Tag: amazon

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.21.2016

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Here is your Monday recap of industry news over the last week from around the web.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline. (P.S. I love feedback. Shoot me a message in the comments or on Twitter if you’ve got any!)

Brand/Retailer

  • Todd Snyder to open for NYC store in October. Link
  • Starwood plans to accept Arbang Groups offer, outbidding Marriott. Link
  • Aeropostale says its exploring strategic alternatives, in dispute with supplier. Link
  • Crew revenue edges up on growth at Madewell chain. Link
  • At Nike, extending the track to the runway. Link
  • Fedex says retailers should be paying more for web delivery. Link
  • American Apparel offering on-demand delivery via Postmates partnership. Link
  • Avon cutting jobs and moving headquarters to UK. Link
  • Everlane founder on iterating and ‘fixing’ fashion retail. Link
  • Low oil prices hit luxury retailers hard. Link
  • Spotify now has 30 million subscribers. Link
  • Gap’s clothing empire is clambering to reclaim its relevance. Link
  • Chanel introduces Monsieur, entering the men’s watch market. Link
  • Teens experiencing attitude shift and its affecting Tiffany’s business. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Uber teams up with Marc Jacobs. Link
  • Michelle Phan takes on new digital category with comic series. Link
  • How REI’s stop-shopping campaign brings in more shoppers. Link
  • Instagram will soon go algorithmic in its feed. Link
  • Clique Media Group creates Obsessee, a social-media only content brand targeted towards 14-22 year olds. Link
  • Companies planning to boost mobile ad spend by 38% this year. Link
  • Twitter begins switching its algorithmic timeline on by default. Link
  • Lord & Taylor settles FTC’s deceptive advertising charges. Link

Start Ups

  • ‘Brotailers’ redefining how guys buy clothes. Link
  • Online jewelry retailer Blue Nile to open first DC “webroom.” Link
  • Why clothing startups are returning to American factories. Link
  • How Maple built an insanely efficient food delivery machine. Link
  • Instacart gets Red Bull and Doritos to pay your delivery fees. Link
  • Why online-first retailers are flocking to Nordstom. Link

International

  • Facebook sees big growth in Asia despite free basics controversy. Link
  • Canadian January retail sales rebound, lifting first quarter growth outlook. Link
  • LI & Fung sees difficult year after earnings beat estimates. Link
  • Alibaba takes tough stance on fight with counterfeits. Link
  • Airbnb will open its Cuba listings to users outside the United States. Link
  • China’s consumers spend up on spas, travel and entertainment. Link
  • Uniqlo launches first range of hijabs in the UK. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Michael Kors unveils its first Android Wear smartwatches. Link
  • Nintendo’s free smartphone app Miitomo comes to Japan. Link
  • Alibaba spreads its wings into virtual reality for shopping. Link
  • Selected Lowe’s stores to use Hololens in kitchen redesign. Link
  • Amazon wants to patent the pay-by-selfie. Link
  • Nike gets personal with new fitness app and products. Link
  • Everything that Apple announced in 3/21 Keynote. Link
  • Apple unveils a smaller iPad Pro, Apple’s vision of the future of computers. Link

 

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.14.2016

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Here is your Monday recap of industry news over the last week from around the web.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline. (P.S. I love feedback. Shoot me a message in the comments or on Twitter if you’ve got any!)

