Tag: instagram

Weekly Industry Brief: 5.1.2017

Leave a comment

Here is a recap of retail and ecommerce industry news from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline. P.S. If you ever have any feedback, comments, (constructive) criticism…please reach out! Have a great week.

Brands and Retailers

  • LVMH to take control of Christian Dior in $13.1B deal. New York Times
  • Vince says it has ‘substantial doubt’ that it’ll stay in business. Fashionista
  • Wal-Mart’s tech incubator hires Rent-the-Runway co-founder. Bloomberg
  • Sources say Coach is the likely buyer of Jimmy Choo. Telegraph
  • Kit and Ace is closing all of its US, UK and Australia stores. Racked
  • Gucci sales jump a record 50% in part due to China, digital. Fashionista and Bloomberg
  • Amid brick-and-mortar travails, a tipping point for Amazon in Apparel. New York Times
  • Zappos launches line for special needs consumers. Mediapost
  • A look inside Reformation’s sustainable Los Angeles factory. Fashionista
  • Goop to open first beauty pop-up. WWD
  • Crew shakes up management, cuts jobs in bid for profitability. Bloomberg
  • Adidas tells us how it plans to catch Nike. GQ
  • How BooHoo is beating the rocky American retail market. Digiday
  • Next week, Adidas releases a new running shoe made from ocean plastic. Forbes
  • As retailers race to close stores, a web startup is opening them. Wall Street Journal
  • Gap to source 100% sustainable cotton by 2021. Triple Pundit
  • Apple’s stock races ahead as investors bet on new iPhone. New York Times
  • L’oreal rounds up bidders for The Body Shop. Business of Fashion

Marketing and Social Media

  • Lead by Louis Vuitton, fashion brands storm digital. Adage
  • Bloomberg and Twitter announce live broadcasting partnership. Bloomberg
  • A new Goop magazine is coming to Conde Nast. Fashionista
  • Snapchat’s Discover partners are seeing more views on TV, desktop and mobile. Mashable
  • How Under Armour lost its swagger. Business of Fashion
  • What marketers can learn about chatbots from pros that have seen early success. Adweek
  • How brands are finally cashing in on social with shoppable Instagram stories and snapchat ads. AdWeek

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • The robots are coming for your wardrobe. Fast Company
  • Dominos delivers its pizza tracker to your IoT devices. Forbes
  • This startup’s expansion could pave the way for more innovative retail. Adage
  • How Echo Look could feed Amazon’s big data fueled fashion ambitions. Techcrunch
  • Amazon’s new Echo aims to answer age-old question: does this look good on me? Wall Street Journal
  • Apple is in talks to launch its own Venmo. Recode
  • Instagram’s growth speeds up as it hits 700 million users. Techcrunch
  • Amazon rival, Boxed, sees narrow inventory as edge. Bloomberg

International

  • Online retail growth reflects changing consumption in China. China Daily
  • Amazon’s Italian subsidiary under investigation for tax evasion. WWD
  • When the name game gets serious in China. Business of Fashion
  • Zalando considers brick-and-mortar stores. Business of Fashion
  • China’s $1.5B social commerce startup, Pinduoduo, could transform online retail. Business of Fashion
  • More Chinese tourists seen traveling to the Middle East.  BBC
  • Gogoboi teams up with western ecommerce retailers to sell luxury on WeChat. Jing Daily

 

Weekly Industry Brief: 4.17.2017

Leave a comment

Here is a recap of retail and ecommerce industry news from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline. P.S. If you ever have any feedback, let me know! Have a great week.

Brands and Retailers

  • Amazon will account for half of all ecommerce sales by 2021. Fortune
  • Inside Farfetch’s store of the future. Business of Fashion
  • Wal-Mart is reportedly about to buy Bonobos. Business Insider
  • Neiman Marcus finds even wealthy shoppers want better deals. Wall Street Journal
  • Google makes Nevada land grab for data center. Wall Street Journal
  • Retail sales in US declined for a second month in March. Bloomberg
  • Three big insights for fashion brands looking to compete with Amazon. Glossy
  • Home Depot now makes $5B online, but a stellar store experience remains its top priority. Adweek
  • Canada Goose could triple its revenue over the next five years. CNBC
  • Wal-Mart offers deals for click-and-collect customers. CNBC
  • Imagining the store of the future. New York Times
  • How retailers are thriving despite the supposed death of their industry. Entrepreneur
  • Wal-Mart eliminates more corporate jobs. Business of Fashion
  • Jeff Koons’ new line with Louis Vuitton. New York Times
  • At Lord & Taylor, the Bobbi Brown lifestyle in a shop. WWD
  • Prada’s turnaround plan: fewer stores, more ecommerce. Glossy
  • Crate & Barrel CEO out after less than two years. Chicago Tribune
  • The Body Shop attracts bids from 15 suitors. Business of Fashion
  • Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing’s profit increases amid global expansion. Business of Fashion
  • Is American retail at a historic tipping point? New York Times
  • Jeff Bezos outlines his methods for high velocity decision making. Quartz
  • Theory introduces garment recycling program. WWD
  • Rue 21 closing hundreds of stores amid lender talks. WWD
  • Specialty retailer South Moon Under gets funding to fuel growth. WWD

