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Weekly Industry Brief: 6.15.2015

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Happy Monday! Check out industry news from the last week.  Sources in hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer:

  • Richemont invites LVMH to join site to compete with Amazon. Link
  • Blue Nile opens first standalone store. Link
  • Prada profit tumbles as luxury goods maker struggles in China. Link
  • Walgreens touches up its makeup in bid to win back customers. Link
  • Swatch plans to start selling sunglasses to boost product lineup. Link
  • Abercrombie gains as analyst sees growing faith in sales rebound. Link
  • Marriott is putting Netflix in its hotel rooms. Link
  • Old Navy pushes activewear to lure new shoppers. Link
  • Hotels offer luxury shopping inside your rooms. Link
  • What will Restoration Hardware’s new concept be? Link
  • Men’s Wearhouse wants to suit up Millennials. Link
  • Why Nordstrom will outperform Amazon over the next several years. Link
  • Sam’s Club expects drone sales to soar this holiday. Link
  • Target selling its pharmacies to CVS for $1.9B. Link
  • J.Crew lays off 10% of its headquarters. Link
  • American Apparel outlines its $1B roadmap. Link

Marketing/Social:

  • Facebook is handing out free beacons to retailers. Link
  • Facebook challenges Pinterest with newsfeed buy button for Shopify merchants. Link
  • YouTube announces a standalone gaming app to compete with Twitch. Link
  • Facebook Messenger dips a tow into games with ‘Doodle Draw.’ Link
  • Spotify raises $526M amid battle with Apple. Link
  • Bethany Mota overtakes Michelle Phan as YouTube’s top beauty producer. Link

Start-ups:

  • Wantlist is Tinder for fashion. Link
  • Julep partners with Lyft for nail polish offering. Link
  • This brand wants to revolutionize fashion by turning you into the designer. Link
  • Brit + Co confirms $20M raise led by Intel, acquires how-to app Snapguide. Link
  • Foundry group backs fashion inspiration start-up Looklist. Link
  • Start-ups clamor to be the Airbnb of boats. Link
  • Blue Apron confirms $2B valuation in latest funding round. Link

International:

  • Amazon.ca launching clothing, shoe stores. Link
  • Boots pleased with Asos click-and-collect pilot so far. Link
  • Apple Pay coming to UK in July. Link
  • PayPal launches One Touch web payments service in UK and Canada. Link
  • The fate of your cross border customer could hinge on shipping. Link
  • India’s Myntra wants to be fashion assistant to half a billion people—on their smartphones. Link
  • Line bets on streaming music in Japan. Link
  • Alibaba founder visits U.S. to lure businesses into China. Link

Mobile/Emerging Tech:

  • Apple to add cards from Discover and some stores to Apple Pay. Link
  • Dunkin Donuts to explore delivery and mobile ordering. Link
  • Walgreens rethinks mobile design for Apple Watch app. Link
  • Expedia boosts mobile momentum with new booking options. Link
  • Apple wants to be your DJ, wallet and newspaper. Link
  • Gimbal wants to turn vending machines, jukeboxes and other devices into beacons. Link
  • Square unveils mobile wallet-friendly credit card reader. Link
  • Google experimenting with large images in mobile search results. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 5.4.2015

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Happy Monday! I was running a race in Big Sur last week, so apologies for the silence. Below is a recap of industry news over the last couple of weeks.  Sources can be found in the hyper-linked text after the headline.

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Nordstrom tests curbside pickups for online orders. Link
  • Amazon tests package delivery to cars. Link
  • PayPal tops eBay’s marketplace in sales for the first time. Link
  • Adidas to use marine plastic waste in products from 2016. Link
  • LVMH launches new visually dynamic site design. Link
  • Kenzo revamps website. Link
  • Goodbye 50% off: deep discounts are ending. Link
  • Uber is quietly testing a massive merchant delivery program. Link
    • Uber reportedly planning merchant-delivery service with Tiffany, Louis Vuitton and other brands. Link
  • 8 ways buying luxury will change. Link
  • Amazon web services is a $5B business and it’s growing 50% a year. Link
  • Warby Parker valued at $1.2B. Link
  • Amazon expands business-sales marketplace after three years. Link
  • Amazon shares soar to all-time high on cloud surprise. Link
  • Google’s revenue hurt by rising dollar. Link
  • Lowe’s lets consumers run wild with 3D printing. Link
  • Retail’s new reality: invisible shopping centers and virtual assistants. Link
  • Yoox and Net-a-porter merger may move more luxury online. Link
  • Porter launches men’s athletic wear. Link
  • Concept shop Story to tell Dress Barn’s tale. Link
  • Why Nike and Under Armour are spending wildly to watch your every step. Link
  • Nordstrom invests in turning flagships into destinations. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Facebook’s newsfeed tweak could add another ding to mobile site traffic. Link
  • Facebook Messenger accounts for 10% of global mobile VoIP. Link
  • Eva Chen exits Lucky. Link
  • Buzzfeed doesn’t care where you watch its videos. Link
  • Pinterest opens up to brands with new ways to plan posts and buy ads. Link
  • Facebook is courting small businesses again. Link
  • Refinery 29 raises $50M. Link
  • Facebook adds video calling to Messenger mobile app. Link
  • The rise of emoji on Instagram is causing language repercussions. Link
  • The new boys’ club: Retailer Instagram accounts targeting men. Link
  • Hulu wants brands to make commercials with Hulu to run on Hulu. Link
  • The latest fashion, trending on Google. Link
  • Linkedin follows Twitter, shocks social media investors. Link
  • Meerkat for iOS now lets you publish livestreams to Facebook and links to your phone contacts. Link

