Category: weekly recap

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 12.29.2014

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Hi there! This is my last weekly recap of 2014– crazy!  I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy 2015.

Below is a recap of news in fashion, retail, and technology over the last week. All sources can be found in the hyper-linked text after each headline:

Holiday:

  • Five retailers who nailed it this holiday season. Link
  • Amazon reveals holiday gift list, Elsa dolls number one. Link
  • Holiday selling spikes late in the game. Link
  • Amazon sorts itself out for holiday. Link
  • UPS and FedEx cap holiday deliveries amid late surge. Link
  • The best holiday sales growth in three years. Link
  • Retailers playing nice with after-Christmas returns. Link
  • It was a very mobile Christmas. Link

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Demand for L.L. Bean boots soar. Link
  • Urban Outfitters moving to super-size store in Chicago. Link
  • Inside eBay’s secret retail lab. Link
  • How Starbucks makes every store feel unique. Link
  • American Apparel investor says board withheld key information. Link
  • Wal-Mart and Macy’s strive for inventory optimization. Link
  • Wal-Mart tests gift card exchange program. Link
  • Delia’s store closings are happening and gift cards only valid through January. Link  
  • Google fights Marriott’s plan to block wi-fi hotspots. Link
  • Shoe customization gains traction. Link
  • ASOS ordering system crashes as shoppers seek bargains. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Facebook’s popularity among teens dips again. Link
  • Pinterest will open promoted pins to all advertisers following success of beta program. Link
  • Ten most innovative digital ad products of 2014. Link
  • Brands that scored big in social media this year. Link
  • Beauty marketers spent 23% more on digital in 2014. Link
  • New sales channel – Shop Spot – will let you purchase a product directly from any media source. Link
  • Facebook must face lawsuit over scanning of users messages. Link
  • Twitter users experience log in problems due to authentication issue. Link
  • Netflix primes Tumblr service. Link

Start-ups:

  • eCommerce platform adds social good outcome to every purchase. Link
  • Crowd-funding startups are looking to refashion the business of fashion. Link
  • Xiaomi raises $1.1B at $45B valuation. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • China finally closes the ‘third party’ Gmail loophole. Link
  • India’s online retailers truly arrived in 2014. How much will they grow? Link
  • Japanese retailers gearing up for New Year’s sales. Link

[EU]

  • Russian shoppers want imports even after the Ruble’s fall. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • $30 smartphones are here and they’re getting better every day. Link
  • Dr. Pepper, Wal-Mart engage mobile shoppers ahead of college football playoffs. Link
  • Amazon sees nearly 60% of consumers shop for holidays on mobile. Link
  • The strategy behind Airbnb’s mobile web redesign. Link
  • Will 2015 be the experimentation year for mobile payments? Link
  • Why 2015 may be the year of multiple mobile apps on one screen. Link

Other:

  • LG partners with Mercedes-Benz to develop a system to power self-driving cars. Link
  • The Interview nets $15M in online sales during opening four days. Link
  • Understanding the Christmas attacks on xBox and PlayStation networks. Link
  • Amazon details new features for its collaboration tool. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 12.22.2014

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Hi there! Below is a recap of news in fashion, retail, and technology over the last week. All sources can be found in the hyper-linked text after each headline:

Holiday:

  • Banana Republic offering same-day delivery for holiday. Link
  • Beacons pop up in stores ahead of holidays. Link
  • Why post-Christmas shopping may be up this year. Link
  • Holiday shipments seen at risk in U.S. port labor strife. Link
  • Christmas shopping becomes a big deal in Asia, Middle East. Link
  • Merchants work to draw in last-minute shoppers. Link
  • Online holiday shopping up 15% from last year. Link

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Google plans to enhance its shopping site with features that challenge Amazon. Link
  • Apple stops online sales in Russia over Ruble fluctuations. Link
  • Puma owner Kering said to have explored sports firm sale. Link
  • Apple stores are recruiting fashion/luxury experts ahead of Apple Watch debut. Link
  • Zara launches home store format. Link
  • Etsy links online marketplace to social commerce. Link
  • Staples says 1.16M credit cards compromised by hackers. Link
  • Net-a-porter buys My Wardrobe domain. Link
  • Rent-the-Runway raises $60M to open more stores. Link
  • Amazon launches ‘superfast’ deliver in NYC, with one and two-hour delivery options. Link
  • ASOS raises its free shipping minimum again. Link
  • Estee Lauder purchases Glamglow. Link
  • Amazon and the art of distribution. Link
  • Rihanna is the new creative director of Puma. Link
  • Fedex to buy product-return firm Genco in ecommerce push. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Brandy Melville, Instagram’s first retail success. Link
  • Bethany Mota is 2014’s most Googled fashion designer, ahead of Kate Spade and Valentino. Link
  • Here are the brands whose follower counts were hit hardest in Instagram’s spam purge. Link
  • Google’s making it easier to figure out if online ads actually drive in-store traffic. Link
  • Instagram is now worth $35B. Link
  • Facebook caves to Russian censorship, blocks page supporting Putin critic. Link
  • The lesson of the Sony hack: we should all jump to the ‘erasable internet.’ Link
  • Paypal Global Strategy Chief jumps to Facebook. Link
  • Video ads are performing well on Facebook, but YouTube still accounts for more views. Link
  • Why does lifestyle branding sell more than luxury. Link
  • Top brand tweets of 2014. Link
  • Snapchat reportedly buys Google Glass-like startup, Vergence Labs. Link

