Category: weekly recap

Weekly Industry Brief: 10.26.2015

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Check out my recap of industry news from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Virgin America and Spotify team up for free inflight music streaming. Link
  • ASOS reports small rise in annual profits. Link
  • Amazon beats expectations with $24.4B in sales. Link
  • Adidas aims to open automated shoe factory in Germany in 2016. Link
  • American Apparel sees bright future after bankruptcy. Link
  • Walmart plays catch-up with Amazon with significant increase in ecommerce investment. Link
  • Google revenue rises as mobile contribution grows. Link
  • Under Armour is stepping on Nike’s turf with donation to running track in Portland. Link
  • Google expresses itself with fast-delivery service expansion in Cleveland. Link
  • Apple Music has 6.5M paying subscribers. Link
  • Microsoft goes upscale with Fifth Avenue flagship store. Link
  • Amazon tested package delivery by newspaper trucks. Link
  • Coty acquires content agency Beamly as it gears up for P&G deal. Link
  • Amazon to charge $299 yearly membership for grocery delivery. Link
  • Net-a-porter launches luxury ski shop. Link
  • Lush Cosmetics touts transparency as ecommerce grows. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Twitter to let brands link up users’ Twitter handles with their customer accounts for customer care. Link
  • Flipboard launches a new targeted ads product based on its interest graph. Link
  • Digital network dedicated solely to fashion launches on Apple TV. Link
  • Instagram’s new standalone app Boomerang captures 1-second video loops. Link
  • Tailoring is key to Coca-Cola’s success on Snapchat. Link
  • Coke creates podcast with iHeartMedia to target teens. Link
  • Google discloses more search data to woo retailers. Link

Startups:

  • Time Inc. acquires Hello Giggles. Link
  • German startup Number26 turns retail shops into bank branches for its bank of the future. Link
  • A flurry of startups vie to win ecommerce battle in India. Link
  • Indiegogo creates generosity.com for personal fund-raising campaigns. Link

International:

  • Target begins shipping to Canada through its website but shoppers dismayed at cost. Link
  • Spotify moves closer to launches in Indonesia and Japan. Link
  • Primark expands on rival Zara’s home turf with Spanish flagship store. Link
  • Indonesia to woo American investment in ecommerce sector. Link
  • Rare store sales data highlights Wal-Mart’s China challenge. Link
  • Uber says 30% of trips take place in China. Link
  • Facebook strives to bring cheap wifi to rural India. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Hundreds of apps banned from app store for accessing users’ personal information. Link
  • Facebook M Assistant’s top requests include restaurant suggestions and shopping help. Link
  • Tommy Hilfiger using virtual reality in stores from New York to Moscow. Link
  • The New York Times is about to launch a virtual reality mainstream moment. Link
  • Dunkin Donuts tells customers its app needs a jolt. Link
  • Target gets into Halloween spirit with virtual reality, mobile site. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 10.19.2015

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Check out my recap of industry news from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Uber’s courier service, UberRush goes live in Chicago and San Francisco. Link
  • Kohl’s expands same-day delivery to 9 cities ahead of holiday season. Link
  • Target teams up with Who What Wear on full-fledged fashion line. Link
  • Under Armour CEO and CFO to step down. Link
  • PayPal will now pay for your return shipping. Link
  • Birchbox is launching its own makeup line. Link
  • WalMart to pour $2B into ecommerce over next two years. Link
  • Nike sets aggressive revenue target of $50B by 2020. Link
  • Nordstrom Rack is becoming a massive threat to Macy’s, Kohls, and JC Penny. Link
  • Balmain x H&M: See the full collection with prices. Link
  • Rodarte to team up with & Other Stories next Spring. Link
  • Starbucks is testing delivering coffee to office workers in the Empire State Building. Link
  • How Levi’s is fighting athleisure by reinventing denim. Link
  • Ralph Lauren opens first store in Brooklyn. Link
  • American Apparel sees bright future after bankruptcy. Link
  • Target enlists entrepreneurs to help it think outside the big box. Link

Marketing/Social

  • Survey finds teens prefer Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. Link
  • Facebook pushes shopping features in move toward ecommerce. Link
  • How Facebook’s Moments is solving the other people’s photos problem. Link
  • Target taps Shazam for shoppable link to TV ad campaign. Link
  • How Unilever tapped ‘I Want that Hair’ moments by aggregating blogger videos. Link
  • Facebook tests video tab, intensifying YouTube rivalry. Link
  • How the Instagram effect is changing advertising images. Link

