Tag: walmart

Weekly Industry News: 8.21.2017

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Hello!  Here are some industry headlines from the past two weeks.  As always, sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

  • ASOS to open up second US distribution center. Reuters
  • Wal-Mart applies for patent for blimp-style floating warehouse. Bloomberg
  • Amazon adds “instant pick up” in US brick-and-mortar push. Reuters
  • Big spending expected for Back to School. AdAge
  • Jump in US retail sales largely due to ecommerce spending. The Wall Street Journal
  • Wal-Mart sales rise as retailer dodges industry malaise. The Wall Street Journal
  • Gap shares rise as Old Navy boosts results. Reuters
  • Target boosts forecast as back-to-school season aids turnaround. Bloomberg
  • TJ Maxx maps plans for continued brick-and-mortar expansion. Bloomberg
  • Macy’s and Levi’s team up on limited edition denim shop. WWD
  • North Face parent company to buy Dickie’s for $820M. The Wall Street Journal
  • Toys ‘R’ Us will return to Times Square. Bloomberg
  • TopShop creative chief steps down. Fashionista
  • Amazon’s private label business is booming thanks to device sales and expanded fashion lines. TechCrunch
  • Inside the L.A. mall that’s defying the retail apocalypse. Fast Company
  • Canada Goose debuts its first sweater collection. AdWeek

Marketing and Social Media

  • Instagram is testing a way to invite friends to join a live video. AdWeek
  • How Glossier hacked social media to build a cult-like following. Entrepreneur
  • Sephora creates a digital community for loyal customers. WWD
  • Patagonia steps up its public lands activism with first ever TV commercial. Fast Company
  • Amazon Prime will be in more than half of US households by year’s end. CNBC
  • Apple is entering the content streaming war against Netflix. Fast Company
  • Fashion’s hottest brands and top selling products. Business of Fashion
  • Cutting out the middleman has shortened the lifespan of fads. The New York Times
  • Facebook adds eBay’s Daily Deals to its marketplace on mobile. TechCrunch
  • Facebook tests targeting ads to people who visited brands’ brick-and-mortar stores. MarketingLand
  • Macy’s pins hopes on new marketing. AdAge
  • Marketers step up as tech leaders take AR mainstream. AdWeek
  • Baidu and JD.com partner to send search users straight to the checkout. Bloomberg
  • Facebook introduces “Watch” video product for short series. Bloomberg

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Look for Apple to release an AR-ready iPhone soon. Fast Company
  • Amazon partners with ASU to offer Echo Dot to 1,600 engineering students. ZDNet
  • Target buys software startup aimed at same-day delivery. Bloomberg
  • Alexa brings hands-free TV to more devices. TechCrunch
  • Shake Shack’s new chatbot can answer 300 customer questions. Digiday
  • NastyGal founder raises $1.2M for new venture, GirlBoss Media. Forbes

International

Weekly Industry Brief: 6.19.2017

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Happy Monday! Here is a recap of industry news from the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brands and Retailers

  • Amazon to buy Whole Foods for $13.7B. BBC
  • UPS to add delivery surcharge cost for holiday shipments. Wall Street Journal
  • Walmart confirms it is buying Bonobos for $310M. Recode
  • Nike cuts 2% of workforce. Business of Fashion
  • H&M misses sales forecast as fast fashion pressure builds. Business of Fashion
  • Inditex posts 18% rise in first quarter profits. Business of Fashion
  • Zara sees sales growth due to fresh designs, tech. Bloomberg
  • Jet.com will phase out Costco private label products. Bloomberg
  • Estee Lauder’s latest investment is in science-based, internet-beloved beauty brand deciem. Fashionista
  • Amazon launches Prime Reload, offering 2% back on purchases funded through debit cards. Techcrunch
  • Freelance work marketplaces are looking more and more like ecommerce websites. Quartz
  • The fast-fashion trend that’s changing how you buy furniture. Fortune
  • Why the beauty industry is betting big on supplements. Business of Fashion
  • Jessica Alba’s Honest Co. to sell goods on Amazon.com. Fortune
  • Our jeans are ruining the planet but this company wants to fix that. Racked
  • Best Buy wants you to try gadgets before you buy them. Fortune
  • Neiman Marcus ends talk of a possible sale. Wall Street Journal
  • GM laying off about 1,000 works amid downturn in passenger car sales. Wall Street Journal

