Hi! Happy New Year! If you follow this newsletter you’ve noticed I’ve been radio silent the last couple of months. This is because I’ve been quite busy with a new job of becoming a mama. But, now that my baby girl is two months old and I’m *sort of* out of the initial fog, I thought I’d catch up on what’s been going on in the industry. I won’t go so far as to say this will be weekly this year because, well, I’ve got this new full-time job of being a mom plus my other full-time job, plus trying to be a normal, decent human being  as well.

So for now, I hope you enjoy this quick recap! As always, sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline. 

Brands + Retailers

• Goop is coming to Sephora.  CNBC
• Abercrombie & Fitch says its willing to walk away from any mall.  Bloomberg
• More brands are leaving Amazon, but the strategy could backfire.  CNBC
• Men may not buy into the growing clothing rental market.  The New York Times 
• In 2020, retail is moving back to Main Street.  Fast Company
• Away’s CEO returns weeks after stepping down. The New York Times
• Will Gap really spin off Old Navy?  Retail Dive
• Alphabet nears $1T market cap on ad-growth optimism.  AdAge
• How the way we shop for sneakers has changed over the last decade.  Fashionista
• Lord & Taylor plots its comeback under new owner.  CNBC
• Kohl’s and J.C. Penney lose more ground amidst sluggish holiday sales.  Bloomberg
• Amazon’s Business-to-Business marketplace could be a $31B business in four years.  CNBC
• Why UK luxury department stores are outperforming their US counterparts.  Glossy
• Cartier partners with TMall to grow Chinese presence. WWD
• Mexico is Walmart’s biggest international market.  Reuters

Marketing + Social Media

• As Instagram reaches upper limits of US user growth, expect to see more ways to shop.  Forbes
• Rent the Runway CEO says transparency about logistics problems boosted brand loyalty.  AdWeek
• Who is buying 2020 Super Bowl Ads.  AdAge
• Zuckerberg outlines Facebook’s five areas of focus.  The Wall Street Journal
• Natura CEO plans to reinvent Avon Ladies into a glamsquad of “influencers.” Fortune 
• Facebook and Instagram will allow users to see fewer political ads in 2020 election.  Fast Company 
• Podcast listeners are active and open to brand messaging.  eMarketer
• The boutique fitness industry’s mission to monetize community. Quartz
• With customer acquisition costs on the rise, DTC leans on referral programs.  Glossy
• Gen Z shoppers want a cute, cheap outfit that looks cute on Instagram.  The New York Times
• The new trend of piercing pop-ups. The Wall Street Journal

Emerging Tech + Start Ups

• Casper files for IPO.  Fast Company
• P&G acquires women’s shaving company, Billie. CrunchBase
• Walmart expands robotic workforce to 65o stores.  AdAge
• Visa to buy Plaid for $5.3B in effort to reach start-ups.  Bloomberg
• Procter & Gamble’s innovations at CES show shift to data-driven products.  Forbes
• This AirBnB-style startup wants you to skip long-term leases and go month-to-month instead.  Fast Company 
• BMW debuts AR windshield that responds to gaze.  Next Reality 

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

Brands + Retailers

• • Authentic Brands Group bids $271M to buy Barneys New York.  Reuters
  • Under Armour to make spacesuits for Virgin Galatic flights.  CNBC
  • Best Buy touts first-party data capabilities as it looks to build its media business.  Digiday
  • Gymboree brand will stage a comeback in 2020 thanks to Children’s Place.  CNBC
  • How big box retailers are competing to win a greater share of holiday toy sales.  Modern Retail
  • Netflix stock skyrockets on profit beats despite looming threat from Disney, Apple.  Fast Company
  • How Amazon is redefining the expensive and wasteful process of returns.  CNBC
  • Ulta wins exclusive Kyle Cosmetics holiday collection.  Refinery29
  • Nike shifts distribution strategy.  Forbes
  • Why your next Louis Vuitton bag may hail from Texas.  The Wall Street Journal
  • Kellogg’s new inclusion cereal features 6 cereals and 6 mascots.  Fast Company
  • Hudson’s Bay in $1.5B deal to go private. Reuters
  • The North Face sharpens focus on sustainability.  Glossy