Start-ups:

  • Food startup Hampton Creek raises $90M. Link
  • Clever raises $30M for ‘single login’ education-tech app. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Inside Taiwanese retailers’ amped-up race to delivery your packages. Link
  • Who needs Amazon or Wal-Mart? China cuts out the middleman, buy direct from factory. Link
  • Advertising on smartphones embraced in China. Link
  • Alibaba was the most-searched IPO of 2014. Link
  • Burberry beauty box heads to Asia. Link
  • Wal-Mart bullish over Sam’s Club in China. Link

[CA]

  • Ikea to open string of smaller stores across Canada, primarily for ecommerce pick-ups. Link

[EU]

  • Europe’s internet use surges. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • Airbnb updates its mobile site with responsive design and larger images in search results. Link
  • Apple Pay claimed 1% of November’s digital payment dollars. Link
  • Messaging app Line’s first acquisition: music streaming service MixRadio. Link
  • Why retailers must succeed in introducing mobile payment systems. Link
  • Dozens more companies sign up for Apple Pay. Link
  • Samsung boots up its smart home division. Link
  • Facebook launches major speed improvements in Messenger app. Link
  • Blackberry turns back clock with classic QWERTY keyboard. Link
  • Samsung hopes to secure top spot on Internet of Things revolution. Link
  • T-Mobile allows subscribers to hold on to unused mobile data. Link
  • Samsung may be planning Apple Pay-like service. Link
  • How mobile is shifting shopping patterns. Link

Other:

  • Millennials choose to buy differently. Link
  • The most important web design trends for 2015. Link

Weekly Industry Brief 12.15.2014

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Hi there! Below is a recap of news in fashion, retail, and technology over the last week. All sources can be found in the hyper-linked text after each headline:

Holiday:

  • Behind the holiday trend of self-gifting. Link
  • Best Buy offers free two-day shipping to lure holiday shoppers. Link
  • Retailers grapple with shifting holiday patterns. Link
  • Meet the secret army of meteorologists who keep your holiday deliveries on time. Link
  • Amazon drives more holiday web retail traffic than biggest TV ad spender. Link

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Amazon introduces “Make an Offer” option. Link
  • Gucci, Coach tie for top spot in L2 digital study. Link
  • Amazon launches Surprise!, a Facebook-powered app for sending personalized e-cards. Link
  • The buzziest beauty brands of 2014. Link
  • ASOS sales soar in the UK, not so much everywhere else. Link
  • In the next few weeks, U.S. retailers can add the Shop Now button to their pages. Link
  • Online retailer Frank & Oak opens Canadian flagship. Link
  • Digital kiosks fuse in-store and online shopping. Link
  • Gucci CEO and Creative Director step down. Link
  • H&M taps Olivia Wilde as conscious ambassador. Link
  • Nordstrom partnering with eBay for smart fitting rooms. Link
  • Marriott debuts hotel brand for millennials in New Orleans. Link
  • How Tommy Hilfiger had its biggest year ever. Link
  • Bloomingdale’s social shopping experiment, Zoomingdales. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Instagram hits 300 Million users. Link
  • JC Penny has store shoppers surprise complete strangers with gifts. Link
  • The new co-op isn’t retail ad budgets, it’s audience data. Link
  • LinkedIn rolls out a simplified homepage with analytics and news feed front and center. Link
  • Polyvore reveals the most searched fashion brands. Link
  • The worst corporate tweets of 2014. Link
  • Lowe’s explores native tools on Vine and Instagram. Link
  • YouTube’s most popular ads of 2014. Link
  • The most discussed topics on Facebook in 2014. Link
  • Snapchat poaches start tech banker from Credit Suisse. Link
  • Facebook search can now find specific posts. Link
  • The most viral tweets of 2014. Link
  • Brands can now turn positive reviews into native ads and only pay when people share them. Link
  • How Hendrick’s gin has found creative ways to fluently speak to hard-to-reach hipsters. Link
  • Facebook dumps Bing, will introduce its own search tool. Link
  • Apple store online now accepts PayPal in US and UK. Link
  • Google Plus lets you define your own gender. Link
  • Under Armour is Ad Age’s marketer of the year. Link

Start-ups:

