Coexist with Amazon, Padma Lakshmi Polymath, DTC Profitability Struggle, Uber Acquires Postmates, Kapernick Disney Partnership, Dulling of Luxury, Mr. Beast X MSCHF Collab
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Your business can’t beat Amazon—but there’s still a way to coexist
A serial entrepreneur explains how she learned to live with Amazon by throwing out the old playbook.
So let me repeat something I just said: The most important piece of advice I can offer fledgling entrepreneurs about this topic is so straightforward that it seems obvious, but that hasn’t stopped a remarkable number of people—including me—from failing to do so: Do Not Underestimate Amazon.
The fact that jobs like social media coordinator and SEO specialist didn’t exist 10 years ago is one of the reasons I wrote a new book, Frictionless , with my coauthor Duff McDonald.
Padma Lakshmi, Model, Actor And TV Host, Says Above All, She's A Writer
The Top Chef host started out as a model/actress, never intending to have a career in food. But she loved to cook and to write down recipes. Her new show, Taste the Nation, explores immigrant cooking.
Growing up in Queens in the 1970s, Padma Lakshmi remembers eating a spaghetti dish her mother made with upma, an Indian porridge. Now, as the host and creator of Hulu series Taste the Nation , Lakshmi travels around the U.S. to learn how foods from different cultures contribute to American cuisine.
DTC brands struggled with profitability prior to COVID-19. Now what?
While the pandemic provided some relief to high customer acquisition costs in the near term, it doesn't necessarily equal long-term profit.
As a result, brands are forced into spending a significant amount on advertising and marketing, and implementing other sales tactics, in order to try to one-up their competition and win those new customers, according to Chris Ventry, vice president in the Consumer and Retail practice of SSA & Company.
Its pharmacy business has allowed Chewy to better position itself against other competitors in the space, like Amazon's Wag private label, and drew in "increased demand from customers who no longer had direct access to their vet's office during the lockdown," CEO Sumit Singh said on an earnings call with analysts.
Uber agrees to buy food-delivery service Postmates for $2.65 billion in stock
Uber previously was in the running to buy rival food-delivery service GrubHub, but talks broke down.
Postmates has had success in specific urban areas Los Angeles and Miami but has struggled to compete nationally against DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber Eats.
Postmates had reportedly filed confidentially for an IPO in February 2019, but delayed its offering later that year amid deteriorating market conditions and tough competition, according to Recode.
Kaepernick, Disney announce partnership deal
Colin Kaepernick will be featured in an exclusive docuseries produced by ESPN Films as part of a first-look deal with The Walt Disney Co. The deal between Kaepernick's production arm, Ra Vision Media, and Disney was announced Monday.
"I am excited to announce this historic partnership with Disney across all of its platforms to elevate Black and Brown directors, creators, storytellers, and producers, and to inspire the youth with compelling and authentic perspectives," Kaepernick said in a statement.
"Colin's experience gives him a unique perspective on the intersection of sports, culture and race, which will undoubtedly create compelling stories that will educate, enlighten and entertain, and we look forward to working with him on this important collaboration."
Pandemic Continues To Dull Allure Of Luxury Goods
The pandemic is likely to hit demand for luxury goods hard, with tourism expected to be in a downturn for some time and the Chinese economy having slowed after driving substantial growth in recent years.
“COVID-19 has forced luxury brands to postpone their fashion shows and cancel promotions events, and has disrupted supply chains,” GlobalData Retail Analyst Suresh Sunkara said.
MrBeast ends Finger on the App competition by telling players to stop after 70 hours
MrBeast’s one-time Finger on the App game ends with $80,000 to top four players
After watching contestants keep their fingers attached to a phone screen for more than 70 hours, YouTube creator Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson called an early end to a massive competition originally designed with one winner and a $25,000 prize in mind.
Over the last day, Donaldson started offering some of the remaining players thousands of dollars to take their finger off the app.
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Trendslates is a free daily email covering trends in commerce, media, and marketing.
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