Brand/Retailer

  • Target looking to hire 20 people for mysterious start-up called Goldfish. Link
  • Amazon finds air freight partner. Link
  • Amazon debuts its first live show that lets you shop while you watch. Link
  • High-fashion brands split on faster retail cycle. Link
  • Dozens of Jos. A. Brank stores closing due to poor sales. Link
  • Patagonia to help fund residential solar installations. Link
  • Top 25 innovative consumer and retail brands of 2015. Link
  • Nordstrom cutting 120 tech jobs to save profits. Link
  • Why Brooks Brothers is investing in veteran tailors. Link
  • Burberry becomes focus of takeover talks. Link
  • Zara uses supply chain to win again. Link
  • The North Face doubles down on locally sources manufacturing. Link
  • Roberto Cavalli launches website. Link
  • Modcloth enters bridal foray. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Snapchat has a secret team possibly building a pair of smart glasses. Link
  • British Vogue tests breaking fashion news alerts on WhatsApp. Link
  • Buzzfeed launches new ad format to further monetize its big social reach. Link
  • Facebook acquires video filter app Msqrd to square up to Snapchat. Link
  • L’oreal creates unbranded content hub to woo beauty fans. Link
  • The relationship between Instagram and music is a powerful one. Link
  • Retail analysts cautiously optimistic about Abercrombie & Fitch. Link
  • Under new CMO, Lowe’s debuts marketing rebrand. Link
  • Platform bets big on branded social loyalty. Link

Start Ups

  • Personal shopping services seek scale. Link
  • Whole Foods and Instacart to offer home grocery delivery to more US households. Link
  • Does this new online marketplace really use a stock trading model? Link
  • Marla Malcom Beck sold Bluemercury to Macy’s for $210M and now she’s betting on vegan cosmetics. Link
  • Made-to-measure menswear maker Indochino raises $30M as it eyes the wedding market. Link

International

  • Apple refiles application for retail stores in India. Link
  • Culture gap impedes business efforts for US trade with Cuba. Link
  • Victoria’s Secret, Nike cashe in on rising girl power in China. Link
  • EU regulators to release findings on barriers to cross-border ecommerce. Link
  • Alibaba’s logistics arm gets funding to boost delivery speed. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Amazon Echo users can now ask Alexa to pay their credit card. Link
  • True Religion to arm associates with Apple Watches in clientelling move. Link
  • Robots may someday engage male shoppers who shy away from in-store interactions. Link
  • Ferragamo puts microchips in shoes to bid to fight fraudsters. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.8.2016

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Here is your Tuesday recap (sorry, busy Monday!) of industry news over the last week from around the web.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Abercrombie & Fitch posts unexpected rise in comparable sales. Link
  • Herschel goes high-tech with its new magic fabric. Link
  • Yoox Net-a-porter partner with IBM. Link
  • Amazon is about to give QVC a run for its money. Link
  • Under Armour debuts first ever 3D-printed shoes. Link
  • Why big retailers are going solar. Link
  • Samsonite confirms deal to buy Tumi. Link
  • Valentino eyes IPO in 2017 after revenue exceeds $1B. Link
  • Online retailer Everlane seeks valuation north of $250M in investment talks. Link
  • Fashion is dull and other key points about the state of Urban Outfitters’ business. Link
  • Aerie shows it pays to tell young women to love their bodies. Link
  • Seeking millennials’ kids and babies, Target spends big on tech. Link
  • Analysts see mixed message in teen market. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Apple finally joins Twitter with eye toward socializing its customer service. Link
  • Snapchat catches up with Facebook, clocks 8B daily video views. Link
  • New York Magazine building out branded content studio. Link
  • The Instagram Effect: How the platform drives decisions at fashion brands. Link
  • Facebook reaches 3 million advertisers, launches your business store video tool. Link
  • Amazon Prime now finding fashion followers. Link
  • Pinterest’s buyable pins help lure new sales and customers. Link

Start Ups

  • How this digital entrepreneur rocketed a fashion business from 4 to 350 employees. Link
  • Why show startups are making sneakers from wool. Link
  • ‘Warby Parker of suits,’ Combatant Gentlemen opens pop-up shop in Nordstrom. Link
  • The hot ecommerce app Wish has hundreds of millions of users. Link
  • Augment raises over $3M in Series A funding from Salesforce. Link
  • You can now make voice calls using Slack. Link
  • Bed-in-a-box startups challenge traditional mattress makers. Link