  • Tinder competitor Hinge raises $12M to bring its friends-of-friends dating app abroad. Link
  • Chef’d uses crowdfunding to roll out recipe-and-ingredient delivery service for gourmet meals. Link
  • Facebook’s Oculus buys two startups for virtual reality gestures, 3D. Link
  • Change.org raises $25 M from big names to go global and mobile. Link
  • Guy-oriented web content startup Woven Digital raises $18M in funding. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • India’s SnapDeal acquires Wishpicker to deliver better product recommendations. Link
  • Southeast Asia gets own online shopping festival. Link
  • Apple to open research site in Japan. Link
  • China’s Baidu set to partner with Uber and reportedly invest up to $600M. Link
  • Is Asia setting the trend on selfies? Link

[EU]

  • Google News shut down in Spain. Link
  • Amazon UK glitch sells thousands of products for a penny. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • Android Wear adds customizable faces to its smartwatches. Link
  • eBay draws inspiration from Pinterest for iPad commerce app. Link
  • Iowa is building the nation’s first smartphone driver’s license. Link
  • Shazam launches new version of mobile app. Link
  • Chicago and New York officials look to build Uber-like apps for taxis. Link
  • Invasion of wearable in the workforce. Link
  • Snap Fashion extends its visual search engine app into men’s clothing. Link
  • App detects when your friends are nearby and immediately silences your phone. Link
  • Hulu offers free streaming on Android over the holidays. Link
  • Whatsapp may be working on a web version of its popular messaging app. Link
  • Venmo lets users sign in using bank account log in. Link

Other:

  • 2015 technology trends to watch. Link
  • McDonald’s seeks help wooing millennials. Link
  • TV disruption on display as Netflix and Amazon go head-to-head at Golden Globes. Link
  • Analysts claim teens still prefer print books. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 12.8.2014

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Holiday:

  • Cyber Monday online sales rose 17% to $2B. Link
  • Targeting customers on mobile during holiday shopping season. Link
  • Walmart reports 70% of Thanksgiving traffic from mobile. Link
  • Walmart has record Cyber Monday as shoppers seek deals. Link
  • Target turns its stores into one big mobile game this holiday season. Link
  • Black Friday: Whose advertising made you spend? Link
  • Cyber Monday shoppers may want to check out these YouTube channels. Link
  • Cyber Monday, Green Monday and the impact worldwide. Link
  • Brands get creative with holiday pop-up stores. Link

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Amazon gets $5M from New York to being 500 jobs to Manhattan. Link
  • Starbucks, facing saturated market, looks to the high end. Link
  • Aeropostale to close 75 stores. Link
  • Amazon unveils its own line of diapers. Link
  • Khol’s online profitability less than half of that in stores. Link
  • Simon Malls and eBay partner for “connected” mall experience. Link
  • Smal retailers jump on the subscription bandwagon. Link
  • Bebe confirms payment card data breach. Link
  • Poshmark hits $100M in annual revenue for its fashion resell business, begins luxury goods authentication. Link
  • Amazon goes after Honest.com with Elements, a prime-only lineup of ethical home essentials. Link
  • eBay debuts “Innovators Collective,” a tech-focused section featuring new lifestyle products, electronics and more. Link
  • Intel teams with Luxottica to build the future of smart eyewear. Link
  • Gap’s sales go into a 3-month slide following ‘dress normal’ ad campaign failure. Link
  • Deb stores files for bankruptcy. Link
  • Retailers adjust as lines between in store and digital shopping blurs. Link
  • Unraveling Anthropologie’s intoxicating store experience. Link
  • American Eagle profits fell 63% this quarter. Link
  • You can now rent ugly holiday sweaters on Rent the Runway. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Say Media buys out investors as it exits the media business and focuses on its publishing platform. Link
  • Facebook relaunches Slingshot as a Snapchat stories-style lifecasting app. Link
  • Connexity (formerly Shopzille) buys Become.com to grow its price comparison business. Link
  • Saavn partners with Twitter to bring tweet-powered radio to its streaming service. Link
  • Gangnam style has been viewed so many times it broke YouTube’s code. Link
  • Twitter improves tools for users to report harassment. Link
  • Google’s new target audience: kids. Link
  • Tumblr now has ‘buy,’ ‘pledge,’ and ‘get involved’ buttons. Link
  • Twitter copies Instagram with new adjustable photo filters. Link
  • Liberty London turns Instagram likes into loyalty perks. Link
  • REI’s great customer service hits the big screen. Link

Start-ups:

  • Uber confirms new $1.2B funding round at $40B valuation. Link
  • Shoes of Prey raises $5.5M for custom footwear. Link
  • Fit.me buys Clothes horse, consolidating the clothing-fit technology sector. Link
  • Stripe raises $70M. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • L’Occitane launches online shop on Alibaba’s Tmall site. Link
  • Tujia.com aims to be more than online vacation rental portal. Link

[AU]