Marketing and Social Media

  • Millennials may prefer stores, by 20% of apparel purchases are online. WWD
  • How messaging is transforming the customer experience. WWD
  • Facebook messenger is now twice the size of Instagram. Recode
  • Influencer marketing: an opportunity slipping through our fingers. Adweek
  • Instagram now lets you organize bookmarks into private collections. Techcrunch
  • Snap wants to help brands track when ads drive people to locations. Wall Street Journal
  • Google is trying to turn Image Search into a shopping tool. Recode
  • Instagram stories is finally bigger than Snapchat after copying many of its features. Adweek
  • Yext finishes the day up 21% as IPO window remains wide open. Techcrunch

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Glossier is poised to hire nearly 300 new employees in New York. Fashionista
  • Apple secures permit to test autonomous vehicles in California. Wall Street Journal
  • Purple, a Utah mattress startup you’ve probably never heard of, is on track to unicorndom. Techcrunch
  • How P.E. Nation is tapping into today’s active-meets-streetwear zeitgeist. Glossy
  • Reformation’s first-ever swim collection has arrived. Fashionista
  • Inside Stitch Fix’s experiment to design clothing with an algorithm. Glossy
  • Indochino’s made-to-measure suits are coming to a city near you. Bloomberg
  • Samsung to delay launch of English-language version of virtual assistant. Wall Street Journal

International

  • Contemporary fashion replaces luxury amid Hong Kong downturn. South China Morning Post
  • US children’s brand Carter’s to open 200 stores in China. China Daily
  • Amazon Prime’s popularity grows in India. Live Mint
  • Acne ramps up Asia, kickstarts “less is more” denim approach. WWD
  • Juicy Couture to close all stores in the UK. Telegraph
  • How China won the race to being considered a mobile-first commerce nation. Forbes
  • Starbucks extends health coverage to workers’ parents in China. Bloomberg
  • Dior seeking millions from ‘network’ of Chinese knock-off sites. WWD

Weekly Industry Brief: 4.3.2017

Leave a comment

Every Monday I collect and publish the retail industry headlines from around the web over the last week for easy scanning purposes.  Hope it helps. Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Enjoy!

Brands and Retailers

  • Spanx goes after bras. WWD
  • Amazon launches Amazon Cash, a way to shop its site without a bank card. Techcrunch
  • Jenna Lyons out after 26 years at J.Crew. Fashionista
  • VF Corp. in reshaping mode; focus on consumer and retail. WWD
  • The winners and losers in a Coach-Kate Spade acquisition. Digiday
  • How Warby Parker’s success beat their own expectations. Bloomberg
  • Coty just signed a deal to grow Burberry’s beauty business. Fortune
  • Verizon announces new name brand for AOL and Yahoo: Oath. New York Times
  • Nike’s Soho flagship leads transformational charge into the future of sports retail. Stores
  • UPS rolling out Saturday ground deliveries nationwide. Consumerist
  • Why investors are so keen on Amazon. The Economist
  • How ecommerce is making stores relevant again. Fortune
  • Bergdorf Goodman’s chief to step down as parent Neiman seeks sale. Bloomberg
  • North Face owner VF needs a new mega-deal. Here’s why it’s taking so long. Fortune
  • H&M is launching a new brand called Arket. Fashionista
  • As retailers close stores, the world’s third-largest apparel player, Uniqlo, takes another run at the US. CNBC
  • Lululemon investors see red as company cites lack of colorful clothing. Wall Street Journal
  • Luxury-goods companies are belatedly trying to go digital. The Economist