Startup

  • Outdoor Voices, a brand for simple, cool activewear, raises $7M in funding. Link
  • How non-technology companies are trying to mimic startups by launching innovation labs. Link

International

  • H&M’s next target is the Indian middle class. Link
  • Amazon bets on Mexico. Link
  • Zalando feels growth pains as margins miss estimates. Link
  • Starbucks may be opening stores in Italy. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech

  • Square, the mobile payments company, files for IPO. Link
  • Swatch links with China banking giants for mobile payment watch. Link
  • More brands use beacons to connect with customers real-time. Link
  • Nike debuts interactive shopping app, Tech Book. Link
  • Apple focuses on 3D Touch with new iPhone 6 ad. Link
  • Yaho offers password free log in for email. Link
  • LinkedIn revamps mobile app to boost use. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 10.12.2015

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Below is a recap of industry news from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Amazon challenges Etsy with handmade marketplace. Link
  • com eliminates $50 membership fee to broaden appeal. Link
  • Why big-name chefs are opening restaurants with Urban Outfitters. Link
  • More retailers offering free shipping on returns. Link
  • Uniqlo plans to curb US store openings, citing ‘limited’ brand awareness. Link
  • Amazon wants to know how its employees feel every day. Link
  • Gap slump deepens on disappointing September sales report. Link
  • Banana Republic’s creative directors steps down as brand flails. Link
  • Urban Outfitters to end on-call shifts in New York City. Link
  • Amazon building a tech business for the long haul. Link
  • Holiday sales expected to total $630B this year. Link
  • Dell buys EMC for $67B, the largest deal in tech history. Link
  • When it comes to delivery, one size doesn’t fit all. Link
  • City Sports files for bankruptcy, will sell or close down. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Mobile search surpasses desktop at Google. Link
  • With reactions, Facebook supercharges the like button. Link
  • How advertising will work in Google’s accelerated mobile pages. Link
  • Vimeo is producing its first slate of originals. Link
  • Twitter’s Moments geared to reduce newcomer intimidation. Link
  • Marketers look to diversify their online spending. Link
  • Facebook to start soring ads’ results across its mobile app network. Link
  • Pinterest adds retailers with expanded buy button. Link
  • Snapchat on pace to overtake Facebook for video supremacy. Link

Startups:

  • Glamsquad raises another $15M to launch in more cities. Link
  • Start-ups picked by Disney hint at future tech for children. Link
  • Meet Sounds, a music app that lets you share songs on Instagram. Link

International:

  • Need Supply to open stores in Japan. Link
  • European fashion sense dominates online too. Link
  • Russia proves a bright spot for China’s online retailers. Link
  • SIngPost grows ecommerce with U.S., European services. Link
  • Apple is blocking its news app from everyone in China. Link
  • WalMart Canada to join forces with 7-Eleven for ecommerce pickup points. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • How Urban Outfitters may boost mobile sales with visual search. Link
  • Microsoft builds its first laptop, the Surface Book. Link
  • Facebook Messenger for Apple Watch officially launches. Link
  • Abercrombie looks to revive sales with mobile-led model. Link
  • China helps offset lowest US iPhone share in the past four years. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 10.5.2015

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Below is a recap of industry news over the last week. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Walmart expands pick-up service as grocery war with Amazon intensifies. Link
  • Ralph Lauren to step down as CEO, hand reins to Old Navy executive. Link
  • Aeropostale gets listing warning from NYSE as shares fall below $1. Link
  • Amazon will now pay you to deliver packages. Link
  • Target to match online prices with online rivals. Link
  • Staples to close on Thanksgiving in sign of Black Friday retreat. Link
  • Amazon to stop selling Apple TV and Chromecast. Link
  • Apple Watch to hit Target shelves soon. Link
  • Yoox Net-a-Porter rises on trading debut. Link
  • Luxury web battle looms as LVMH, Hugo Boss develop eCommerce. Link
  • Silicon Valley’s latest threat? Under Armour. Link
  • Gap’s loss of Old Navy chief brings new storm to retailer adrift. Link
  • American Apparel filed for bankruptcy but it isn’t shutting down. Link
  • H&M’s 700-piece beauty collection is here. Link
  • Amazon picked up Conde Nast reality series the Fashion Fund. Link
  • Amazon, Google move into on-demand home services. Link
  • UPS asks people to pick up packages themselves. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Pinterest opens API platform to all developers. Link
  • YouTube’s most native ad yet puts shoppable cards into organic videos. Link
  • Snapchat is adding more ways for advertisers to be in your silly selfies. Link
  • The buy button heads to Youtube and Twitter. Link
  • Brands woo millennials with a wink, an emoji or whatever it takes. Link
  • YouTube beats Facebook in surfacing brands’ older videos. Link
  • Pinterest gets even more shoppable. Link
  • Klout Perks quietly shuts down. Link

