Tag: mobile marketing

WEEKLY INDUSTRY BRIEF: 1.5.2015

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Happy New Year, everyone!

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:

Retailer + Brand News:

  • Retailers save discounts for bargain hunters. Link
  • Amazon draws 10 million new Prime members over holidays. Link
  • Small U.S. firms may struggle with new UPS, FedEx dimensional prices. Link
  • How Canada Goose went from small outerwear company to international luxury brand. Link
  • In-store pickup does not save U.S. shoppers much time. Link
  • Plus-size fashion moves beyond the muumuu. Link
  • FedEx acquires Bongo to appeal to global retailers. Link
  • Amazon’s third party merchants are a growing piece of the sales pie. Link
  • Amazon posts worst year since 2008, lost $7.4B. Link
  • Is Nike working to re-establish itself in the world of wearable tech? Link
  • How Nordstrom became the most successful retailer. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

  • Snapchat cracks top 10 largest U.S. venture-capital deals. Link
  • Twitter to launch a YouTube-like video platform. Link
  • Selfie stick rules holiday season as must-have accessory. Link
  • Why brands tweet “bae.” Link
  • Top branded Instagram videos of 2014. Link
  • Net-a-porter promotes skiwear with branded ski lift. Link
  • Apple sued for false advertising of iPhones. Link
  • Lucky Magazine puts three bloggers on its cover. Link
  • Forbes taking native ads to new level with AT&T-sponsored cover. Link
  • Mark Zuckerberg starts a book club. Link
  • McDonald’s lays out new brand vision, reaffirms commitment to “I’m Lovin It.” Link
  • New AOL takes form with ad-tech in charge. Link
  • Three seismic threats to marketers in 2015. Link

Start-ups:

  • Grocery-delivery startup Instacart rings up $230M in funding. Link
  • Qwant wants to be alternative to Google. Link
  • Yummly teams up with Instacart to delivery recipe ingredients in an hour. Link

International:

[APAC]

  • Self-checkout takes hold in Japan. Link
  • Key stories to watch in China’s tech in 2015. Link
  • Tencent launches China’s first private bank. Link
  • Alibaba competitor Wanda eCommerce raises $161M at $3B valuation. Link

[AU]

  • Costco to launch more Australian stores. Link

[EU]

  • German online retailer Zalando sells old items offline. Link

[LATAM]

  • Wal-mart to offer smaller store formats in Mexico. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

  • App download volumes hit record high in November. Link
  • Capital One kicks off Apple Pay promotion. Link
  • Payments tipping point will be in 2015. Link
  • 5 mobile developments that mattered in 2014. Link
  • The year’s 10 biggest shifts, shake-ups and surprises in mobile marketing. Link
  • A day with Apple Pay. Link
  • Withings releases a $150 smartwatch for the masses. Link
  • Mistfit debuts a new “Sqarovski Shine” wearables collection featuring crystal jewelry, solar charging. Link

Other:

  • Nest adds 15 more companies to its “Works With Nest” program, integrating with other Internet of Things. Link
  • Roku announces two new TV partnerships for Roku TV. Link

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