Marketing and Social Media

  • Revolve Social Club to open doors to public for festival style pop-up. WWD
  • Amazon wants influencers for new shop program. WWD
  • How Generation Z is transforming the shopping experience. Retail Dive
  • How the Instagram look gave rise to a new makeup artist. Glossy
  • Snapchat makes it possible to search for Stories by keywords. MarketingLand
  • Clique Media Group launches new vertical inspired by a surge in wellness traffic. Glossy
  • Alice + Olivia launches private Instagram for top consumers. Glossy
  • Pinterest sets focus on small businesses to propel revenue growth. Adage
  • J&J and Verizon join major marketers suspending YouTube advertising. Adage
  • Forever 21 pushes low-priced concept. WWD
  • Amazon quietly launches its own social media influencers program into beta. Techcrunch
  • To take on Netflix, Hollywood studios are planning ‘premium’ videos on demand. Wall Street Journal
  • Adidas All Day app aims to help you stay fit and eat healthy. Engadget
  • Chase had ads on 400,000 sites. Then on just 5,000. Same results. New York Times
  • Lululemon will target millennials with its first-ever global ad campaign. Fashionista

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Amazon Prime Air drone completes its first US public delivery. CNet
  • Glossier is launching perfume and sunscreen. Vogue
  • HTC is launching its VR app subscription service at $7 per month. Techcrunch
  • Inside retail’s live chat revolution. Forbes
  • L’oreal’s technology incubator is creating the future of beauty. New York Times
  • Starbucks is going to try out a mobile order only store. Techcrunch
  • Goop enters the $37M nutritional supplements industry. Fast Company
  • Dominos will deliver pizza by robot in Europe. Newsweek
  • The spiral of Spring’s great mobile experiment. Glossy

International

  • Amazon buys Middle Eastern online marketplace, Souq.com. Bloomberg
  • The real reason Chinese millennials are super consumers. Forbes
  • Wal-Mart okay with selling only made-in-India products says India CEO. The Times of India
  • More Chinese consumers say no to fake goods. Wall Street Journal
  • With Reebok expansion, Adidas challenges Nike in China. Business of Fashion

Weekly Industry Brief: 12.13.2016

Leave a comment

Here is your weekly industry brief over the last week.  Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Cheers!

Brand/Retailer

  • Cyber Monday drives $52B in online sales. Link
  • Aerie opens concept store in New York. Link
  • LA City Attorney suing Sears, Kohl’s, Macy’s, JC Penney for alleged pricing scheme. Link
  • Starbucks’ Schultz sees sweeping retail consolidation. Link
  • Millennials making bigger investments in makeup. Link
  • Revolve launches beauty. Link
  • Ikea adapts to growing urban populations. Link
  • American Apparel to close nine stores by end of December. Link
  • Museums rethink retail. Link
  • Sports bras are making Lululemon a lot of money. Link
  • Kylie Jenner and Shopify prepare for what may be the most hyped pop-up ever. Link
  • Starbucks 5-year plan: lots of stores, food and cold drinks. Link
  • Google signs deal with Cuba’s state-run telecommunications company. Link
  • Nordstrom turns to electronic gifting service amid shift online. Link
  • There’s a Crossfit war being fought over your feet. Link
  • Net loss grows at Neiman Marcus. Link

Marketing/Social

  • Ikea renamed products after frequently Googled problems that those products solve. Link
  • How Costco appeals to millennials and Gen Z without specifically targeting them. Link
  • Snapchat adds four new features including much-requested group chat. Link
  • Weibo’s comeback lures luxury brands. Link
  • Selena Gomez inks $10M deal with Coach. Link
  • How Revolve is leveraging user-generated content for its beauty business. Link
  • Kylie Cosmetics sidelines journalists at store opening. Link
  • Instagram brings live video broadcasts to all U.S. users. Link
  • Facebook Live will spin up 360-degree streaming to match YouTube. Link

Startup/Emerging Tech

  • Job cuts at Honest Co. could mean deal, IPO are tabled. Link
  • Prada uses video, virtual reality to market fragrance. Link
  • Why AR will be bigger than VR. Link
  • L’Occitane ups technology with smart beauty fitting room. Link
  • Retail chatbots show the power of artificial intelligence, just in time for the holidays. Link
  • Adidas to sell 3-D shoes to public. Link