Startups:

  • Google acquires rich messaging startup Jibe Mobile. Link
  • Lobster, the marketplace for user generated content, strikes a deal with YouTube. Link
  • Rocket Internet startups see revenue jump, losses mount. Link

International:

  • Canada’s malls are shirking their suburban-time-waster status to become upscale destinations. Link
  • H&M to open store in Russia. Link
  • A sneak peak into H&M’s first store in India. Link
  • H&M joins Uniqlo in voicing confidence over China amid slowdown. Link
  • Facebook will provide internet in Africa from space starting in 2016. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Mobile sales will exceed $252B in 2020. Link
  • Why Jet.com spends 10% of its ad spend on mobile. Link
  • Philips plans to upgrade its Hue lights to Apple’s HomeKit. Link
  • Amazon makes a dash to take lead in internet of things. Link
  • Instagram took advantage of Apple’s new 3D touch. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 9.28.2015

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Below are selected highlights from the week in retail, fashion, technology, and ecommerce. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Quirky is filing for bankruptcy and selling its smart home subsidiary. Link
  • Amazon offered discounted Prime memberships on September 25th. Link
  • WalmartLabs snaps up Silicon Valley based Punchtab, with focus on Sam’s Club customers. Link
  • Groupon is laying off 1,100 employees and shuttering operations in seven countries. Link
  • Hermes launches a content website to promote its men’s line. Link
  • Apple is about to change everything we know about TV. Link
  • Kenneth Cole is revamping its brand identity by embracing its activist past. Link
  • H&M’s plans for global domination: expanding beauty and opening three stores a day. Link
  • Why Coach is focusing on ready-to-wear. Link
  • Kit and Ace continues its expansion from in-store coffee shops to technical silk for spring. Link
  • H&M sales recover in September after weak August. Link
  • Target hires executive for new operations role. Link
  • Can America’s biggest beauty retailer take on Sephora? Link
  • Uber has a new pre-paid ride service called UberEvents. Link
  • Macy’s to hire 85,000 workers for holiday shopping season. Link
  • Amazon getting ready to launch it’s “Etsy killer.” Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Most Instagram users are outside the U.S. Link
  • Instagram hits 400 Million users, soars passed Twitter. Link
  • Facebook will bring in $163B in global ad revenue this year. Link
  • Kardashians off to a big start with their own web channels. Link
  • Five things to know about Facebook’s Internet initiative. Link
  • Balmain for H&M releases first image from ad campaign. Link
  • Facebook takes 360 degree video out for a spin. Link

Startups:

  • You can now have wine delivered with your Blue Apron dinner. Link
  • Quixey reaches into apps to boost mobile commerce. Link
  • Lyft moves customer support team to Nashville to combat high-priced San Francisco market. Link

International:

  • Mobile and marketplaces lift French online retail sales in the first half. Link
  • Sephora partners with Indian beauty retailer. Link
  • Google announces plan to put WiFi in 400 train stations across India. Link
  • Alibaba makes Beijing a hub. Link
  • France rejects Google’s efforts to limit application of privacy ruling. Link
  • Nike sprints ahead as China sales defy economic slowdown. Link
  • Billionaire’s startup brings Black Friday to Pakistan’s shoppers. Link

Mobile:

  • You can now order your Starbucks before you get to the store. Link
  • Websites attract bigger audiences but users spend more time in apps. Link
  • Four brands whose creative approach to mobile marketing are getting big results. Link
  • Apple says half of devices have downloaded iOS9. Link
  • More brands flock to Amazon Dash but largely remains an experiment. Link
  • Smartphone users spend almost all their time in their three favorite apps. Link
  • Samsung and Oculus announce $99 gear VR headsets for Galaxy phones. Link
  • Samsung touts mobile payment success. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 9.21.2015