Social Media + Marketing

• • Facebook tweaks algorithm, opens search ad placement.  AdWeek
  • Adidas admits that it over-invested in digital advertising.  MarketingWeek
  • How Abercrombie ditched its past to try to bring back customers.  CNBC
  • Amazon charges brands top dollar to be in its curated holiday toy guide.  AdAge
  • Shoppable ads pop up on TikTok.  Economic Times
  • Facebook launches new ‘Disruptor Hub’ to outline how businesses are seeing major growth online.  Social Media Today
  • Influencers tell you what to buy while advertisers wonder who’s listening. The Wall Street Journal
  • Google teams up with Dominos for special Pixel 4 deliveries. AdAge
  • Snapchat’s targeting direct-response advertisers with new dynamic ads product.  Digiday
  • Kohl’s teams up with Instagram and Facebook to update its beauty department.  Glossy
  • Small retailers are prioritizing Amazon as search ads continue to grow.  Modern Retail

Start up + Acquisitions + Emerging Tech

• • Walgreens makes first drone delivery in Virginia test.  The Verge
  • Bose is the latest tech company to expand into healthcare.  Fast Company

International 

• • Travel retail spending on the rise.  WWD
  • ASOS invests to grow global online sales.  Forbes
  • Ikea’s India growth plans feature smaller cities and formats.  The Economic Times

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

Brands + Retailers

• Amazon’s new multi-story warehouse aims to cut delivery times.  The Wall Street Journal
• Old Navy outlines growth plans as standalone company.  The Wall Street Journal
• Madewell files paperwork to take itself public, a spinoff from J.Crew. Fast Company
• Nestle plans for a new world of sustainable packaging.  Fast Company
• Gap CMO plans turnaround for iconic brand.  The Drum
• Amazon changed search algorithm in ways that boost its own products.  The Wall Street Journal
• Online grocery sales grew 15% this year.  GroceryDive
• Under Armour stresses performance over athleisure.  CNBC
• As Gucci tripped on social media, sales fell.  The Wall Street Journal
• Lululemon’s first new brand is finally here.  Fast Company
• Crate & Barrel to expand restaurant to up to 15 locations.  Fortune
• Amazon faces a probe by U.S. antitrust officials over its marketplace.  AdAge
• GameStop closing 200 stores.  Fortune
• How Hasbro’s CEO s transforming the brand.  Forbes

Marketing + Social Media

• Why Marriott is betting big on content and starting to look like a media company.  AdWeek
• Secret Deodorant commits to boosting attendance at women’s soccer games by purchasing 9,000 tickets.  Yahoo
• Facebook rolls out new video tools.  TechCrunch
• Why weather data is the hottest new commodity for brands and businesses.  AdWeek
• Pinterest shares details on Halloween-related searches.  AdWeek
• Google has a new Tinder-style interface for finding stuff to watch.  The Next Web
• Facebook leans on Instagram to boost new dating service. AdAge
• Marketers developing affinity for TikTok. eMarkter
• Snapchat partners with DoubleVerify for brand safety.  MarketingLand
• How Dirty Lemon built its brand on Instagram and texting. Yahoo
• Brands start marketing towards holiday.  AdAge

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• Consumers increasingly prefer voice and chat assistants to humans.  VentureBeat
• New hand gesture technology could wave goodbye to passwords.  Forbes
• McDonald’s buys startup to automate drive=thru ordering.  AdAge
• Walt Disney Studios partners with Microsoft Azure on cloud innovation lab.  TechCrunch
• Smile Direct Club makes its debut on the public market.  TechCrunch

International

• Canada’s Hudson’s Bay ditches 300 brands in quest for cool factor.  Financial Post
• Jack Ma retires from Alibaba. CNN

Ah, Labor Day. A day to re-charge and re-set before the start of the “new” year (i.e. school), and the unofficial end of summer/start of fall. As you ease back into the work week, here is the industry news from the last week.  As always, sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands + Retailers