International

  • Starbucks becomes first retail brand to use WeChat’s gift card product. Link
  • Mexico overtakes Canada as No. 2 U.S. exporter ahead of Trump. Link
  • China Consumers Association cites ‘Misleading’ Singles’ Day promotions. Link
  • China’s retail sales climb 10.8% in November. Link
  • ASOS boosts U.K. sourcing after pound’s Brexit fall. Link
  • Wal-Mart to invest $1.3B in Mexico. Link
  • Hong Kong loses Ralph Lauren flagship, braces for more closures. Link
  • Staples agrees to sell European operations to Cerberus Capital. Link
  • Marks & Spencer to shutter its 10 stores in China. Link
  • Uniqlo targets 100 more stores in China expansion. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 4.11.2016

Leave a comment

I’m back! Sorry for the pause last week.  Here are the last two weeks of industry news from around the web. Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headlines.

Brand/Retailer

  • H&M steps up ecommerce, unveils new sustainability line. Link
  • How West Elm became an unlikely incubator of independent design. Link
  • Victoria’s Secret unveils restructuring. Link
  • Lululemon is banking on menswear for long term growth. Link
  • Kit & Ace builds buzz with hotel pop-ups. Link
  • Amazon plans big push to expand Prime Now fast delivery. Link
  • Valentino offers $569M to buy Balmain. Link
  • Local delivery service Postmates launches Amazon Prime-like subscription. Link
  • Whole Foods set opening date for new ‘365’ store chain. Link
  • Uniqlo: again facing Japan’s deflating economy. Link
  • Luxury market growth will hit a low point in 2016 forecasts Bain. Link
  • Gap shares decline. Link
  • Etsy had a rough year as a public company, but it has a plan. Link
  • Clothes are now the top selling category online in the US. Link
  • Prada CEO under pressure as profit falls to five-year low. Link
  • Lululemon expands its line of exclusive, peculiar shops. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Instagram updates overlay for action-driving ads. Link
  • Will Restoration Hardware customers warm to loyalty program? Link
  • Instagram rolls out 60-second videos. Link
  • Facebook’s live video effort entices media companies. Link
  • WeChat advertising lessons from L’oreal Paris. Link
  • Saint Laurent deletes Instagram history to welcome new creative director. Link
  • Hypebeast files for IPO. Link
  • Victoria’s Secret turns its back on the catalog. Link
  • New Facebook rules allow publishers and celebrities to share sponsored content. Link
  • StyleHaul’s digital land grab. Link

Start Ups

  • Somewhere between granny panties and thongs, new underwear brands find fans online. Link
  • SoulCylce founders resign. Link
  • Fashion data firm, Claire, to accelerate at Rebecca Minkoff. Link

International

  • ASOS closes China business. Link
  • Banana Republic to enter India. Link
  • India sets rules for foreign ecommerce ownership. Link
  • Myntra in talks to take over Forever 21’s retail chain in India. Link
  • Amazon plans two-hour delivery in Berlin. Link
  • Amazon may violate India’s new rules on foreign ecommerce. Link
  • FedEx rebrands Bongo International as FedEx crossborder. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Ikea tests virtual reality with new kitchen experience app. Link
  • Here’s how Nike became a platform business. Link
  • Domino’s cooks up its latest tech move: zero click ordering. Link
  • New Balance only made 44 pairs of these $400 3D-printed sneakers. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.28.2016

1 Comment

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

  • Everlane’s founder on building a business with radical transparency. Link
  • Rent-the-runway expands into everyday clothing rentals. Link
  • Why Target is fast-tracking food innovation. Link
  • Aerie launchies Men’s underwear with body positivity campaign. Link
  • Crew to double Mercantile stores, open 10 new Madewell stores in 2016. Link
  • Uniqlo selling on shopping app Spring. Link
  • Target preps for Marimekko launch. Link
  • Nike’s third quarter sales miss estimates, hurt by strong US dollar. Link
  • Madewell adopting a buy now, wear now press strategy. Link
  • Lululemon’s Lab Concept opens in New York City. Link
  • Nordstrom hires Amazon vet as chief technology officer. Link
  • Amazon opening fulfillment center in Kansas. Link 
  • Nike kicks up 56% increase in ecommerce sales. Link 

Marketing/Social Media

  • Google is building YouTube Connect, a live-streaming app to take on Periscope. Link
  • Pinterest works to pin down path to wider international audience. Link
  • Twitter co-founder creates new media company Matter Studios. Link
  • Instagrammers really want you to turn on notifications to avoid death my algorithim. Link
  • Email is dying among mobile’s youngest users. Link
  • Line builds out its chat app for businesses as Facebook Messenger threat looms large. Link
  • Google is redesigning its biggest cash cow, Adwords. Link