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Below are selected highlights from the week in retail, fashion, technology, and ecommerce. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Burberry becomes first major fashion brand with an Apple Music channel. Link
  • Walgreens offering same day delivery with Postmates. Link
  • Small-batch, crafted denim is on the rise. Link
  • Restoration Hardware’s new teen line. Link
  • If you don’t offer same-day shipping, you’re disappointing 56% of millennials. Link
  • Under Armour expects to generate $7.5B in revenue by 2018. Link
  • Kohl’s latest collaboration is with Thakoon. Link
  • Apple says iPhone pre-orders are beating last years’ pace. Link
  • Move over millennials, here comes generation Z. Link
  • Amazon Prime offers six months of the Washington Post for free. Link
  • Postmates CEO on a potential partnership with Lyft. Link
  • The upcoming H&M x Balmain collection is two months away. Link
  • Under Armour and Sports Authority partner to reward work outs. Link
  • Target to foster retail tech startups. Link
  • J.Crew going back to basics. Link
  • Jet.com attracts millennials. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Facebook may gain alternative to the like button. Link
  • Six lessons brands can learn from Lauren Conrad’s social success. Link
  • Pinterest surpasses 100M monthly users. Link
  • Instagram is on track to becoming a $5B product. Link
  • Snapchat is now hosting exclusive live stories from the NFL. Link
  • Facebook bends to advertiser viewability demands. Link
  • Fake Google site combats apathy towards refugees. Link
  • Facebook is putting more of your data into its ad-relevancy machine. Link
  • Facebook preparing to launch its Office product. Link

Startups:

  • CentreStyle, built by teenagers, helps you get dressed in any weather. Link
  • Startup seeks to help brands sell excess fashion stock. Link

International:

  • American Eagle Outfitters wants its slice in Western Europe. Link
  • Refinery 29 heads to the UK, then Germany and France. Link
  • UK’s online sales growth slowed in August. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Amazon has 6 new devices and an actual plan for hardware. Link
  • Walmart simple text could be Walmart’s version of magic. Link
  • Walmart built the fastest-growing retail app by focusing on one key shopper habit. Link
  • The most popular paid iPhone app right now is an ad blocker. Link
  • Stripe unveils a new tool to help retailers build native buying experiences in apps. Link
  • Facebook looks to bring virtual reality to mobile devices. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 9.14.2015

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Happy Monday! Below is a recap of the industry from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • eBay set to offer shipping club, starting in Germany. Link
  • Etsy testing same-day delivery in New York. Link
  • Toys R Us lowers free shipping limit for online orders. Link
  • Restoration Hardware gears up to launch new concept. Link
  • Macy’s chasing consumer electronics sales through Best Buy partnership. Link
  • Primark throws its hat into U.S. market. Link
  • Google to start testing grocery deliveries this year. Link
  • Farfetch opens ecommerce platform to brands. Link
  • Lululemon profit exceeds estimates as new styles drive sales. Link
  • Quicksilver files for bankruptcy. Link
  • How low can ‘free shipping’ minimums go? Link
  • Coach to debut luxury line at fashion week. Link
  • Kate Spade delivers more clever accessories for Spring. Link
  • Google follows Amazon web services into on-demand supercomputing. Link
  • Blackberry to buy Good Technology getting deeper into security. Link
  • Etsy getting into the manufacturing business. Link
  • Rebecca Minkoff debuts iPhone-charging wallet and new Apple Watch bands. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Wendy’s VP: millennials respond to realness in video. Link
  • Timberland looks beyond millennials in new ad campaign. Link
  • Kohl’s brings fashion week to shoppers with Lauren Conrad runway livestream. Link
  • Apple exploring creation of its own original video content. Link
  • Uber’s in-car magazine is advertisers’ ticket to targeting local clientele. Link

Startups:

  • Secondhand clothing marketplace thredUP raises $81M Series E let by GSIP. Link
  • Berlin-based online fashion and lifestyle retailer Lesara bags more funding. Link
  • The Black Tux grabs $25M to dress men to the nines. Link
  • Trillenium takes virtual reality into online shopping. Link

International:

  • Ikea moves forward with plans to enter India. Link
  • Russian fashion market’s plunge turns heat on global brands. Link
  • Swatch CEO plays down China turbulence. Link
  • John Lewis to start selling Apple Watch across UK. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Sotheby’s auction coming to an art app near you. Link
  • Everything to know about Apple’s event. Link
  • U.S Consumers now spend more time in apps than watching TV. Link
  • A closer look at the fancy new Hermes Apple Watch band. Link
  • Starbucks app update raises bar on mobile payments. Link
  • eBay’s apps get a refresh. Link
  • Android Pay goes live, Google Wallet becomes cash swap app. Link
  • Amazon dumps the Fire phone. Link
  • Apple wants to sell you an iPhone for $32 per month. Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 9.8.2015

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Happy Tuesday! Industry news from the last week is below.  Sources in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Have a great week!

