Blockchain in use at Shanghai Fashion Week
Blockchain in use at Shanghai Fashion Week

Despite the holiday countdown being truly underway, the past week’s top stories are less about the festivities and more to do with a look forward – whether it’s the launch of more tech-enabled stores or significant developments with the likes of drones and blockchain.

Also worth checking out is a view on fashion immediacy from Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger, some further uptake of chatbots and an overview on this year’s major fashion and beauty mergers.

TOP STORIES
  • Blockchain is being adopted beyond Bitcoin, from fashion to finance [JWT Intelligence]
  • Report: Few retailers are omnichannel ‘leaders’ [Retail Dive]
  • Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger: Lessons in fashion immediacy [BoF]
  • Why retailers stop selling online: the hidden cost of e-commerce [The Guardian]
  • Move over Singles’ Day: Alipay’s ’12.12’ event breaks records [Jing Daily]
  • Luxury and charity are like oil and water – they don’t mix well [LeanLuxe]
BUSINESS
  • Harvey Nichols profits tumble on aggressive revamp [The Telegraph]
  • Young, quick and very hip: Missguided and Pretty Little Thing hit the big time [The Guardian]
  • The year in major fashion and beauty mergers [Glossy]
SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Dove flips #MannequinChallenge in extension of Real Beauty campaign [The Drum]
  • How Stuart Weitzman is using WeChat to expand its Asian footprint [Glossy]
  • New Nordstrom mobile chatbot is ready to help shoppers find the perfect holiday gift [GeekWire]
RETAIL
  • How sporting giants Nike and Adidas are pushing the future of retail [Fortune]
  • L’Occitane ups technology in New York City flagship [Chain Store Age]
  • Victoria’s Secret invaded China’s digital space but is moving cautiously on retail [AdAge]
TECHNOLOGY
  • In major step for drone delivery, Amazon flies package to customer in England [NY Times]
  • Why AR will be bigger than VR [Venture Beat]
  • Bot until you drop: How artificial intelligence is changing the way we do our Christmas shopping [The Independent]
  • Fashion’s future, printed to order [NY Times]
  • Under Armour expands connected footwear line-up [Retail Dive]
START-UPS
  • The inside story behind Pebble’s demise [Backchannel]
  • How True & Co. modernised the bra shopping experience [Racked]