International

  • The billionaire African behind the continent’s greatest retail empire. Link
  • Amazon to open second largest delivery center in Hyperbad. Link
  • Zalando targets logistics as mobile fashion sales grow. Link
  • Victoria’s Secret to open flagship in Shanghai. Link
  • Europe’s antitrust enforcer on Google, Apple and the year ahead. Link
  • com’s revenue growth beats expectations. Link
  • Apple is selling more phones in India’s biggest cities than you might think. Link
  • Ikea to open first India store at Hyperbad. Link
  • Uber launches in Pakistan. Link
  • Adidas to boost China outlets by a third with 3,000 stores. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • The North Face to launch insanely smart Watson-powered shopping app next month. Link
  • Apple sold 116M Apple Watches in 2015. Link
  • Is 3D printing the next industrial revolution? Link
  • Amazon expands Alexa AI with new tap and dot voice-controlled speakers. Link
  • Google is plotting ways for developers to cash in on virtual reality Cardboard. Link
  • Google Fiber is coming to San Francisco. Link
  • From science fiction to reality, retailers get serious about drones. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.22.2016

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Here is your weekly recap of news I found around the web about fashion, retail and ecommerce. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Amazon raises its free shipping minimum for non-Prime members to $49. Link
  • BirchBox co-founder joins First Round Capital as first female partner. Link
  • VF Corp falls after fourth quarter results trail estimates. Link
  • Neiman Marcus opens new store on Long Island as luxury sales slow. Link
  • Coach is now a full-fledged American fashion house. Link
  • Wal-Mart, reporting slower ecommerce growth makes plans to expand number of products available online. Link
  • Nordstrom tumbles after holiday sales miss analyst estimates. Link
  • Wal-Mart still outshined by Amazon despite spending billions. Link
  • Google is expanding its same-day delivery on groceries. Link
  • Proenza Schouler skillfully mixed commerce on the runway for Fall 2016. Link
  • Prada dealt new blow as finance chief quits luxury maker. Link
  • Kit and Ace lays off 10% of staff. Link
  • Ex-Lululemon CEO advising Adidas on how to target women. Link
  • Ralph Lauren to bring management of distribution site in house. Link
  • Amazon’s private label push: a new fast-fashion giant? Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Shopping is coming to Snapchat. Link
  • Time Inc. buys two car-focused YouTube channels. Link
  • Gatorade’s Super Bowl Snapchat filter got 160 million impressions. Link
  • Alexa Chung debuts collection for Marks & Spencer. Link
  • Why Starbucks is overhauling its loyalty program. Link
  • Facebook plans to put ads in Messenger. Link
  • Snapchat now lets everyone pay to design geofilters. Link
  • Facebook’s huge plan to shake up dull world of telecoms. Link
  • How Kanye and Adidas ‘Yeezy-hacked’ the business model of celebrity endorsements. Link
  • Google doing away with ads along the right rail. Link

Start Ups

  • VCs invested more in space startups last year than in the previous 15 years combined. Link
  • New online fashion retailers are capitalizing on consumers’ desires to purchase clothing that lasts. Link

International

  • Amazon to open parcel locker network in Europe. Link
  • Apple Pay to be launched in China. Link
  • Amazon top open new fulfillment center in UK. Link
  • Twitter has more users than Facebook in Japan. Link
  • eCommerce stakes are high in the Mideast after the largest ever A round for Wadi.com. Link
  • Luxury retailer Saks entering Canada amid cooling economy. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • PayPal matches Stripe with its own native toolkit for apps. Link
  • This luxury watch is getting MasterCard payment functionality. Link
  • Why retailres are missing mobile with millennials. Link
  • Here’s where Google Fiber is headed next. Link

 