Brand/Retailer:

  • Modcloth to open first store, hire fashion director. Link
  • Uber to unveil big ecommerce delivery program with retailers in the fall. Link
  • Nike wants to win winter with a $185 hoodie. Link
  • ASOS Chief and founder to step down after 15 years. Link  
  • Net-a-porter founder Natlie Massenet resigns. Link
  • Fila teams up with Urban Outfitters for exclusive line. Link
  • Etsy’s pulling the plug on Grand St. at the end of September. Link
  • TrueCar helps Sam’s Club get into the car business. Link
  • Amazon Dash button will now be effectively free. Link
  • BagSnob celebrates 10 years with multi-brand ecommerce launch. Link
  • High street retailers are launching own-brand beauty lines. Link
  • Amazon, Google, Netflix team up for royalty-free video. Link
  • Google wants to deliver your groceries. Link
  • Staples, Office Depot certify compliance with FTC information re Link
  • Uniqlo to open brand showroom as first Chicago store. Link
  • Online back to school shopping increases 12%. Link
  • Why fashionable millennials are flocking to online retailers like Everlane for wardrobe basics. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Facebook makes it easier to optimize ad campaigns based on conversions. Link
  • Estimote creates an indoor location system using beacons and “nearables.” Link
  • Facebook advances Bazaar marketplace ambitions. Link
  • See the first brands to test Facebooks iAd-like mobile format. Link
  • Reebok heads back to the gym with new marketing blitz. Link
  • Emily Weiss, blogger to social brand builder. Link
  • From TheFacebook.com to one billion users in a single day. Link
  • Facebook’s Josh Miller named White House ‘Director of Product.’ Link
  • Buzzfeed is laying groundwork for major expansion in Los Angeles. Link
  • Why growth hacking is the next big thing in marketing. Link

Startups:

  • Paris-based online consignment retailer, Vestiaire Collective, raises $37M to advance US growth. Link
  • Amazon buys streaming video startup Elemental. Link
  • What’s driving VC firms to take bigger risks. Link
  • Why AOL bought Millennial Media for $238M. Link
  • NewsCred nabs $42M to help marketers act as publishers. Link

International:

  • Alibaba, JD.com target rural China for ecommerce growth. Link
  • Myer partnership to bring Topshop into 20 stores across Australia. Link
  • UK retailers post worst sales decline since financial crisis. Link
  • Retailers prod China for lower prices after devaluation. Link
  • Uber closes in on $1.2B funding for China. Link
  • Twitter unlocks promoted tweets in 167 more countries. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Amazon Prime expands video downloads to iOS and Android platforms. Link
  • Thanks to Apple Pay, contactless payments will grow by 100% in 2015. Link
  • Forget clothing labels, musicians all want to move into apps. Link
  • Macy’s Backstage focuses on mobile to compete with discount retailers. Link
  • Facebook messenger tops YouTube in app popularity. Link
  • Amazon wants to sell you a $50 tablet this Fall. Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 8.31.2015

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Happy Monday! Industry news from the last week is below.  Sources in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Have a great week!

Brand/Retailer:

  • Amazon rolls out 1-hour alcohol delivery service. Link
  • Free People surpasses H&M, Zara and Forever 21 as top destination for college girls. Link
  • Best Buy’s store-within-a-store bet is paying off. Link
  • Amazon curtails development of consumer devices. Link
  • Abercrombie & Fitch ditches logo, targets grown-ups. Link
  • Why J.Crew decided to ditch high fashion. Link
  • Tiffany profit misses estimates after currency weighs on sales. Link
  • Aeropostale reports Q2 loss. Link
  • Abercrombie & Fitch shares jump after earnings top estimates. Link
  • The Outnet turns to beauty. Link
  • Gap Inc. eliminates on-call scheduling. Link
  • H&M creates a grant for innovations in clothing recycling. Link
  • Days numbered for barcodes as shoppers demand more data. Link
  • At test Target cafes, hot dogs out, salads in. Link
  • Foot Locker CEO: ‘Casualization’ trend is here to stay. Link
  • In new Amazon Prime program, not all goods arrive in two days. Link
  • Why Converse decided to mess with success. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Instagram moves beyond the square. Link
  • Aerie sees sales jump after abandoning airbrushing. Link
  • What Instagram’s new formats may mean for marketers. Link
  • Gisele dances in Stuart Weitzman’s first-ever commercial. Link
  • & Other Stories launches slightly obscure collaboration with new Instagram account. Link
  • YouTube gaming set to launch with upgraded live-streaming feature. Link
  • Facebook and Google want you to do more with those photos. Link
  • Forever21 targets older millennials and they’re using celebrities to do it. Link