Marketing and Social Media

  • Conde Nast inks deal with Farfetch.com; ceases Style.com operations. Business of Fashion
  • Time Warner to invest $100M in Snapchat shows, ads. Ad Age
  • Fashion ads, a last bastion of print, are going digital. Wall Street Journal
  • Vice has raised $450 ahead of a potential IPO. Techcrunch
  • Most millennials, especially younger ones, still prefer stores. Retail Dive
  • Facebook Messenger takes another shot at Snapchat – this time with a fine-art twist. Fast Company
  • Your favorite influencers aren’t writing their own content – these women are. Marie Claire
  • Macy’s to revamp loyalty program to keep top shoppers. Wall Street Journal

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Lululemon invests in a cycling apparel startup. Fortune
  • Slack’s possible $9B valuation has Amazon and others calling. Forbes
  • The future of grocery shopping in stores and online. McKinsey
  • Amazon launches a wand with Alexa AI assistant built in. Business Insider
  • Why Stackshare is quietly becoming a secret weapon for developers and Silicon Valley CTOs. Techcrunch
  • Blue Apron will raise $587M in its IPO, valuing itself close to $3B. Techcrunch
  • VCs are valuing Reddit at $1.7B. Fast Company

International

  • Fox in talks to open Urban Outfitters stores in Israel. Globes
  • India to approve Amazon’s retail food plan. Economic Times
  • New own-label brand on the horizon for Next. Retail Gazette
  • Alibaba launches new sales channel in Malaysia and Singapore. Reuters

Weekly Industry Brief: 5.1.2017

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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: 4.24.2017

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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

  • PetsMart is buying Chewy.com for $3.35B in the largest ecommerce acquisition ever. Recode
  • Wal-Mart’s bargain bin ecommerce plan. Bloomberg
  • Pop-up stores shore up rough retail real estate market. Glossy
  • Burberry’s “see now, buy now” strategy is actually working. Fashionista
  • How online is transforming brick-and-mortar retail. New York Times
  • Ikea considering standalone restaurants. Fast Company
  • Primark plans biggest expansion in decades as chain’s sales soar. Bloomberg
  • Alibaba’s Jack Ma predicts decades of social upheaval as internet spreads its disruption. Fortune
  • Wal-Mart buys shoes.com domain for $9M. Retail Dive
  • At luxury stores it isn’t shopping, it’s an experience. Wall Street Journal
  • Macy’s new CEO plans to take on TJ Maxx. CNBC
  • Sears’ march toward bankruptcy: gradually then suddenly. Forbes
  • Bebe closing all stores. Forbes
  • Amazon adding 2,500 new jobs in New Jersey. Inc
  • Amidst backlash, Ivanka Trump clothing is relabeled as Adrienne Vittadini. Business of Fashion
  • Net-a-porter to launch Cartier’s Panthere watch exclusively. WWD

Marketing and Social Media

  • Insider #RevolveFestival, an influencer-filled weekend that dominated the Coachella party scene. Fashionista
  • These natural beauty brands are using big data to give skin care a makeover. Fast Company
  • Google sees another chance to get programmatic TV right. AdAge
  • Mark Zuckerberg outlines Facebook’s AR plans. AdAge
  • Teenage dream: How Urban Outfitters is navigating a rocky retail scene. Refinery 29
  • Victoria’s Secret and Nike rank among top brands for millennials. Bloomberg
  • Amazon launches ‘Subscribe with Amazon,’ a marketplace for digital subscriptions. Techcrunch
  • Meet the Muslim woman who inspired Nike to enter the hijab business. Fast Company
  • Athleta looks to lead market with new sustainability plan. Glossy
  • Madewell is ramping up its denim donation program after a blockbuster Earth Day. Fast Company

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Paypal signs new Android deal to speak up store checkout. Wall Street Journal
  • A robot-delivery startup helped write state laws that are locking out competition. Recode
  • Spotify is working on its own music hardware. The Verge
  • Amazon forms team to focus on driverless technology. Wall Street Journal
  • Facebook is working on a way to let you type with your brain. The Verge
  • Four ecommerce innovations that WalMart doesn’t own yet. Forbes
  • How in-home package delivery could save ecommerce. Fast Company

International

  • Amazon to launch a presence in Australia. Seattle Times
  • As Flipkart slips, Amazon tightens its grip on the Indian market. Quartz
  • Longchamp sets eyes on China. China Daily
  • Fans of China’s teen stars are crowdsourcing big ad buys to prove their devotion. AdAge
  • Here are six products you can expect to start moving to brick-and-mortar in India. Forbes

Weekly Industry Brief: 4.17.2017

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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: 4.10.2017

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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. Cheers!