• Peloton files for IPO on Nasdaq.  Fortune
• Ulta Beauty cuts sales forecast as consumers cool on makeup.  The Wall Street Journal
• The high price of fast fashion.  The Wall Street Journal
• Lord & Taylor sells clothing rental subscription company Le Tote.  CNN
• FedEx, UPS jockey with Amazon as tech giant expands into shopping.  CNBC
• Apple apologizes over Siri privacy and says it will no longer retain audio recordings.  AdAge
• Forever 21 prepares for bankruptcy filing.  AdAge
• The missing piece of Amazon’s New York debacle: it kept a burn book.  The Wall Street Journal
• Tourists aren’t shopping like they used to. Who will replace them? The Business of Fashion
• Sir Philip Green plots to break up his TopShop empire.  The Times
• Target’s drive-up pickup service expands nationwide. TechCrunch
• StichFix buys Finer, a digital wardrobe startup co-founded by Brooklyn Decker.  Yahoo
• Rihanna’s lingerie brand receives $50M in fresh funding.  The Wall Street Journal
• Marriott to remove mini toiletries from all hotels as part of corporate sustainability drive.  AdWeek
• After Kimono backfired, Kim Kardashian plays it safe with new shareware name.  LA Times
• Sources say Barney’s in talks for sale to online luxury retailer Farfetch.  New York Post
• L’Oreal’s only female CEO, the founder of IT Cosmetics, is leaving.  Forbes
• Gap shares plans for Old Navy spin-off.  Fox Business

Marketing + Social Media

• Twitch pitches branded games.  Digiday
• Google to pay more than $150M in YouTube privacy case.  AdAge
• Generic brands are getting some serious upgrades.  AdWeek
• Snap unwraps $380 high-tech specs.  Tech News World
• Instagram is reportedly building a new messaging app named Threads.  Gizmodo
• Gartner: four emerging digital ad trends.  ClickZ
• Mattel thinks beyond toys to expand iconic brands like Barbie.  AdWeek
• Ralph Lauren makes TikTok debut with ad campaign tied to the US Open.  Glossy
• Inside the selfie factory for influencers.  BBC
• Now Facebook says it may remove like counts. TechCrunch 
• What does VSCO think about the ‘VSCO Girls’? The New York Times
• Do influencers need to tell audiences they’re getting paid?  Harvard Business Review
• Retailers are rethinking their Google Search strategies.  Modern Retail

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• With $175M infusion, ThredUp plots its future.  AdWeek
• Walmart’s robot army has arrived.  Fast Company 
• Nike created a high-tech shoe that you can control with Siri.  Fast Company 
• IBM serves up an ace with AI at the US Open.  AdWeek
• 7-Eleven introduces mobile checkout in NYC.  Retail Dive

International

• Flipkart partners with Authentic Brands to license and distribute Nautical in India.  Economic Times

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

Brands + Retailers

• H&M and Zara are closing stores to stay ahead.  Fortune
• Nike’s first shoe subscription, two years in the making, is here.  Fast Company
• Prime Day and the broad reach of Amazon’s ecosystem.  McKinsey
• Uber stock falls after $5.2B loss.  AdAge
• Nike, Foot Locker plan 50 large-format, high-tech stores.  CNBC
• Steve Madden buys DTC brand Greats.  AdAge
• The North Face focuses on experience with new store format.  Glossy
• Arizona is moving away from tea to THC with vape pens and gummies.  Fast Company
• FedEx-Amazon split will provide a shipment windfall for rivals.  The Wall Street Journal
• Levi’s Red Tab merchandise now sold at Target.  MarketWatch
• New Sears parent to shutter 21 namesake and 5 Kmart stores.  USA Today
• Walgreens adds 200 stores to growing global closure list.  Forbes
• Amazon tries new pricing model for 3rd party sellers.  CNBC
• Bloomingdales launching a rental subscription service this fall.  PureWow
• Amazon’s next foray into fashion is a personalized shopping service.  Engadget
• Apple suspends listening to Alexa queries amid privacy concerns.  AdAge

Marketing + Social Media

• Acknowledge, apologize, investigate: how big brands combat online outrage.  The Wall Street Journal
• Snapchat launches ‘instant’ tool for creating vertical ads.  TechCrunch
• Pinterest rolls out improved product recommendations.  VentureBeat
• Facebook goes after Amazon, Hulu with ad-free video subscription channels.  AdAge
• Nike’s app powers Foot Locker’s new NYC store.  Engadget
• Quaker Oats gains consumer insights from Messenger chatbot.  The Drum
• How Facebook is attempting to target ads without personal data.  AdAge
• Twitter drops third party data providers.  AdAge
• Instagram users may soon be able to communicate with those using Facebook Messenger.  AdAge
• Current YouTube shopping-related trends marketers should know.  AdWeek