  • Sephora launches in Sydney. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • How Starbucks will build on mobile order to launch delivery service in 2015. Link
  • Yahoo will pass Twitter in mobile ad revenue next year. Link
  • Six drivers of the $7B mobile internet. Link
  • App Annie now tracks user demographics, sentiment and more. Link
  • Line Pay, the new messaging app’s mobile payment service will make its global debut soon. Link
  • Square launches iOS app for food delivery service Caviar. Link
  • Uber hires a mobile team in Amsterdam to staff a new mobile dev shop in the city. Link
  • Starbucks brews iBeacon strategy to support premium coffee play. Link
  • Skype founder launches new messaging app, Wire. Link
  • The softer and more wearable future of wearables. Link

Other:

  • Comcast makes it more and more difficult to opt out of internet sharing. Link
  • Amazon has launched a GrubHub rival for food takeout and delivery. Link
  • Eye scanner may replace password logins. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 12.1.2014

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Happy Cyber Monday! Below is a recap of news in fashion, retail, and technology over the last week. All sources can be found in the hyper-linked text after each headline:

Holiday:

  • Black Friday ecommerce spending up 26%. Link
  • On Twitter, twice as many people talking about Black Friday this year. Link
  • Best Buy’s website down for about 90 minutes on Black Friday. Link
  • WalMart, Target report strong Thanksgiving Day traffic. Link
  • Kohl’s, Walmart, Apple see Black Friday social buzz. Link
  • Black Friday online sales up 8.5% over last year, 20% of sales from iOS. Link
  • Online sales set Black Friday record. Link
  • Yoox group posts record sales on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Link
  • Macy’s previews Cyber Monday on Sunday. Link
  • Mobile role in holiday shopping expected to grow. Link
  • Net-a-porter sale crashes part of site. Link

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Ebay Now pulled from App Store as company rethinks same-day delivery plans. Link
  • Gap sets deal with Germany’s Zalando. Link
  • NY Subway riders can now shop on Amazon while underground. Link
  • How Target identifies the hottest retail tech 18 months before it’s cool. Link
  • Nordstrom partners with eBay for smarter fitting rooms. Link
  • Zady to open three airport pop-up shops for the holidays. Link
  • These robots are processing Amazon orders. Link
  • Milennials to fuel growth of sporty brands. Link
  • Urban Outfitters, Nicole Miller in Wanelo “buy” button launch. Link
  • Nasty Gal’s first brick-and-mortar store encourages selfies. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Twitter now lets brands tweet deals to users with a new offer button. Link
  • American Girl pledges to give up to 1,000 dolls a day. Link
  • Facebook is intensifying its efforts to filter out status updates posted by businesses. Link
  • Twitter is tracking users’ installed apps for ad targeting. Link
  • Buzzfeed crosses $100M in revenue. Link
  • Twitter adds coupons to its commerce plans. Link
  • Vloggers paid for promotions urged to include clear labeling. Link
  • Twitter experiments with engagement stats directly in tweets. Link

Start-ups:

  • Anonymous messaging app Yik Yak said to raise $62M. Link
  • Parcel aims to end missed packages after hours. Link
  • Pop-up shop startup, Appear Here, raises $7.5M. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Fitbit gears up for Asia expansion. Link
  • Lazada, Rocket Internet’s Amazon clone in Southeast Asia, raises $250M. Link

[EU]

  • Macy’s Black Friday arrives in the UK as American retailer unveils online shopping deals. Link
  • Wired and Buzzfeed give Germany a try. Link
  • Black Friday takes hold in UK. Link

[AU]

  • Amazon tipped to open Aussie warehouse. Link
  • H&M sister brand COS opens first Australian store. Link

[A/ME]

  • Jumia raises $150M for its African ecommerce business. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • Smartphones spur growth of Thanksgiving couch commerce. Link
  • Top 10 best Android fashion apps. Link
  • Xiaomi’s cheap smartphones make a splash in Indonesia. Link
  • Ralph Lauren introduces leather bag with internal LED and built-in USB charger. Link
  • Luxury watchmakers crack down on copycat Android Wear watch faces. Link
  • Neiman Marcus now in Apple Passbook. Link
  • Hammacher Schlemmer tests augmented reality catalog for holiday. Link

Other:

  • Girl Scouts to sell cookies online. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 11.24.2014

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Happy week of Black Friday! Below is a round up of industry news from the last week. All sources can be found in the hyper-linked text after each headline.