Brands and Retailers

  • H&M pledges to use 100% sustainable materials by 2030. WWD
  • ‘Same-store sales’ is retail’s increasingly irrelevant metric. Forbes
  • America’s retailers are closing stores faster than ever. Business of Fashion
  • Why Amazon is trying to convince CPG giants to go direct to consumer. Forbes
  • Big returns in hassle-free returns. Forbes
  • LVMH sales rise 15%, beating estimates. Business of Fashion
  • Staples explores sale after failed Office Depot deal. The Wall Street Journal
  • Amid the “retail apocalypse” beauty stores are thriving. Quartz
  • Ralph Lauren to close flagship Fifth Avenue store, cut jobs. Business of Fashion
  • Etsy heralds congressional caucus on micro business. EcommerceBytes
  • A new generation of even faster fashion is leaving H&M and Zara in the dust. Quartz
  • The Jenna Lyons era at J.Crew comes to an end. New York Times
  • H&M tries on multiple personalities to keep growing. Bloomberg
  • SoulCycle sold fans on fitness, now it’s cashing in on clothes. Racked
  • Walmart thinks it has four strategic advantages over Amazon. Business Insider
  • Amazon plans to hire 30,000 part time employees. Fortune
  • Online retailers’ new warehouses heat up local job markets. The Wall Street Journal
  • Stores take flight from Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. New York Times
  • HHGregg to close all stores after failing to find a buyer. IndyStar

Marketing and Social Media

  • Twitter lets brands use location data in direct messages. Venture Beat
  • Amazon will stream Thursday night NFL games this year. Recode
  • Which luxury brands are reaching millennial shoppers? Huffington Post
  • Brands are capitalizing on Coachella before the festival even begins. Fashionista
  • Google brings fake news fact-checking to search results. Bloomberg
  • YouTube will no longer allow creators to make money until they reach 10,000 views. The Verge
  • Here is how much top influencers can make on Instagram and YouTube. Forbes
  • Zappos rolls out traveling experiential marketing event. MediaPost
  • YouTube TV launches live service in major markets. Seeking Alpha
  • Prepare to be inspired by SoulCylce’s first major marketing campaign. AdWeek

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Adidas to mass produce 3D-printed shoe with Silicon Valley start-up. Reuters
  • Canada tries to turn its A.I ideas into dollars. New York Times
  • Apple Pay promised to make plastic obsolete; then came way shoppers and confused clerks. The Wall Street Journal
  • Interactive magic mirrors are changing how we see ourselves – and shop. Fast Company
  • Why regional fashion incubators outside of New York and LA matter. Fashionista

International

  • Tory Burch opens flagship store on Regent Street in London. Retail Gazette
  • India’s Flipkart raises $1.4B in biggest ever funding round. Business of Fashion
  • Why China is leading us to the future of commerce. Forbes
  • What Flipkart stands to gain against Amazon if it merges with Snapdeal. Quartz
  • Can Li & Fung recast itself to catch up with the internet age? South China Morning Post
  • Walmart grocery pickup coming to Canada. Canadian Grocer
  • Amazon takes voice battle with Apple TV outside the US. Bloomberg
  • Zara’s new Madrid store challenges Corte Ingles in retail tussle. Bloomberg
  • India’s malls make changes to stay competitive. Economic Times

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.27.2017

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I know you’re really busy and probably don’t have time to read all of the articles that come across your inbox in a week. Same. So I’ve collected the retail industry headlines from around the web over the last week for easy scanning purposes.  Sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline. Cheers.