Startups:

  • Forget Etsy, app Tictail wants to democratize ecommerce. Link
  • An ex-Apple engineer takes on the furniture industry with couches you can FedEx. Link

International:

  • Hermes first-half profit jumps 20% on faster Japan sales growth. Link
  • GST to apply to all Australian overseas purchase from July 2017. Link
  • Netflix partners with Softbank for Japan launch. Link
  • Suffering at home, Bebe pushes into China. Link
  • Torrid to open first international store in Canada. Link
  • Saks to open its first Off 5th in Western Canada. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Facebook tests digital assistant for its messaging app. Link
  • Etsy’s mobile app lets you locate local artisans on-the-go. Link
  • Google Maps goes after Yelp, Waze with added features. Link
  • Walgreens new app anticipates users’ needs with intelligent messaging. Link
  • Silicon Valley to get a manufacturing innovation institute. Link
  • Why WhatsApp bombed in the US, while Snapchat and Kik blew up. Link
  • Apple lines up September 9th event, seen unveiling new iPhones. Link
  • LG tracks Apple with ‘urbane’ luxury smartwatch. Link
  • Amazon boosts its artificial intelligence chops. Link
  • Target’s Cartwheel app drives 10% more offer downloads via personalization. Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 8.24.2015

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Hi! Industry news from the last week is below.  Sources in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Have a great week!

Brand/Retailer:

  • Macy’s tests chutes, tablets in dressing rooms to repel Amazon. Link
  • TBS to launch a new tech show sponsored by Intel. Link
  • American Eagle strikes successful chord with Aerie brand. Link
  • Target’s latest ecommerce weapon is more precise delivery windows. Link
  • Conde Nast hit web traffic high and turns on the caffeine. Link
  • Comcast to invest $200M in Buzzfeed. Link
  • Uniqlo to try out four day work week. Link
  • Madewell recalls over 50K sandals. Link
  • Gap’s earnings meet estimates as new CEO works to revamp chain. Link
  • Inside Lands End’s quest for a younger, cooler customer. Link
  • Urban Outfitters beats Q2 profit forecasts. Link
  • Sephora sends sales higher at JC Penny. Link
  • H&M launches denim collection made from in-store clothing donations. Link
  • Target is doubling down on design that is both fabulous and functional. Link
  • Gap to test fast fashion model in select stores. Link
  • Gap CEO committed to elevating product before boosting marketing. Link
  • Amazon’s PR troubles show corporate culture impacts brand perception. Link
  • Not just millennials, consumers what experiences over things. Link
  • Forever 21 aims to grow up with its customers. Link
  • Apple shuffles in-store products for updated shopping experience. Link
  • WalMart sees growth ahead in global ecommerce. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Twitter opens up its mobile ad network, introduces video. Link
  • Google’s plan to win the music-streaming marketing war: partner with cool brands. Link
  • Facebook has taken over from Google as a traffic source for news. Link
  • Facebook takes on Medium and Linkedin with new Notes look. Link
  • Twitter gives promoted tweets and video ads more mobile reach. Link
  • Facebook tries allowing GIFs in ads and page posts. Link
  • Google brings Twitter to desktop search results. Link
  • Why Target had the only ad in Vogue’s September issue with a digital edge. Link
  • Snapchat Discover to add Mashable, limit sponsorship takeovers. Link

Startups:

  • Google Ventures just led a $100M investment in 3D printing startup Carbon3D. Link
  • 50 companies that may be the next startup unicorns. Link
  • Thread raises $8M to scale personal styling service. Link

International:

  • Zalando sees success by tailoring its brand to each market. Link
  • AirBnB’s China strategy is to get more people to leave China. Link
  • Uber raises $100M from Tata of India. Link
  • Luxe for sale as Cartier, Prada become bargains in Brazil. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • LinkedIn unveils app to compete with corporate directory. Link
  • Google adds Marshmallow to its Android pantry. Link
  • Swatch CEO signals plan to add smartwatch range. Link
  • Ralph Lauren is bringing its sensory ‘smartshirt’ to market for $295. Link
  • Mobile video advertising is growing three times as fast as spending on desktop video. Link
  • Samsung introduces new phones, Samsung Pay and Periscope competitor. Link