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Nordstrom unveils customization studio. Link
  • Century 21 ups ante with C21 edition. Link
  • H&M to launch eight new online markets in 2015. Link
  • Neiman Marcus links with St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C. Link
  • Gap names new presidents for Banana Republic and Gap brands. Link
  • WalMart tightens online price-match policy. Link
  • Fashion boutiques team up with Farfetch.com for click-and-collect service. Link
  • Zappos tests brick-and-mortar pop up shop this holiday season. Link
  • Net-a-porter said to consider 2015 IPO. Link
  • What FEED can teach companies about making meaningful connections. Link
  • Ikea to reissue original midcentury furniture. Link
  • Amazon to launch travel booking website. Link
  • Cavernous stores wear on Forever 21. Link
  • Apple’s plans for Beats Music start to take shape. Link
  • AT&T and Starbucks to bring wireless phone chargers to some coffee shops. Link
  • Amazon leases Manhattan building, hinting at ambitions. Link
  • Wonder to close most of its stores. Link Burch Creative refutes these reports. Link
  • Amazon plans fashion photography studio in London. Link
  • Coach rolls out new retail concept. Link
  • Black Friday: Top US shopping day fades to gray. Link
  • Nordstrom reshuffles its traditional half-yearly sales. Link
  • Fab is close to a fire sale but CEO gets another chance. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Wanelo launches buy now technology. Link
  • How Michael Kors forces Instagram to do retail. Link
  • Google to help publishers make money by blocking ads. Link
  • Facebook testing collaboration tools for businesses. Link
  • Why fashion marketers should be paying attention to Ello. Link
  • TV looks to offer web-like ad targeting. Link
  • Forrester says brands are wasting money on Facebook and Twitter. Link
  • New York Magazine creates ‘pop-up blogs.’ Link
  • Ikea recreates iconic mealtime master paintings. Link
  • Google adds detailed info to shopping search results on mobile devices. Link
  • Amazon announcing Black Friday specials on Snapchat. Link

Start-ups:

  • Glossier raises over $10M to reinvent the beauty industry. Link
  • How crowdfunding is changing the fashion business. Link
  • Memoir raises $5.5M to stitch together your digital photos. Link
  • Kik raises $38M to battle Snapchat for teens. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Lazada battles global ecommerce players and Indonesian rivals. Link
  • Macy’s, Saks, Bloomingdale’s and more accept Alipay to woo rich Chinese shoppers. Link

[EU]

  • Zara to open new Irish stores as retail recovers. Link
  • Royal Mail warns competition from Amazon will hamper growth. Link
  • UK looks to keep records on internet users. Link
  • UK shoppers plan holiday spending spree, Deloitte says. Link

[AU]

  • Sephora store opens in Sydney on December 5th. Link

[A/ME]

  • Dubai’s Souq.com plans “Black Friday” equivalent to help boost sales growth. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • Sephora rolls out Apple Pay in all Bay Area and Manhattan locations. Link
  • Target’s new app steers you to the right aisle for Black Friday. Link
  • Victoria’s Secret adds messaging to app. Link
  • For Opening Ceremony x Intel MICA smart bracelet, beauty beats brains. Link
  • Google Play store opens to Chinese developers. Link
  • US mobile payments market to boom by 2019. Link
  • This clever app scans wine and beer bottles to help you find drinks you’ll love. Link
  • Moleskine Smart Notebooks turns your sketches into adobe-friendly vector files. Link
  • Square reveals plans to support Apple Pay in 2015. Link
  • App, magazine and IRL community for collaborating creators. Link
  • Adobe shaping the future of creative mobile apps. Link

Other:

  • The $100 custom shirt is here. Does it have room for profit? Link
  • Experts predict retailers will face holiday hacking surge. Link
  • The post-PC CEO: no desk, no desktop. Link
  • A look at seven game-changing tech advances for retailers. Link

Weekly Industry Round-Up: 11.17.2014

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My recap of top industry news from last week.  All sources can be found in the hyperlink after the headline:

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Alibaba goes global, Singles Day sales top $9 Billion. Link
  • Quirky and GE unveil their vision for the connected home. Link
  • Why New Balance makes shoes for Kate Spade and JCrew. Link
  • Macy’s launches same-day delivery in eight cities. Link
  • Radio Shack backtracks on Thanksgiving hours after worker outcry. Link
  • Amazon is hiring drone test pilots. Link
  • Old Navy criticized for higher cost of plus-size jeans. Link
  • Kendall Jenner signs on as the new face of Estee Lauder. Link
  • BCBG boosts Wi-Fi to drive store visits. Link
  • Target buys Pittsburgh technology firm promising ‘Amazon-like’ shopping experiences in stores. Link
  • Levi Strauss to eliminate 500 jobs. Link
  • Alibaba’s boutique shop 11 Main opens doors on mobile. Link
  • WalMart spreads Black Friday over five days. Link
  • Rebecca Minkoff’s new stores have touch-screens for online shopping. Link
  • Alibaba is now bigger than P&G, GE and Wells Fargo. Link
  • Farfetch rolls out click-and-collect. Link
  • J.Crew’s beauty guru launches line of his own. Link
  • H&M will begin Black Friday deals in stores and online on 11/20. Link
  • Early holiday promotions eat away Black Friday sales. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Google seeks to help fight Ebola with donation-matching campaign. Link
  • Inside Refinery29’s video strategy. Link
  • Six new features to expect from Twitter. Link
  • Google’s DoubleClick goes dark, makes internet ad-free for an hour. Link
  • Uber partners with Spotify. Link
  • Twitter speaks up with growth strategy intended to soothe Wall Street. Link
  • Conde Nast hires YouTube stars for original video series. Link
  • Publishers sell sponsored content made for Instagram, Snapchat. Link
  • LuLuLemon slammed for Dalai Lama partnership. Link
  • Macy’s and Marriott approach SnapChat very differently as platform’s influence grows. Link
  • Michael Kors adds “buy” to Instagram. Link
  • Interactive YouTube film from Asos lets uses change color scheme. Link
  • Target sponsors NBC web video series. Link
  • Who’s going to drive advertising spending this holiday season? Link