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.15.2016

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Here is your weekly recap of news I found around the web about fashion, retail and ecommerce. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Urban Outfitters finding success in niche beauty market. Link
  • How Gilt will be added to Saks’ discount retail stores. Link
  • Burberry faces US lawsuit accusing it of deceptive price tags. Link
  • Victoria’s Secret CEO resigns. Link
  • Nordstrom debuts first TV ad in three years. Link
  • Elizabeth Arden bets on app to boost ecommerce. Link
  • Sears announces it’s closing at least 50 stores. Link
  • Tommy Hilfiger embraces direct-to-consumer shows. Link
  • Kate Spade, H&M and Urban Outfitters go beyond apparel but will it improve sales? Link
  • Without a creative director, Banana Republic appeals to consumers for Fall 2016. Link
  • Amazon shares bounce on news of $5B buyback. Link
  • Apple reportedly filming 6-episode series with Dr. Dre. Link 

Marketing/Social Media

  • YouTube buys BandPage for $8M to attract musicians with money-making tools. Link
  • Vox to join other media companies in ecommerce push. Link
  • Pop Sugar wants to become the mobile shipping cart for fashion. Link
  • Instagram doubles down on video, introduces Facebook-style view counts. Link
  • What marketers should know about Twitter’s new algorithmic “catch up” feed. Link
  • Time Inc buying MySpace parent company. Link
  • YouTube wants viewers to buy directly from review videos. Link
  • Pinterest nabs Google executive to head ad sales. Link
  • Target’s ground-breaking musical interlude during Grammys extends to social. Link

Start Ups

  • Fabletics plans to open 100 stores. Link
  • Startup delivery services run into reality. Link

International

  • India’s Snapdeal raises $200M led by Ontario Teachers’ pension plan. Link
  • Primark to open 6 US stores in 2016. Link
  • Amazon’s Chinese shipping license reflects global goals. Link
  • Chinese tourists boost Japanese all sales to record. Link
  • Rakuten shutters marketplaces in Southeast Asia. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • How Kate Spade and Everpurse got wearable tech right. Link
  • Google/Alphabet building standalone virtual reality headset. Link
  • 15 of the best designs merging fashion and technology. Link
  • Online shoppers prove skeptics wrong buying tons of luxury goods on mobile devices. Link
  • Tech firms push toward future without passwords. Link
  • How smartphones are killing off the fashion show. Link
  • Fitbit taps Public School designers to outfit its latest fitness tracker. Link
  • PayPal Commerce matches Stripe with PayPal’s own toolkit for apps. Link

 

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.8.2016

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Happy Monday! Check out a recap of news from around the web about retail, ecommerce, and technology. All sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Reports rise that Amazon planning massive brick-and-mortar presence but it may not be true. Link and Link
  • Yahoo plans to cut 15% of workforce, reports $4.5B writedown on Tumblr, Americas. Link
  • What any business can learn from Nordstrom customer service. Link
  • The woman who created Netflix’s enviable company culture and how she did it. Link
  • Nastygal to lay off 10% of staff. Link
  • How Shinola boosted online sales with a new take on customer service. Link
  • Burberry to slash number of catwalk shows, speed up sales. Link
  • Are teen retailers finally turning a corner? Link
  • Ralph Lauren had a bummer quarter in America. Link
  • Weak sales at Kohl’s, Ralph Lauren spark selloff in retailers. Link
  • Kate Spade founders talk new accessories brand, Frances Valentine. Link
  • Retailers need to shift focus as consumers crave less stuff. Link
  • Amazon added 17M square feet of distribution center space in 2015. Link
  • Target launches gender-neutral kids home line. Link
  • Ikea revamps restaurants as food business grows. Link
  • Yoox Net-a-Porter beat forecast with larger-than-expected 31% year over year growth. Link
  • Luxury brands can no longer ignore sustainability. Link
  • Michael Kors finds a lifeline online. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Get ready to be blitzed by Chiptole ads. Link
  • See all the ads from the Super Bowl. Link
  • Instagram launches account switching on iOS and Android. Link
  • Fashion industry scrambles to find the right use of Snapchat. Link
  • Instagram extends video ads to 60 seconds. Link
  • Affiliate marketing offers alternative to crowded content marketplace. Link
  • Refinery 29 debuts its first app. Link