Brands and Retailers

  • Google going deeper into retail with shopper extension. WWD
  • Walmart expands its ecommerce ambitions with a new investment arm. New York Times
  • Target CEO says stores are driving digital growth. Retail Dive
  • Target unveils store prototype with two types of shoppers in mind. Associated Press
  • Avon freshens up in a bid to reconquer Middle America. The Wall Street Journal
  • Sears Holdings acknowledges the end may be near. Retail Dive
  • Nike starts to feel the competition. The Wall Street Journal
  • Kiddie activity hubs seen as way to make malls Amazon-proof. Bloomberg
  • Lord & Taylor hopes to lure customers to the store with the largest dress floor in America. Fashionista
  • Bebe plans to shut its stores and focus on web. Bloomberg
  • Urban Outfitters and Hot Topic are among popular retailers for millennials. Fashionista
  • Get a first look at Topshop’s new bridal line. Fashionista
  • Target diversifies the look of its lingerie product. Glossy
  • Macy’s signs exclusive deal with DKNY. WWD
  • Amazon’s ambitions unboxed: stores for furniture, appliances and more. New York Times
  • Why Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein are thriving while other US brands are tanking. Quartz
  • Nike CEO says the retail landscape is unsteady. Fortune
  • Walmart plans to ramp up ecommerce with two major initiatives. Business Insider
  • Amazon has a new weapon in its war on brick-and-mortar retail. Business Insider
  • Coach said to be readying Kate Spade buy. Business of Fashion
  • H&M rethinks fast fashion. Glossy

Marketing and Social Media

  • Luxury brands are beginning to embrace WeChat’s new multimedia moments ads. Jing Daily
  • Instagram opens shoppable organic posts to more businesses in the US. Marketing Land
  • Facebook introduces a new ad format – product-focused ‘collection.’ Techcrunch
  • More big brands suspend Google ads over offensive videos. AdAge

Startup and Emerging Tech

  • Google Glasses didn’t disappear; you can find them on the factory floor. NPR
  • Wells Fargo will let you use Apple Pay and Android Pay to withdraw money. Techcrunch
  • Tesla’s new solar roof tiles will be available to order starting in April. Techcrunch
  • The AI class that Facebookers are sprinting to get in. Wired
  • Apple patent points to a possible iPhone-powered laptop. CNet

International

  • Brooks Brothers reboots China business with new Beijing flagship. WWD
  • John Lewis debuts its own premium denim brand. Creativity Online
  • Ikea working on lowering pricing for India. LiveMint
  • Amazon to buy Middle Eastern online marketplace, Souq.com. Reuters
  • As Amazon floods with Chinese sellers, Western brands move into China’s booming e-Commerce market. Forbes
  • Here’s what happens in the athletic wear industry when China starts going to the gym. Quartz
  • As AirBnB just learned, it’s really hard to localize your brand name for China. AdAge
  • Lazada brings Alibaba’s biggest bazaar to Singaporean shoppers. Bloomberg
  • Walmart steps up Chilean business. WWD
  • Amazon is globalizing its retail empire. L2
  • How Brazil’s H&M defied the recession. Business of Fashion
  • Myntra launches first retail store for online brand ‘Roadster.’ The Economic Times
  • South Korea’s Lotte makes room for online retail brands. The Korea Herald
  • How United Arros became huge in Japan (and ready for global expansion.) GQ

Weekly Industry Brief: 3.6.2017

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Here is your industry brief of news I’ve collected from around the web over the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Gap Inc. plans to trim workforce with 216 layoffs. Link
  • Wal-Mart to take technical aim at Amazon and Target with app update for pharmacy and money-transferring services. Link
  • Canal Street Market offers blueprint for revitalizing retail. Link
  • Target to reduce prices, remodel stores and launch new private label brands. Link
  • In retail’s slump, Saks looks to woo guys with DJs, putt-putt golf. Link
  • Alexander Wang and Adidas set to release second collaboration pack. Link
  • Puma and Under Armour trade places. Link
  • Best Buy CEO declares turnaround phase over, but there are still challenges. Link
  • Amazon wants to send packages to the moon by 2020. Link
  • How one teen retailer is thriving while its competitors flounder. Link
  • Hermes taps into customizing trend with handbags. Link
  • McDonald’s is finally getting mobile ordering and delivery. Link
  • If Yoox-Net-a-Porter group is actually trying to take over the world, it’s working. Link
  • Sarah Jessica Parker launches made-in-the-US handbag collection. Link
  • Abercrombie & Fitch to close another 60 U.S. stores as sales crater. Link
  • Costco to increase membership fee. Link
  • H&M hops on the ‘see now, buy now’ train with diverse runway show. Link
  • La Perla seeks to expand into fashion. Link
  • Amazon’s private label Elements expands for first time in years with invite-only vitamins and supplements. Link