Start-ups:

  • First look at Uber’s co-founder’s shopping concierge “Operator”. Link
  • Beacon marketer Swirl raises $18M in funding. Link
  • Online fashion mall Lyst raises a fashionable $40M. Link
  • Loop commerce raises $16M to make gifts more personal. Link
  • Chipotle signs deal with food delivery start-up Postmates. Link
  • Rocket Internet cuts stakes in lending sites. Link

International:

  • [APAC]
    • WalMart to expand China store network by nearly a third after growth stalls. Link
    • China’s middle class propels Apple’s iPhone sales. Link
    • Japanese clothing store sports robot greeter. Link
    • Rakuten takes stake in Chinese online discount provider Fanli. Link
  • [EU]
    • Amazon hikes free delivery minimum spend to £20. Link
  • [CA]
    • Target returns, auctions off leases on most Canadian properties. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • Apple Pay to hit Best Buy stores in 2015. Link
  • Anonymous sharing app Secret shuts down. Link
  • An example of how shopping could work on the Apple Watch. Link
  • The Apple Watch can now tell you all about your local Apple Store. Link
  • Apple is testing analytics for the app store. Link
  • Android phones can now launch some apps on voice command. Link
  • Luxottica working on new version of Google Glass. Link
  • McDonald’s beacon strategy pushes in-store conversion rate to 20%. Link
  • Adidas-Spotify mobile app partnership helps music listen to runners. Link
  • Pinterest now wants developers to build apps based on all its data. Link

Other:

  • Amazon launches travel service in three major cities. Link

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 3.30.2015

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Happy Monday! Below is a recap of industry news over the last week.  All sources can be found in the hyper-linked text after the headline.

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Instacart to charge more during peak delivery times. Link
  • Target teams up with Of a Kind for new home collection. Link
  • H&M profits surge 36% in Q1. Link
  • Zulily nips business model in the bud. Link
  • Can data save the mall? Link
  • Rue La La founder’s next venture: luxe Italian shoes at bargain prices. Link
  • Amazon’s on demand services marketplace launches Monday. Link
  • Indiegogo success story Canary hits Best Buy for $249. Link
  • Converse unboxes plan to convert chatter into brand experiences. Link
  • Apple announces grand openings for dedicated Apple Watch shops in London, Paris, and Tokyo. Link
  • Gucci to appoint Consumer Officer amid management shakeup. Link
  • Lululemon’s new offering: anatomy friendly pants for men. Link
  • Amazon rumored to be in talks to acquire Net-a-Porter. Link
  • Five companies making fair trade fashion cooler than what you have in your wardrobe. Link
  • Kanye West to purchase online retailer Karmaloop. Link
  • Saks and Nordstrom prepare to land in Puerto Rico. Link
  • Walmart looks to draw click-and-collect shoppers. Link
  • Banana Republic’s flagship store opens in Manhattan with new look. Link
  • Slow cargo, weather take toll on LuLuLemon. Link
  • Also to design Joe Fresh line of footwear. Link
  • Fashion entrepreneur takes her retail background on the road. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Shopstyle driving revenues for fashion brands. Link
  • Facebook may host news sites’ content. Link
  • Facebook’s F8 announcements. Link
  • Soon Facebook Messenger will let you reach out to businesses. Link
  • Me moves into Google territory with AppWords, a deep link mobile search and ad platform. Link
  • Twitter’s new venture-capital arm quietly opens for business. Link
  • Buzzfeed joins the podcast frenzy. Link
  • Google brings ad targeting from the web to TV. Link
  • Why big brands and top web publishers love this stealth digital ad startup. Link
  • Facebook pushes into the internet of things, hoping to power your smart devices. Link
  • 6 reasons why marketers should bet on podcasting. Link
  • Twitter debuts Periscope to rival Meerkat. Link
  • Twitter soups up mobile ads with location data from Foursquare. Link
  • Marriott uses authentic stories to woo millennials. Link
  • Bloglovin targets participation with ‘collections’ of visual inspiration boards. Link

Start-ups:

  • Gone, the app for selling your old stuff, taps UPS to go nationwide instantly. Link
  • Rocket Internet’s Helpling mops up another $45M for its on-demand home cleaning service. Link
  • August raises $38M to expand smart lock retail availability. Link
  • Alcohol startups are brewing up VC cash. Link
  • Teabox raises $6M to grow its global tea-commerce business. Link
  • Magic just showed its first product to investors—now it may be worth $40M. Link
  • Lyft adds profiles to make ride sharing more personalized. Link
  • Stripe makes a bet on marketplaces with new product. Link

International:

  • [APAC]
    • Honest Brand eyes China. Link
    • Apple plans China iPhone trade-in program. Link
    • Xiaomi expands its offline presences in India with the mobile store tie-up. Link
    • India’s online fashion sales set to soar. Link
  • [CA]
    • Sephora shoes fresh face in Canadian makeup retail. Link
  • [EU]
    • Burberry to open café in London. Link
    • Google takes starred product ratings to Europe to boost shopping searches. Link
    • Facebook completes first drone flight above UK. Link
    • EU to investigate barriers to cross-border ecommerce. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • App reveals what your exact location looked like in the past. Link
  • Cities take lead on app development. Link
  • Secret is working on new apps, won’t shut down original product. Link
  • Apple Watch could make you a walking weather station. Link
  • New app Chosen is American Idol meets YouTube meets mobile devices. Link
  • Nine brands to watch out for on the Apple Watch. Link