Start Ups

  • Jessica Alba’s Honest Co. reportedly seeking IPO. Link
  • A bra company that uses an app to find the right fit raised $8M. Link
  • Fab co-founder sells second startup. Link
  • AirBnB handed over $1.3M in tourist taxes to Paris in Q4. Link
  • Upgrade your jewelry box with the female millennial entrepreneurs behind Gleem & Co. Link
  • Stubhub takes on Ticketmaster with new platform for both primary and secondary tickets. Link

International

  • Walmart brings click-and-collect to Toronto. Link
  • Chinese shoppers in South Korea shun luxury for local brands. Link
  • PayPal data shows 35% of Chinese ecommerce took place on overseas sites in 2015. Link
  • As its market grows, Nigerian ecommerce startup Africa Internet Group raises $83M. Link
  • Aeropostale to open shops in Thai department stores. Link
  • UK online retailer Finery to open in-store shops at six John Lewis stores. Link
  • American Apparel testing UPS service for international delivery. Link
  • How fashion is cashing in on Chinese New Year. Link
  • Australia’s Cotton On plans international expansion. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Virtual reality: coming soon to a clothing retailer near you. Link
  • Under Armour CEO sees technology as company’s undeniable future. Link
  • Amazon’s artificial intelligence agent, Echo, can order you pizza an turn on Spotify. Link
  • Loreal’s latest beauty secret – it’s acting like a tech company. Link
  • Leading virtual reality company is building a cross-platform VR content network. Link

Weekly Industry Brief 2.1.2016

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Sorry I missed the update last week– was busy, busy!  Check out some industry highlights from the last two weeks. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand / Retailer:

  • Sephora created an accelerator program for female-led beauty startups. Link
  • Tiffany’s cuts jobs as sales lose sparkle. Link
  • Ikea wants you to stop throwing away your furniture. Link
  • Birchbox cuts 15% of staff and puts Canada plans on pause. Link
  • Macy’s opens ‘the Etsy Shop’ in an effort to attract millennial shoppers. Link
  • H&M will again open more than one store per day this year. Link
  • Coach is slowly restoring its upscale aura. Link
  • Amazon Payments’ transaction volume surged in 2015. Link
  • Amazon hints at new shipping business. Link
  • Under Armour moves to control own future by opening 200 new stores in 2016. Link
  • Gap taps Abercrombie and Fitch alum as new CMO. Link
  • Amazon’s clothing selection is now bigger than 250 WalMart super centers combined. Link

Social Media / Marketing:

  • Spotify ready to introduce video product. Link
  • Fashion and beauty brands are investing more than ever in influencer marketing. Link
  • Google Glass disappears from social media accounts. Link
  • Google’s ad revenue rises in 2015 despite continued decline in prices. Link
  • Why cross-device programmatic advertising is ready to take off in 2016. Link
  • Facebook launches a sports hub just in time for Super Bowl. Link
  • Instagram is showing you a lot more ads than it used to. Link
  • Teenagers reveal what they think is cool – and what isn’t – in 2016. Link
  • Twitter and GoPro team up for Periscope live-video streaming. Link
  • Weibo, beating Twitter to the punch and lengthens its 140 character limit. Link

Start Ups:

  • Uber prepares meal-delivery service for 10 U.S. cities. Link
  • These 7 startups are poised to join the unicorn club in 2016. Link
  • Uber Rush spells the end of retailer las mile delivery innovations. Link
  • Sesame launches a venture arm to invest in startups that help kids. Link

International:

  • Apple makes a play to open retail stores in India. Link
  • Uber expands cooperation with Alibaba’s Alipay. Link
  • Alibaba teams with Nvidia in $1B bet on cloud computing. Link
  • com tests drones for rural China delivery. Link
  • Google brings wifi to Mumbai’s railway station. Link
  • Why Italian luxury companies are still betting on China. Link
  • Bloomingdale’s continues Middle East expansion with Kuwaiti location. Link
  • Amazon to create 2,500 jobs in the UK this year. Link
  • Facebook criticized in India over free limited internet. Link
  • Alibaba revenue growth seen slowest on record to intensify fight with JD.com. Link

Mobile / Wearable / Emerging Tech:

  • Samsung is opening a VR film studio in New York City. Link
  • WhatsApp joins the billion users club. Link
  • Facebook to shut Parse, tool for mobile apps. Link
  • Google to make smartphones that recognizes faces. Link
  • Facebook and Twitter: users consume mobile content faster. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 1.18.2016

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

Brand / Retailer:

  • Big retailers search for their spot in shopping’s future. Link
  • Music meets fashion as Stella McCartney shows pre-fall line. Link
  • GoPro lays off 7% of staff, warns of poor sales. Link
  • Under Armour tumbles after analysts say it has a woman problem. Link
  • American Eagle managed to beat the odds this holiday season. Link
  • The Zappos exodus continues after radical management experiment. Link
  • Amazon to open pick-up spot on University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. Link
  • Amazon is expanding into the world of ocean freight shipping. Link
  • Why Under Armour is paying big ten money to sponsor Yale University sports. Link
  • Best Buy lowers sales outlook after holiday sales drop. Link
  • WalMart to close hundreds of stores. Link
  • US holiday sales rose 3%, missing projections. Link

Social Media / Marketing:

  • How Snapchat plans to compete with Facebook for advertising dollars. Link
  • Marketing in the moments, to reach customers online. Link
  • Coach invests in new campaign to help revive ailing brand. Link
  • Foursquare CEO steps down as app seeks to boost growth. Link
  • Twitter brings Periscope live video into the newsfeed. Link
  • WhatsApp is ditching its $1 annual subscription fee. Link
  • Marketers, welcome to the world of emotional analytics. Link
  • Marriott’s adventure in online content marketing continues with premier of latest film. Link
  • How Michelle Phan is changing the marketing playbook for makeup. Link

Start Ups:

  • Meet the houseware startups making high design more affordable. Link 
  • Ex-Googler’s new venture is turning weed into a hip, lifestyle brand. Link
  • Venture capital is terrible at online shopping. Link
  • Jawbone raises $165M at half its last valuation. Link

International:

  • Apple inks deal for Champs-Elysees deal for flagship store. Link
  • Burberry is growing in mainland China again. Link
  • Black Friday fuels surprise surge in Brazilian retail sales. Link
  • NetFlix global expansion attracts some unexpected customers. Link
  • China’s Baidu says in talks to invest in Indian ecommerce startups. Link
  • Slump in Hong Kong, Macau hit Burberry’s Christmas sales. Link

Mobile / Wearable / Emerging Tech:

  • Apple’s recent acquisitions point to an AR future. Link
  • Why other location-based technologies could steal beacons’ thunder in 2016. Link
  • Top IoT and wearable technology trends for 2016. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 11.30.2015

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Happy Cyber Monday!  Below are some industry highlights from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Note: I’ll be taking a short break with the weekly updates as I ramp up at my new job. More to come soon. Cheers!

Holiday:

  • When and where do Black Friday’s biggest crowds actually hit? Link
  • Black Friday shopping with thinner crowds as Americans spend more online. Link
  • Black Friday News: fewer people in stores, Everlane gives profits to factory workers. Link
  • US holiday sales on track amidst online boost. Link
  • US store sales down slightly for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Link
  • Online sales surge ahead of brick-and-mortar retailers’ big day. Link
  • Holiday shopping unlikely to cheer many investors. Link
  • Thanksgiving/Black Friday online sales hit $4.5B, 34% of purchases made on mobile. Link
  • Google shares Black Friday location data for marketers. Link

Brand/Retailer:

  • Neiman Marcus web site suffers outages for second straight day. Link
  • Burberry, Google launch interactive video experience at London flagship. Link
  • Wal-Mart revamps ecommerce technology as Amazon applies pressure. Link
  • Amazon touts new drone prototype, plans multiple designs. Link
  • Kate Spade’s CMO talks phone-charging purses, Pixar and dressing room selfies. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • How Nordstrom and Sephora are nailing social media going into Black Friday. Link
  • J.Crew and American Girl embrace social commerce ads for the holidays. Link
  • Target’s big digital holiday campaign combines Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram. Link
  • Snapchat debuts Story Explorer, a more detailed approach to live events coverage. Link
  • Shopping app Spring proves to be an inexpensive asset for young brands. Link
  • Vine arrives on the Apple Watch. Link
  • These ecommerce companies are seeing lots of referral traffic from Pinterest. Link

Startups:

  • Jet.com snags a fresh $350M in funding. Link
  • Deliveroo, an on-demand food delivery services, rasies $100M. Link
  • Rocket Internet’s latest company is ZenRooms, a budget hotel platform for Southeast Asia. Link

International:

  • Facebook prepares for instant articles push in Asia. Link
  • Facebook expands free internet service in India. Link
  • Apple plans to launch Apple Pay in China by February. Link
  • China’s mobile payments war is going global. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Swatch to start selling mobile payment watch in US in 2016. Link
  • Smartphones overtake desktops for holiday shopping. Link
  • Swatch teams up with Visa for a watch that can make payments. Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 11.23.2015

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Happy Monday! Check out industry highlights from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Holiday:

  • Amazon bets on same-day delivery this year to target the procrastinator. Link
  • Best Buy reports softer sales, cautions ahead of holiday quarter. Link
  • WalMart is about to turn Cyber Monday into Cyber Sunday. Link
  • DHL’s new U.S. head talks holiday ecommerce, global trade and China. Link

Brand/Retailer:

  • Sephora’s new retail stores will take cues from YouTube. Link
  • ASOS launches wedding line. Link
  • Retailers scale up online sales distribution networks. Link
  • Consumers increasingly seeking services over things, giving new challenge for department stores. Link
  • Ikea tests click-and-collect in smaller stores. Link
  • Macy’s is launching a Korean beauty shop-in-shop. Link
  • Goop will open a holiday pop-up shop in New York City. Link
  • Polo Ralph Lauren debuts interactive fitting rooms at Fifth Avenue flagship. Link
  • Abercrombie shares rise after third-quarter sales top estimates. Link
  • Here’s why Gap just cut its 2015 profit forecast. Link
  • Martha Stewart ditches eBay for Amazon. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • The potential of geolocation for revolutionizing retail. Link
  • Polyvore on why they sold to Yahoo. Link
  • On Snapchat, brands trust influencers, but verify with only screenshots. Link
  • Conde Nast to shutter Details. Link
  • Facebook launches Fundraiser product to allow nonprofits to set up campaign pages. Link
  • Snapchat’s lackluster ad business threatens $16B valuation. Link
  • Jimmy Fallon unveils brilliant collaboration with J.Cew. Link

Startups:

  • LivingSocial offers a cautionary tale to today’s startups. Link
  • Caeden, a wearable tech start-up, introduces a smart bracelet. Link

International:

  • Apple Pay now available in Canada. Link
  • Louis Vuitton to close shops in China amid luxury slowdown. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Samsung Gear VR sold out online at Amazon and Best Buy. Link
  • Google lets users tap mobile apps without downloading them. Link
  • Google brings app into browsers, blurring mobile-desktop lines. Link
  • Dunkin Donuts tests mobile ordering in bid to catch up with Starbucks. Link
  • Can artificial intelligence sell shoes? Link
  • Facebook at Work gets its own version of Messenger with debut of Work Chat. Link
  • Brands look far and wide for a niche in virtual reality. Link