Start-ups:

  • One Piece is a social pop-up that offers discounts for social media influence. Link
  • Craftsy, an e-learning site for makers raises $50M. Link
  • DSTLD is Everlane for jeans. Link
  • VIDA raises $1.3M for socially responsible ecommerce. Link
  • Rocket Internet plots ten start-ups. Link
  • Glossier raises $8.4M to take on beauty and cosmetics with verticalized approach. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Japan slips into recession. Link
  • Ikea debuts in Korea. Link
  • After Singles Day, Alibaba delivered 40 Million packages in three days. Link
  • com doubles its shoppers in the past year, shifts towards Alibaba-style marketplace model. Link
  • Rakuten acquires Japanese beauty portal to expand its own salon booking service. Link

[EU]

  • American Eagle expands in Europe; will open three stores in London over next week. Link

[CA]

  • Can Aritzia become as well-known in the U.S. as Canada? Link

[AU]

  • Etsy partners with David Jones for Christmas. Link
  • Surfstich buys UK rival Surfdome.com. Link
  • Google grabs first carrier partner for Project Loon tests in Australia. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • Macy’s set to unveil visual search app. Link
  • Urban Outfitters drives mobile engagement with app newsfeed strategy. Link
  • Lord & Taylor expands iBeacon program to all US stores. Link
  • ‘Build it and they will come’ no longer works for mobile apps. Link
  • Cyber Monday is now Mobile Monday. Get ready. Link
  • Peach is a flash sales app with an auction-based twist. Link
  • Early Apple Pay stats point to a modest but promising start. Link

Other:

  • Key takeaways from PSFK’s Future of Retail 2015. Link
  • Nordstrom is leading retailing the right way. Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY ROUND UP: 11.10.2014

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My recap of top industry news from last week.  All sources can be found in the hyperlink after the headline:

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Target partners with Story for the holidays. Link
  • USPS adding Sunday deliveries in some areas for holidays. Link
  • H&M’s Alexander Wang collection selling out and crashing the website. Link and Link
  • Magazines turning to ecommerce. Link
  • ShopRunner beefs up retail partnerships. Link
  • Home Depot hackers also snagged 53 million customer email addresses. Link
  • Amazon introduces Echo, a voice controlled speaker. Link
  • Marc Jacobs x Urban Ears headphones can be thrown in the wash like a t-shirt. Link
  • The head of Google Same-Day delivery joins Uber. Link
  • Living Social lays off 20% of staff. Link
  • 8Tracks launches DJ analytics and better music recommendations. Link
  • Amazon is testing taxis for deliveries. Link
  • American Eagle wants to be outfitter for your dog this holiday season. Link
  • Amazon Prime’s new perk: unlimited cloud photo storage. Link
  • TopShop unveils 5th Ave flagship. Link
  • Two dozen retailers that will not open on Thanksgiving. Link
  • Ellen Degeneres launching ecommerce site and interior design book. Link
  • Bringing online retail products into a real life apartment. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Facebook hands over more control of the newsfeed to users. Link
  • Tumbler expands merchandise offering. Link
  • Verizon Wireless under fire for ad targeting program. Link
  • Marc Jacobs beauty makes Instagram shoppable. Link
  • New app attempts to better organize tweets around events. Link
  • How StyleHaul built a YouTube network on branded entertainment, not Google Ads. Link
  • What’s next for Instagram: Discovery, Accessibility, and “Time Spent.” Link
  • Facebook bans brands from trading “likes” for incentives. Link
  • Adidas leverages athletic star power in winter sports campaign. Link
  • Facebook launches a donate button for Ebola. Link
  • Kohl’s ups TV spend for holiday campaign. Link
  • Dollar Shave Club takes to TV in a big way with new campaign. Link
  • The next frontier in digital media will be physical products. Link
  • Lowe’s new vines offer up helpful DIY tips in six seconds. Link

Start-ups:

  • Powa raises $80M to launch its mobile, ecommerce payments in U.S. Link
  • Spark Capital’s new growth fund aims to catch the ones that got away. Link
  • Blurb launches Dream Team talent network to help authors improve and complete their books. Link
  • Ten exciting early stage startups to look out for. Link
  • Kidizen, mobile marketplace for secondhand kids’ stuff raises $500K. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Ecommerce is so huge in China, some brands skip opening an actual store. Link
  • Gap speeds up China expansion. Link
  • China gears up for world’s biggest shopping day. Link
  • Why Twitter is opening an office in Hong Kong despite being blocked in China. Link
  • Small boutique ecommerce startup is undaunted by fashion giants like Zalora. Link