Startup + Emerging Tech + Acquisitions

• Amazon requests FAA approval of delivery-drone plans.  CNN
• Five apps that you’ve never heard of that teens are using to shop.  CNBC
• Target incubator takes aim at Gen Z innovators.  Chain Store Age
• Postmates to drop IPO filling next month.  TechCrunch
• Verizon is selling Tumblr to WordPress parent company.  TechCrunch

International

• Adidas boss warns currency war will hurt more than tariffs.  Fortune
• Canadian Tire buys Party City’s Canada business for $174.4M.  Financial Post
• Luxury brands use video games to speak to Chinese millennials.  Jing Daily
• Germany’s online retailers look to reduce costly returns.  Bloomberg

Well…this clearly hasn’t been  a weekly brief lately!  Been quite the busy summer.  Nonetheless, here is a quick recap of industry news from the past few weeks. Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand+Retailer

• Starbucks designs store for app-oriented customer.  The Motley Fool
• American Eagle, Sephora expand into CBD category.  Glossy
• Amazon’s 48-hour Prime Day sets record. CNBC
• Quip moves from DTC to retail.  Digiday
• Starbucks to roll out delivery in the US by 2020.  Fortune
• Toys ‘R’ Us targets 10 stores by end of 2020.  Bloomberg
• Lady Gaga launching beauty line on Amazon.  CNN
• Amazon adds Rite Aid locations to delivery network.  The Wall Street Journal
• Rent the Runway is growing fast, and struggling to keep up.  The Wall Street Journal
• How Chanel’s beauty products propel its continued growth.  Glossy
• Consumer giants turn from diapers and detergents to jelly masks and eye rollers.  The Wall Street Journal
• With so many vacant stores, ecommerce is only part of the problem.  The Wall Street Journal
• From Old Navy to Madewell, how sub-brands grow up to eat their parents.  Retail Dive
• FTC approves Facebook fine of about $5B.  The New York Times
• Lululemon opens sprawling Chicago store with workout classes and a restaurant.  CNBC
• The inside story of Kim Kardashian West’s $1B bet on the shapewear industry.  The Wall Street Journal
• Walmart reshuffles leadership for better integration between digital and stores.  AdAge
• Barney’s exploring restructuring and bankruptcy.  AdAge
• Highsnobiety, once a sneaker blog, is collaborating with Prada and dropping a product of its own.  Adage
• Dollar General courts more affluent shoppers with home, party goods.  CNN
• Abercrombie and Urban Outfitters implementing buy-now-pay-later payment option to entice cash-strapped Gen Z.  Business Insider

Social + Marketing

• Facebook engagement on the rise. CNBC
• Big brands like Delta, P&G and Under Armour are increasingly hiring Hollywood talent agencies for marketing. Business Insider
• How L’Oreal is embracing new marketing codes to react to market disruption.  Marketing Week
• Pinterest encourages video uploads with new tools.  TechCrunch
• Google’s new shopping platform is now live.  Forbes
• Inside FootLocker’s pivot from athletics to youth culture. Quartzy
• Amazon pays consumers for personal online data. AdAge
• Pinterest reveals a new set of “emotional well-being activities.”  The Verge
• FaceApp responds to privacy concerns.  TechCrunch
• How YouTube stars are using Instagram’s IGTV as a testbed.  Digiday
• How TikTok is testing in-app ecommerce.  Digiday
• Netflix pledges to remain ad-free even as U.S. subscriptions slip.  AdAge
• How PopSugar built an Instagram tool that helps retailers with their ecommerce.  Digiday
• Facebook will ban ads that tell people in the US not to vote. Reuters
• Instagram tests hiding ‘likes’ to benefit your mental health.  Fortune
• Twitch celebrated Prime Day with 2-day live shopping show.  AdWeek
• YouTube’s pushing augmented-reality ads.  Digiday
• Teen love for Snapchat is keeping Snap afloat.  Wired

Start-Ups + Emerging Tech

• Uber puts a shopping experience in cars for riders to buy AirPods, Amazon Echos and more.  CNBC
• The fashion industry is getting more intelligent with AI.  Forbes
• Microsoft invests $1B in Elon Musk’s OpenAI.  Fortune
• Starbucks wants to create the AWS for restaurants.  Fast Company
• McDonald’s adds Doordash as a second delivery partner.  The Verge

International

• LL Bean poised to open first store in Canada.  The Seattle Times
• Reliance to launch Tiffany & Co and Tory Burch in India. Economic Times
• China’s answer to Zara and H&M is ready to take on the world.  South China Morning Post