BRAND: For example, Uber gleefully battles local governments in other countries, famously campaigning against New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s efforts to cap the service in 2015. But it has steered clear of local politics in China, a red line for the Chinese government. Uber also decided to go local very early on. Duncan Clark, chairman of BDA, the technology consulting company in Beijing, credits Uber with shrewdly bringing in a number of local partners as investors in Uber China, which was registered as a Chinese company and hired Chinese leadership.
ECOMMERCE: Acquiring RJMetrics is the first of many moves Magento, which became an independent company in November, aims to make to bolster the technology it offers retailers, Lavelle says. “The blending of our platforms will open up a world of possibilities for our customers to define the future of commerce analytics,” says Robert Moore, RJMetrics’ CEO. 294 retailers in the Top 1000 use Magento’s e-commerce platform and two use RJMetrics, according to Internet Retailer’s Top500Guide.com.
BRAND: Offering online ordering is a sign of the times for Trek, Gnewuch says. “We are giving consumers options to shop the way they want to shop,” but the company’s focus is still on selling through its retailers in the U.S. Trek declined to disclose online sales figures but says e-commerce is a small portion of its business. Direct-to-consumer sales of high-end bikes is more common in European countries and accepted by both buyers and retailers, says Eric Bjorling, Trek’s brand communications director. U.S. retailers are more sensitive to competition from manufacturers, however.
ECOMMERCE: The Ovis report sees an "increasingly fragmented physical footprint," with branded products moving to the internet. "Demand for large-footprint physical retail space will continue to fall," says the report. "Physical retail will still exist, but it will need a good reason to exist." according to Dunkin’ Brands quoted in the Ovis report. The report portends that most new retail businesses will start online and later add some physical retail for showcasing products. They note that this is already the case in furniture.
ECOMMERCE: Successful eCommerce is about more than just delivery, however. It’s about the shopping experience itself and the ease with which we can find and buy items. The better the experience, the more people will buy. A glance at the U.S. numbers would seem to suggest that things are going exceedingly well. According to eMarketer, online shoppers dropped a whopping $340 billion in 2015. It sounds impressive until you turn the page and see the total for all U.S. retail sales was $4.785 trillion.
MEDIA: Yext, whose software helps businesses manage digital location data, has been working with Snapchat to make that process easier. The New York-based startup on Thursday is unveiling a new feature that lets clients give Snapchat all that information with a few taps. "Some people are saying Snapchat is the new TV -- that's how much time people are spending in it," said Yext Chief Executive Officer Howard Lerman
DATA: According to McKinsey research, at the end of 2015, 146 private Tech companies were valued at ‘unicorn’ status–(a private valuation of $1 billion or more). Clearly, the private market for Tech companies is skyrocketing; in fact, Tech investors laid down $76 billion in investments in 2015 vs. $26 billion in 2013. There are many reasons as to why the private market is growing, valuing more and more companies upwards of $1 billion through late-stage investment rounds (justifiably or not).
BRAND: As the automotive and digital realms continue to merge, one of the titans of the traditional car world, Mercedes-Benz, is becoming more like Tesla, one of the new tech titans of mobility. One of them is promising, while the other has challenged the Mercedes-Benz brand. This week, Mercedes-Benz pulled an ad for the redesigned E-Class Sedan after a coalition of auto-safety organizations called on the US government to investigate a new ad. Their complaint claimed the spot misleads consumers by overstating the capabilities of automated-driving systems available on the sedan.
BRAND: Not only will Michigan be wearing the logo of a basketball player on a football uniform this season. But the Wolverines will also be wearing "Jumpman" branded football cleats. In accordance with Michigan's $173.8 million Nike contract, all visible football apparel worn by players must be Jordan Brand attire. And, yes, that means cleats, too. On Monday -- with Michigan's contract official -- a few players began showing off their new footwear.
BRAND: In his new role, Palladini will be in charge of Vans’ global strategy and lead its regional teams in developing local strategies to continue driving worldwide growth, according to the brand. He will also oversee global marketing and product, and is responsible for sales in the Americas. “Vans immediately became a part of my life when I moved to California at age 6 and bought my first skateboard. … Now, in my 13th year as a Vans employee, to be in a position to lead this brand is a tremendous honor,” Paladin said.
RETAIL: We define the in-store tech category as startups bringing traditional digital features to the in-store retail experience. These include connected sensors that track store foot traffic, digital and AR/VR-powered in-store advertising, beacons for proximity marketing, in-store point-of-sale software, and more. While some of these startups, such as real-time analytics dashboards, do pull in data from e-commerce channels, all the companies on our list have significant in-store use cases.
LOGISTICS: Over the past few years, a diverse group of startups have cropped up within the shipping and logistics industry, applying technology and new on-demand economy concepts to lower costs, increase flexibility, and streamline operations. Many of these new entrants are pinpointing services traditionally delivered by industry giants such as FedEx and UPS. On-demand names such as Uber and Postmates are widely known and have attracted impressive amounts of funding.