[EU]

  • Crew expanding presence in Europe. Link
  • Online retail growth speeds up in Russia. Link

[CA]

  • Amazon’s same-day delivery comes to Canada. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • Free People launches a redesigned mobile site. Link
  • Android Lollipop hit by battery life problem. Link
  • Marketers embracing beacons will have competitive advantage this holiday season. Link
  • Android Lollipop is grown-up and accessible. Link
  • Macy’s takes letters from Santa mobile. Link
  • WalMart beefs up mobile app features for the holidays. Link
  • Apple now lets you deregister phone numbers from iMessage. Link
  • The Economist launches Espresso, a daily news roundup for mobile readers. Link
  • Momofuku’s David Chang launching food delivery app in NYC. Link
  • Groupon launches new app, Getaways, for travel and hotel offers. Link

Other:

  • Trends that will revolutionize the retail industry. Link
  • Macs hit market share milestone in the US. Link
  • Square passes 1 Billion payments. Link
  • Tom’s influences another humanitarian brand. Link
  • Can teen retailers turn things around? Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY ROUND UP: 11.4.2014

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My recap of top industry news from last week.  All sources can be found in the hyperlink after the headline:

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Starbucks to start delivering in 2015. Link
  • Neiman Marcus launches MyNM to personalize ecommerce. Link
  • Aeropostale launches collection with social media stars. Link
  • Coach exceeds estimates as it grows overseas, curbs discounting. Link
  • Vente-Privee to shut U.S. venture. Link
  • Alibaba eyes payments tie-up with Apple. Link
  • Lululemon founder’s family bets on casual luxury with new retail venture. Link
  • Why online retailers continue to open brick-and-mortar stores. Link
  • Retailers and shippers retool for the holiday season. Link
  • Amazon opens pop-up store to push its Fire smartphones. Link
  • Burger King to accept PayPal. Link
  • Amazon launches crowdsourced publishing program. Link
  • Beyonce and Topshop team for Ath-Leisure brand. Link
  • Timberland’s newest partnership: Tires. Link
  • Target quietly testing mobile payment app to rival Apple Pay. Link
  • Sophia Coppola directs Gap’s holiday ads. Link
  • American Express and Etsy partner to support small businesses. Link
  • CNET launches a print magazine. Link
  • Ralph Lauren uses interactive windows to launch line at Harrods. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Gap’s interactive holiday campaign: Play your Stripes. Link
  • Youtube weighing new subscription service. Link
  • Bing now lets you search by emoji. Link
  • Publicis snaps up Sapient for $3.7B to build a digital media powerhouse. Link
  • Instagram video ads are finally live. Link
  • Luxury brands are still casting a leery eye toward social media. Link
  • Digital to overtake TV ad spending in two years, says Forrester. Link
  • Snapchat discussing new ad type that’s similar to live TV. Link
  • Nobody beats Amazon when it comes to subscription services. Link
  • Michelle Phan is building a beauty empire. Link
  • SheKnows acquires BlogHer. Link
  • Alex from Target rises to internet fame. Link
  • Heineken partners with brands to create exclusive luxury goods. Link
  • Reddit opens a crowdfunding site. Link

Start-ups:

  • Cloth is where Instagram and your closet collide. Link
  • Deliv widens same-day delivery, following Google. Link
  • Changing the rules of ecommerce. Link
  • Slack is now worth over $1B. Link
  • Crowdsourced design marketplace Minted raises $38M more, adds fabrics and home décor. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • China’s JD.com starts operations in $1B warehouse. Link
  • Investment in Tokopedia may be the boost Indonesian ecommerce needs. Link
  • China’s economic growth falls to lowest in 5 years. Link
  • Amazon’s strategy for India: stick to the concept of sister site. Link

[EU]

  • London pop-up mall blends digital and physical retail. Link
  • UK arm of Ikea to embark on price cutting program. Link

[CA]

  • Ikea Canada boss aims for a revamp as competition heats up. Link

[A/ME]

  • Macy’s to open in Abu Dhabi. Link

[LATAM]

  • Mexico enters the fashion limelight. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • Neiman Marcus makes it easier for mobile shoppers to buy items they spot on the street. Link
  • Marriott woos millennials with mobile apps and wireless charging. Link
  • Microsoft unveils fitness smart band that understands voice commands. Link
  • PopSugar plays fave with data in new shopping app. Link
  • In 72 hours, ApplePay is already the wireless payment leader in the US. Link
  • Google launches Android 5.0 Lollipop. Link
  • Amazon voice search leads the way in mcommerce. Link
  • Neiman Marcus simplifies purchase process with mobile photo feature. Link  
  • How Aeropostale and Asos are getting mobile right with millennials. Link
  • Google’s redesigned calendar app combines brains and beauty. Link
  • Starbucks to offer delivery service via new app. Link
  • Hotels try smartphone apps as room keys. Link