Marketing/Social

  • Who is behind the flurry of influencer-backed beauty brands? Link
  • Facebook adds a travel-planning feature called ‘City Guides.’ Link
  • Virtual reality leads marketers down a tricky path. Link
  • S. consumers now spend 5 hours per day on mobile devices. Link
  • Amazon and Pinterest threaten to shake up the search ad market. Link
  • How Urban Outfitters leveraged location marketing for a 75% conversion gain. Link
  • Comcast is integrating YouTube into its set-top box. Link
  • One of Facebook Messenger’s first retail partners has ditched it as a notification tool. Link
  • Can YouTube TV get you to cut the cord for $35 a month. Link
  • Bloggers are panicking over changes to Amazon’s affiliate system. Link
  • Meet the Muslim women inspiring a modest revolution in the fashion industry. Link
  • NBC Universal invests $500M in Snapchat at IPO. Link

Startup/Emerging Tech

  • Robots will be in stores sooner than you think. Link
  • it’s app helps you buy the products in your screenshots. Link
  • Garmentory wants to bring small boutiques online. Link
  • IBM and Salesforce partner to sell Watson and Einstein. Link
  • Jay Z launches Arrive to fund startups, offer branding support and more. Link
  • Skin-care startup Drunk Elephant gets new round of investing. Link
  • Shopping app targeting Chinese-American consumers pursues discerning spenders in the US. Link

International

  • Starbucks opening high-end roastery in Italy. Link
  • Middle East ecommerce takes flight. Link
  • German discounter Aldi to start online sales in China. Link
  • Eurozone retail sales continue to fall. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.27.2017

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Here is your industry brief of news I’ve collected from around the web over the last week.  Sources can be found in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Jet’s hipster shoppers get a taste of Wal-Mart in-house brands. Link
  • Sources say Sycamore Partners wins bankruptcy auction for The Limited. Link
  • Macy’s plans to stay afloat by making major changes to stores. Link
  • Wall Street worries over Victoria’s Secret weakness. Link
  • Celine to finally offer ecommerce. Link
  • Amazon nabs the top spot for online cosmetic sales. Link
  • Wal-Mart outperforms Amazon as the competition heats up. Link
  • C. Penney is closing up to 140 stores as turnaround stalls. Link
  • TJX is planning a new chain that could deliver another blow to department stores. Link
  • How operators are giving new life to aging malls. Link
  • The one brand rushing into the mall while others flee. Link
  • Airbnb buys Tilt, signaling its growing interest in group travel. Link
  • Reformation boutique brings ecommerce ease to SF shop. Link
  • Is Airbnb on an acquisition spree? Link
  • How Neiman Marcus is turning technology innovation into a ‘core value.’ Link
  • BCBG prepares for bankruptcy. Link
  • Gap CEO insists the company is neither sick nor dying. Link

Marketing/Social

  • After 51 years, Vans is finally explaining what ‘Off the Wall’ means. Link
  • Glossier uses Oscars as launchpad. Link
  • Facebook’s virtual reality ambitions could be threatened by court order. Link
  • Twitter debuts custom profiles for businesses’ agents, so people don’t think they’re talking to bots. Link
  • How the subscription economy will change the price we pay. Link
  • In four years, YouTube has gone from 100M hours of video viewed a day to 1B. Link

Startup/Emerging Tech

  • UPS tests drone delivery. Link
  • JackThreads lays off employees and puts self for sale. Link
  • Wendy’s to install self-ordering machines in 1,000 stores. Link
  • For IBM’s CTO for Watson, not a lot of value in replicating the human mind in a computer. Link
  • AI can make us all dress better. SO why isn’t the fashion industry using it more? Link
  • How Nordstrom’s new incubator will support young designers. Link
  • Consumers don’t want robots to help them shop. Link
  • How a former Vogue assistant created the first fashion search engine. Link
  • Why payment companies are flocking to messaging apps. Link

