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:
Retailer + Brand News:
- Free delivery creates holiday boon for U.S. consumers at high cost. Link
- Coach to acquire Stuart Weitzman in $574M deal. Link
- U.S. Postal Services says package deliveries rose 18% in December. Link
- C.Wonder shutters operations. Link
- First look at the new furniture Ikea is bringing to the U.S. Link
- J.C. Penney closing 39 stores in April. Link
- Target’s next partnership: Lilly Pulitzer. Link
- Forever 21 embarking on biggest expansion to date; will open 50 new stores in next three years. Link
- Google wants to sell you auto insurance. Link
- Holiday web sales grow almost 14%. Link
- Payments business will bypass banks. Link
- Fab.com founder to start Bezar.com, an online pop-up marketplace for modern design. Link
- Modcloth co-founder exists; Urban Outfitters’ Matt Kaness joins as CEO. Link
- H&M links with Coachella for festival fare. Link
- Macy’s revamps to reflect shifting shopper. Link
- Zara to open more than a dozen new stores in U.S. this year. Link
- J.C. Penny and Macy’s to shut stores and lay off employees. Link
- Apple touts U.S. job creation, says app stores sales rose 50%. Link
- Macy’s mulls taking on T.J. Maxx, Nordstrom Rack in “off-price” wars. Link
- Kate Spade, Michael Kors shares decline as discount concerns spread. Link
- Wet Seal closing two-thirds of its stores. Link
Social Media + Marketing:
- Twitter planning to sell ads on apps and other sites. Link
- Zuckerberg’s endorsement sends book flying up the charts. Link
- Rival social networks gain users but Facebook captures more attention. Link
- Americans use more online social networks. Link
- After conquering Asia, the Selfie Stick does Las Vegas. Link
- Office Depot and Office Max unveil first combined brand push. Link
- McDonald’s launches next step in brand refresh with ‘Signs’ campaign with a Tumblr component. Link
- CES gadgets and gizmos offer marketers a new bag of tricks. Link
- Nike and AKQA turn people’s running data into 100,000 unique videos. Link
Start-ups:
- Jet is the new trendy ecommerce site. Link
- Cuff raises $5M and partners with Richline to bring smart jewelry to the mainstream. Link
- This company lets you try on fitness trackers, Warby Parker style. Link
International:
[APAC]
- Abercrombie & Fitch launches 10 new ecommerce sites in Asia. Link
- Uber tests cargo delivery service in Hong Kong. Link
- Uniqlo global sales soar. Link
[EU]
- Click and Collect overtakes home delivery at John Lewis. Link
- Five ways technology could shape UK retail in 2015. Link
- U.K. Black Friday online sales surge 135%. Link
Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:
- Taco Bell to give away 1M Doritos Tacos with mobile orders in January. Link
- Macy’s is 2014 Mobile Retailer of the year. Link
- Yahoo Mail iOS app now lets you track packages, customize Today view. Link
- Context-focused WiFi Alliance competitor to iBeacons due to arrive in devices this year. Link
- App usage grew 76% in 2014, with shopping apps leading the way. Link
- Target reaps rewards of mobile push as holiday traffic hits 60%. Link
- Wearables may be headed mainstream but many still aren’t ready for primetime. Link
- Apple’s cut from app sales reached $4.5B in 2014. Link
- Spotify makes shift to mobile with 52% of listening now on phones and tablets. Link
- Target hits mobile milestone. Link
- Google’s real-time voice translation service for mobile devices is on the way. Link
Other:
Fashion. Retail. Tech. News. 