Brand Fountain of Youth, AirBNB Cashflow, Robot Bartenders, AMZN Top Brand Badge, Fortnite vs. Football, Used Clothing Opportunities
Covering commerce daily from Amazon to Zulily.
Brands Seek Fountain of Youth, Court Gen Z for Future - WWD
Retailers and brands continue to market to younger and younger audiences, even though older people have more money.
By Kellie Ell on August 16, 2019 The cult of youth is alive and well in fashion. Retailers and brands might be advocating for diversity at every turn, welcoming different age groups as well as ethnicities and sexual orientations — and Baby Boomers still have the most buying power across the generational divide — but that hasn’t stopped businesses from zeroing in on their youngest shoppers, many of whom are still just kids.
Airbnb’s First-Quarter Financials Show Strong Growth Rate, Cash Reserves - WSJ
The San Francisco-based travel company had about $3.5 billion in cash on its balance sheet as of March 31, according to multiple people familiar with Airbnb’s finances. Technology businesses often drown in marketing costs, but Airbnb has been able to grow while keeping these expenditures in line.
Home-sharing company Airbnb Inc.’s most-recent financial data shows its strong cash position and a first-quarter growth rate above 30%, both key metrics that will draw investors as the startup positions itself to go public next year.
The San Francisco-based travel company had about $3.5 billion in cash on its balance sheet as of March 31, according to multiple people familiar with Airbnb’s finances.
Makr Shakr Robotic Bartender Offers Stirring Glimpse of the Future of Automation - Design Milk
The View by Makr Shakr is a robotic bar installed overlooking the Duomo in Milan, capable of making 80 drinks per hour using 150 bottles at its disposal.
Founded by MIT professor, Carlo Ratti, the Makr Shakr robotic system comes outfitted with an expansive white Corian counter for guests to saddle up onto, presenting a large data-viz screen wall for orders.
The View by Makr Shakr supposedly takes inspiration from the gestures of Italian dancer and choreographer Marco Pelle from the New York Theatre Ballet, utilizing two mechanical arms programmed to shake, stir, and muddle with smooth co-ordinated, dance-like movements of their human counterparts.
Amazon's New "Top Brand" Badge = Marketplace Pulse
Amazon is testing a new "Top Brand" badge for products from established brands. If and how this badge gets rolled out could have a substantial impact on how shoppers decide which products to buy as well as how established brands defend against price-aggressive private label products.
Were proven products from Apple, Samsung, and Mpow to have the Top Brand badge it would reduce the chaos.
There are many things this new feature could become, although it does come with similar challenges the Amazon’s Choice badge has, namely the lack of clarity regarding the selection process and the consumer impact when questionable products get awarded one.
I Tried Daily Harvest's New Snack Bites That Taste Like Cookie Dough—Here's What I Really Thought
They’re here to save you from hangry meltdowns.
They get their sweetness from dates, real vanilla beans, and crunchy cacao nibs, plus a pumpkin-chickpeas base lends the creamiest texture.
The contrast of creamy avocado base and crunchy hazelnuts were great, and it includes soothing reishi mushrooms and cacao.
Austin startup Eterneva — which turns cremated ashes into diamonds — raises $1.2M
Eterneva, the Austin-based startup that turns cremated ashes of pets and loved ones into diamonds, announced Monday that it has raised $1.2 million in
Eterneva, the Austin-based startup that turns cremated ashes of pets and loved ones into diamonds, announced Monday that it has raised $1.2 million in seed funding.
"I lost both of my parents years ago and know firsthand how limited the options were to celebrate their life," Hurt, who also founded Bazaarvoice and Coremetrics, said in a written statement.
Fortnite vs. Football: How Esports Needs to Change to Satisfy Spectators - One Zero
Esports could soon outpace traditional sports, but here’s what needs to change before that can happen
Rather than going to the right school or college, these players can find teammates and viewers online while accumulating fame and fortune without many of the traditional impediments like physical prowess or geographic location.