Apple Pay Coverage:

  • Apple Pay isn’t ready to replace your wallet. Link
  • What are anti-Apple Pay merchants afraid of? Link
  • More US banks switch on Apple Pay support. Link
  • Apple Pay rival, Current C, says it’s misunderstood. Link
  • The worm in Apple Pay. Link

Other:

  • Four brands that built empires without traditional advertising. Link
  • Isabel Murant says build strong base and stay focused. Link
  • Sour Patch Kids opens Brooklyn house for touring bands. Link
  • Taylor Swift pulls all her albums from Spotify. Link
  • The Arrivals: A line of coats from a venture capitalist and an architect. Link

Weekly Industry Round Up: 10.27.2014

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My recap of top industry news from last week.  All sources can be found in the hyperlink after the headline:

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Target eyes holiday turnaround on free shipping and faux fur. Link
  • Retail’s new battleground: The I want what I want when I want it generation. Link
  • Trunk Club to open first brick-and-mortar store on Madison Avenue. Link
  • Under Armour’s rising sneaker sales have yet to tread on Nike. Link
  • Gilt names former Starwood Hotels exec as chief marketing officer. Link
  • Etsy launches card reader for in-person payments. Link
  • Amazon posts largest quarterly loss in 14 years. Link
  • Macy’s links with Google to show mobile users what’s in stock nearby. Link
  • Rakuten, Japan’s Amazon, launches fashion site in the U.S. Link
  • Staples is the latest retailer to be hit by hackers. Link
  • Apple shutting down Beats Music app and rolling it into iTunes. Link
  • J.Crew says it will sit out athletic trend. Link
  • Sears said to be closing 77 stores. Link
  • Groupon’s site now has dedicated pages for 7 million businesses across the US. Link
  • Bloomingdale’s equips fitting rooms with iPads for smart shopping. Link
  • Anthropologie may open in AT&T’s former NYC headquarters. Link
  • Asos sees future payoff from 2014 investments. Link
  • FedEx, UPS make plans for better holiday season. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Ello bans advertising and raises $5.5M in new funding. Link
  • Facebook launches new Rooms app that harkens back to early days of Internet chatrooms. Link
  • Groupon channels Yelp with new listings service. Link
  • Behind Twitter’s move to become a mobile-services shop. Link
  • Tumblr to make over $100M in revenue next year. Link
  • How Facebook is changing the way its users consumer journalism. Link
  • New Target CEO makes mark on holiday efforts. Link
  • Pandora gives musicians a data dashboard to see where their fans are. Link
  • North America holds tight to world’s largest ad spending share. Link
  • Haul videos influence holiday shopping. Link
  • Snapchat rolls out first advertiser. Link

Start-ups:

  • Glamsquad raises $7M for on-demand styling and beauty services. Link
  • Tindr to take a swipe at monetization with new premium dating upgrade. Link
  • Digital lockers will take parcels and clean laundry. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Zalora opens first offline shop. Link
  • India’s Snapdeal forays into premium designer segment. Link
  • China’s Alipay offers ePass payment service for U.S. retail websites. Link
  • Apple set to open 25 new stores in China by end of 2016. Link
  • Zara stumbes in India. Link
  • Taobao Marketplace launches click-and-collect in Singapore. Link

[AU/NZ]

  • Sydney’s Big Commerce takes on Amazon with Alibaba deal. Link

[EU]

  • American Eagle lands in UK. Link
  • Amazon web services to open German center. Link
  • Primark prepares to make entrance in U.S. Link

[CA]

  • Target Canada to experiment with overstocking in turnaround effort. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • Urban Outfitters tackles in-app product search challenge. Link
  • Google wants to organize your life with new email app. Link
  • TestFlight Beta testing goes live for all iOS developers. Link
  • Amazon takes retail approach to push flagging Fire phone. Link
  • Google wants Inbox to be your email system for the next decade. Link
  • Amazon quietly launches app store within its main Android app. Link
  • Square launches app marketplace to make third-party integration painless for businesses. Link
  • Twitter unveils Fabric, a welcome gift to mobile developers. Link
  • Fitbit announces new fitness trackers, including its first smartwatch. Link
  • Microsoft makes progress with phone and tablet sales. Link
  • Nike sees brighter wearables future with Apple. Link

[Apple Pay coverage]:

  • Square encircled as Apple, Paypal aim for mobile payments. Link
  • Apple Pay threatens a competing approach to simplifying payments. Link
  • CVS and RiteAid disable Apple Pay. Link
  • CurrentC is the big retailers’ clunky attempt to kill Apple Pay and credit card fees. Link
  • Bank of America customers double-charged in Apple Pay snafu. Link
  • Jumio launches card-scanning mobile checkout for retailers’ iOS and Android apps. Link

Other:

  • How to turn your company into a movement. Link
  • The psychology of web design. Link
  • Roku could file for IPO soon, raises as much as $150M. Link