Here is a quick rundown of industry news from the last week! As always, sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.
Brands + Retailers
- NBC leans into shoppable TV. AdAge
- Target wants to build a media business to rival Amazon. Digiday
- Apple cracks down on apps that fight iPhone addiction. The New York Times
- Hudson’s Bay says selling Lord & Taylor is on the table. Forbes
- Gucci debuts its beauty collection. Vogue
- Why the expansion of Nordstrom Local is important. Forbes
- Sephora sees growing demand for CBD beauty brands. Glossy
- Walmart rolls out new system to reward, support store staff. Bloomberg
- Nordstrom to add two mini stores in its New York expansion. The New York Times
Marketing + Social Media
- Instagram makes it easy to shop from celebrity’s posts. AdAge
- Google tests shoppable recommendations in YouTube videos. MobileMarketer
- Search-based ads bring in bulk of Amazon’s revenue. eMarketer
- Now Shopify users can easily advertise on Snapchat. Forbes
- H&M quits print catalog after almost 40 years Bloomberg
- Google now lets you auto-delete your app activity, location and web history. TechCrunch
- The rise of live-streamer style. The New York Times
- YouTube gets exclusive streaming rights to 13 MLB games this year. Fortune
- Google may be about to kill affiliate marketing links. Fast Company
Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions
- VC firms polish their own brands to chase the next consumer hit. The Wall Street Journal
- Retail has big hopes for A.I but shoppers may have other ideas. Fortune
- L’Oreal USA brings back its accelerator program. Glossy
- Lowe’s will put FedEx delivery bot to the test. RetailDive
- How exactly Stichfix’s “Tinder-for-clothes” learns your style. Quartz
- Why there haven’t been more billion-dollar acquisitions for direct-to-consumer commerce startups. The New Consumer
International