For developers reading this, yes, there are currently some player density and rendering issues on the server side that would make some of these additions difficult, but these challenges could be engineered for new revisions or new games.
These are the shady tricks shopping sites use to get your money and info - Quartz
Shopping websites have ways of getting you to do what they want.
Shopping websites have ways of getting you to do what they want, and the sneakiest design and interface tricks they use are known as “dark patterns.” According to an extensive analysis from Princeton University and the University of Chicago, dark patterns appear on more than 11% of roughly 11,000 shopping sites studied.
But for now dark patterns are perfectly legal, even though they can fool users into giving up personal data, leverage compulsive behaviors in adults and children, and even lead to financial loss.
On Second Thought, Traditional Retailers Make Room for Used Clothes - WSJ
Venerable names like Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Stage Stores embrace thrifting in push to jump-start sales and lure younger, environmentally conscious shoppers
Macy’s Inc. and J.C. Penney Co. this past week unveiled partnerships with resale marketplace thredUp Inc. to sell used clothes and accessories in some of their stores.
Outdoor brand Patagonia plans to open a temporary store in Boulder, Colo., this fall dedicated to selling pre-owned goods, its first such location.
‘Maisel Day’ did not go as planned
Amazon’s latest marketing campaign for the Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has not gone as planned, with the Santa Monica Police briefly shutting down a 30-cents-per-gallon promotion for gas due to traffic delays caused by eager customers, according to ABC 7 reporter John Gregory .
Unfortunately, it seems that the allure of filling up a tank at 30 cents a gallon was just too much for the motorists of Santa Monica — police have issued traffic warnings recommending locals avoid the area, and apparently shut down the promotion at one point due to the disruption it caused, although its since resumed.
Amazon adding a second California storefront for Prime Now alcohol delivery - WSJ
Amazon.com Inc. is adding a second California location in San Francisco for Prime Now delivery of alcoholic beverages. The e-commerce giant has gotten a...
Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, +0.93% is adding a second California location in San Francisco for Prime Now delivery of alcoholic beverages.
Amazon began delivering alcohol through the Prime Now service in select cities in 2015.
How Apple's brand took the company to a trillion dollar market cap
To walk into an Apple store is to understand what this feels like — the curved (stained) glass windows, the savvy, casually dressed employees (priests and priestesses), the tables on which working examples of coveted devices sit, waiting to be engaged with (shrines, altars).
Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/GettyHundreds of years ago, churches were said to contain relics — oftentimes, bits of clothing said to have been worn by especially holy figures, such as Saint John the Baptist, or Jesus Christ himself.
How DTC brands like Outdoor Voices and Naadam build on hero products to fuel growth – Glossy
On Thursday, Outdoor Voices relaunched its cult-favorite $100 exercise dress in three new colors in the brand's largest marketing campaign to date. The dress, which first launched in May 2018 -- and sold out within a week -- wasn't originally designed to be a hero product for the brand, but it drove unprecedented customer demand. Customer feedback via social media and community events led to slight changes in the product, like a transition from an attached underwear brief to shorts, complete with a phone pocket, launched fall 2018. That style also sold out within a few weeks.
Customer feedback via social media and community events led to slight changes in the product, like a transition from an attached underwear brief to shorts, complete with a phone pocket, launched fall 2018.
It’s also tapping into a larger trend where men and women are purchasing activewear for casual uses, not necessarily for working out, said Alexis DeSalva, senior research analyst of retail and e-commerce at Mintel.
Outdoor Voices Re-Launches Its Top Product With An Experience-Based Activation Event
Today, Outdoor Voices re-introduced its best-selling Exercise Dress with a special activation event: A free 1,500-person dance class in New York’s Lincoln Center, hosted by the brand’s founder.
Ty Haney: We activate locally and amplify digitally, meaning our real life connection with our community is just as important as the way we show up online.
We host events on a weekly basis in each of our markets for our community, and for major brand initiatives like this one we create experiences for upwards of 700 people.