’s speed team is launching brands with startup principles  AdExchanger

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

  • Six ways AI can impact retail forecasting: hype vs. reality.  Forbes
  • Lyft filling could kick off cavalcade of high-profile tech IPOs.  AdAge
  • Galaxy Fold is here, with six cameras and two batteries for $1,980.  CNet
  • Amazon Alexa and the search for the perfect answer.  Wired

International

  • JD.com’s drones take flight to Japan in partnership with Rakuten.  TechCrunch
  • Amazon is targeting customers in Kenya who want to pay in cash.  Quartz

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.18.2019

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Hey! I’m back after a hectic Monday prevented me from posting last week.  Here is a recap of industry news from the last two weeks.  Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Have a great week!

Brands + Retailers

  • Levi’s to return to stock exchange after strong comeback.  Fortune
  • Luxury retailer Barney’s jumps on the cannabis train with fancy head shop in Beverly Hills.  The New York Times 
  • PayLess is closing all its 2,100 US stores.  CNN
  • Walgreens to add mobile payment app Alipay.  AdWeek
  • Amazon pulls out of planned New York City headquarters.  The New York Times 
  • Amazon launches a home shopping channel.  Forbes 
  • Subscription ecommerce startups show resilience.  The Wall Street Journal
  • Google to invest $13B in US data centers and offices this year.  CNN
  • Crate & Barrel partners with home services site Handy for furniture assembly deal.  Reuters
  • AirBnB just hired Virgin America’s former CEO as chief transportation officer.  Fast Company 
  • Most U.S. companies say they are planning to transition to a circular economy.  Fast Company 
  • Hermes’ refusal to change is its most radical gesture yet.  The New York Times 
  • Victoria Beckham launches own-brand beauty.  Vogue
  • Amazon aims to make half of its shipments carbon neutral by 2030. TechCrunch
  • Angela Ahrendts is leaving Apple.  Fortune
  • Apple’s executive shake-up readies company for life after iPhone.  The Wall Street Journal
  • CVS’s new HealthHub concept aims to reinvent the corner drugstore.  The Motley Fool

Marketing + Social Media

  • Instagram purges fake followers.  Fast Company
  • Facebook tests empowering publishers to deliver ads to Watch.  AdAge
  • What brands are doing to be more inclusive for people with disabilities. Marketing Week
  • Lego partners with Snapchap to sell clothing.  Forbes
  • US digital ad revenues up 22% to reach $26.2B reports IAB.  The Drum
  • Pinterest is bringing skin tone ranges to its iOS app.  AdWeek
  • Target is taking its new loyalty program to more cities.  CNBC
  • Amazon debuts rewards programme on Washington Post and TikTok apps.  The Drum
  • Amazon has a big advertising business and Walmart wants one too.  Bloomberg

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

  • Apple buys UK-based digital marketing startup, DataTiger.  AdAge
  • JP Morgan is launching its own cryptocurrency.  The Verge
  • Amazon opens up Alexa store for anyone to create and publish custom skills.  The Verge
  • Facebook acquires visual search business GrokStyle.  Essential Retail
  • Apple hires ex-Microsoft exec to revamp its smart home business.  CNBC
  • Walmart is putting VR-equipped trailers in its parking lots with plans to bring it to stores.  CNBC
  • Joor raises $16M to expand its online fashion marketplace for wholesalers.  VentureBeat
  • Foot Locker pours $100M into sneaker resale startup GOAT.  Fast Company 

International

  • Estee Lauder sales rise as Chinese consumer spend big on beauty.  The Wall Street Journal
  • UK retail sales jump the most in six months on clothing discounts.  Bloomberg

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.4.2019

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Happy Monday! Here is a recap of industry news from the last week.  Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands + Retailers

  • DTC women’s hair-removal brand Flamingo moves offline with Target.  Glossy
  • Toy industry sales fell 2% in 2018, thanks to Toys R Us closure.  CNBC
  • Walmart scores big against Amazon with Fanatics sports gear deal.  Fortune 
  • Walgreens and CVS are offering ways to fix your teeth in their stores.  CNBC
  • Kohl’s is putting a Weight Watchers studio in one of its stores as part of wellness push.  CNBC
  • Alphabet earnings: why Google stock is tumbling despite profit spike  Fast Company 
  • Goop is coming to Netflix.  TechCrunch
  • Charlotte Russe files for bankruptcy.  Fortune
  • Why H&M hired the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower.  Fortune

Marketing + Social Media

  • Google’s bid to battle Amazon suffers blow as Walmart withdraws.  Bloomberg
  • Zara changes its logo.  Hypebeast
  • Equinox debuts campaign for new hotels biz.  AdAge
  • The Top 10 Super Bowl commercials by digital share of voice.  AdAge
  • The biggest advertising trends of the Super Bowl.  AdWeek
  • How TikTok is climbing the download charts, taking on Snapchat and Twitter.  CNBC
  • Hulu is the first brand to sponsor the record-breaking egg account on Instagram.  The Verge
  • The rise of the new male power shopper.  Forbes
  • Why fashion brands are launching podcasts.  The Business of Fashion
  • Nike turns its SNKRS app into a pop-up shop.  Engadget
  • Google+ will officially shut down on April 2.  Fortune 
  • 15 years of Facebook in four charts.  Wired

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

  • Warby Parker is using augmented reality to help people find frames that fit.  AdWeek
  • Artificial intelligence is chaining Kroger, Walgreens and others.  Forbes
  • McCormick and IBM team up to add AI-fueled flavors.  Fast Company
  • Slack just confidentially filed to go public.  Fast Company 
  • Amazon’s 2018 acquisitions totaled $1.65B, led by PillPack and Ring.  TechCrunch
  • How blockchain will change marketing in 2019.  CMO Magazine

International

  • Amazon and Flipkart pull 100,000’s of products to comply with new Indian law.  TechCrunch
  • Amazon reportedly eyes Middle East expansion.  Geek Wire