International

  • Australia’s General Pants Co. to open second US store. Link
  • Flipkart-owned Myntra wins rights to be sole distributor for Mango in India. Link
  • Xiaomi courts US interest while flirting with expansion. Link
  • Inside India’s booming sportswear market. Link
  • Why online retail growth in the UAE is different than the rest of the world. Link

Weekly Industry Brief: 2.20.2017

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Hi! Long time, no post.  Over the last two weeks I’ve been on-the-go with lots of travel which means my “weekly” brief hasn’t quite been weekly!  Here is a recap of the industry news with sources in the hyperlinked text after the headline.

Brand/Retailer

  • Target cuts innovation initiatives including secretive Goldfish start-up. Link
  • Neiman Marcus to trial plus-size departments at Last Call. Link
  • H&M’s new conscious exclusive collection turns plastic into evening gowns. Link
  • Todd Snyder opens a menswear paradise for the modern man. Link
  • Nordstrom drops Ivanka Trump products based on brand’s performance. Link
  • Ralph Lauren CEO is leaving after clash with founder. Link
  • Ralph Lauren hires newly created Chief Marketing Officer role. Link
  • Kate Spade to explore strategic options amid investor pressure. Link
  • Etsy Studio is ready to turn your side hustle into a real business. Link
  • Crew continues to lean on athleisure as it rebuilds its brand. Link
  • BCBG is filing for possible Chapter 11. Link
  • As Tiffany’s comes off a sluggish decade, it turns to “self-purchasing” women to save it. Link
  • Wal-Mart to make buying operations omni-channel. Link
  • Macy’s takeover rumors include HBC, owner of Saks and Lord and Taylor. Link
  • Michael Kors to expand buy online, pick up in store. Link
  • Levi’s is radically redefining sustainability. Link
  • Amazon’s living lab: re-imagining retail on Seattle streets. Link
  • American Eagle is luring teens with fancy drinks. Link
  • How Nike became a fashion powerhouse. Link
  • Nastygal to lay off employees, close stores. Link
  • Reports: Digital, especially mobile, driving trillions in offline retail spending. Link
  • Walmart snaps up another online retailer with focus on outdoor adventure. Link
  • Canada Goose said to have filed for dual-listed IPO. Link
  • Amazon takes aim at the lingerie industry with own line. Link
  • Amazon lowers free shipping threshold for non-Prime members. Link

Marketing/Social

  • Snap starts selling Spectacles online. Link
  • WhatsApp launches Status, an encrypted Snapchat Stories clone. Link
  • Pinterest adds visual search for elements in images through your camera. Link
  • How brands used Snapchat in 2016. Link
  • These five fashionable brands have mastered content that sells. Link
  • Influencers turn out for Rebecca Minkoff’s see-now-buy-now runway show in LA. Link
  • Gap debuts 90s-inspired ads starring the children of its former campaign stars. Link
  • Proenza Schouler chooses digital over print for spring campaign. Link
  • Pinterest rolls out search ads. Link
  • What is the real cost of Instagram’s influence? Link

Startup/Emerging Tech

  • Reformation’s high-tech store re-imagines clothes shopping from the ground up. Link
  • Amazon takes on Microsoft, Cisco in videoconferencing. Link
  • Ford invests $1B in Pittsburgh-based AI company to build self-driving cars by 2021. Link
  • Why Home Depot is one of the most innovative companies of 2017. Link
  • Target adds mini-accelerator for health-related start-ups. Link
  • Amazon just patented a package-packer bot to add to its fleet of 45,000 robots. Link
  • Visa and IBM Watson commit to putting payments inside cars and wearables. Link

International

  • Digital shifts can help India’s retailers boost sales. Link
  • Apple quickly losing market share in China. Link
  • Saks appoints Aditya Birla to open first Indian outlet. Link
  • Retailers object to EU plan for stricter online security. Link
  • Alibaba teams up with traditional retailer. Link
  • Alibaba expands presence in Australia and New Zealand. Link