Start Ups

  • Trax & Wax is a vinyl subscription service for those craving that fresh underground dance sound. Link
  • Get ready to pay more to have others do your chores. Link
  • How one woman is going after a $17B plus-sized opportunity. Link
  • Delivery startup DoorDash raises $127M in latest round. Link

International

  • McDonald’s, Pizza Hut cook up new plans for India. Link
  • FedEx to expand ecommerce reach in China, Japan. Link
  • Swedish payments provider, Klarna, looks to expand ecommerce presence. Link
  • Giants clash on nascent Indian ecommerce market. Link
  • China changes online import tax rules, a move to help cosmetics. Link
  • Will Apple’s cheapest iPhone in history satisfy Chinese consumers? Link
  • Social commerce takes off in China. Link
  • Alibaba reaches 3 Trillion Yuan milestone even as China slows. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Adobe announces personalization technology concept to bridge online and brick-and-mortar. Link
  • Makeup brands testing augmented reality to drive conversions. Link
  • PayPal drops on concern that ApplePay threatens online payments volume. Link
  • Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff. Link
  • Two thirds of UK online traffic is mobile. Link 

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.14.2016

Leave a comment

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

Leave a comment

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: 2.29.2016

Leave a comment

Leap day edition! Did you hear Zappos gave their employees the day off?

For the rest of us, 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.

Brand/Retailer

  • Online lingerie retailer Adore Me to open brick-and-mortar stores. Link
  • Kohl’s to test smaller format stores. Link
  • Restoration Hardware announces membership program. Link
  • Samsung reinvents retail in New York’s meatpacking district. Link
  • How the CEO of Barney’s turned the retailer around. Link
  • American Eagle Outfitters’ new warehouse meets omnichannel needs. Link
  • Adidas launches subscription box service. Link
  • Nordstrom’s high cost for online sales. Link
  • Tommy Hilfiger launches ‘inclusive’ clothing line for kids with disabilities. Link
  • Frances Valentine launches ecommerce. Link
  • Rachel Zoe dives into retailwith first standalone store. Link
  • Retailers reconsider store counts as traffic dips. Link
  • Click-and-collect programs gave Target a holiday boost. Link

Marketing/Social Media

  • Facebook enhances everyone’s Like with Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, Angry Buttons. Link
  • Getting YouTUbe stars to sell your product. Link
  • Instagram has over 200,000 advertisers just five months after opening the spigot. Link
  • Retailers hope smaller stores, personalization and digital will stanch the bleeding. Link
  • Amazon’s ‘The Fashion Fund’ follows Vogue’s design competition. Link
  • NBC replaces ads with paid content from American Express. Link
  • Snapchat using Nielsen as standard measure for its advertising. Link

Start Ups

  • MakeSpace raises $17.5 Million for hassle-free storage units. Link
  • HomeMe launches with app to take the pain out of apartment rentals. Link
  • Same-day delivery startup Deliv gets funding boost from UPS. Link
  • com acquires online retailer Hayneedle. Link
  • GoPro spends 20% of its cash on hand to acquire two video editing startups. Link
  • RocketClub lets early adopters earn a financial stake in startups. Link

International

  • UK consumers do more shipping on mobile devices. Link
  • Cross-border ecommerce is luring Chinese shoppers. Link
  • The Montreal company shaking up luxury fashion, one pair of $860 sweatpants at a time. Link
  • India’s Flipkart sees value cut 27% amid startup shakeout. Link
  • Amazon partners with British supermarket chain Morrisons for fresh grocery deliveries. Link
  • Ilea’s India bet runs into thicket of rules. Link
  • Mideast online retailer Souq.com raises $275M from investors. Link
  • Japan manufacturing output up in January, retail falls. Link
  • With humility, Starbucks will enter Italian market. Link

Emerging Tech/Mobile

  • Will virtual reality save retail? Link
  • Mobile payments gain big traction among millennials. Link
  • Meet Fabric, Twitter’s new mobile app built specifically for developers. Link
  • Square cash takes aim at businesses with new ‘Cash Drawer’ feature. Link
  • Apple surpasses Fitbit as the world’s largest wearable maker. Link

 

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.8.2016

Leave a comment

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