Today’s Tipsheet: Costco Cage-Free Commit | W.Foods Fined $500K | Amazon’s 3rd Skyscraper | Top 10 Hangover Dishes
Meet Wish, the $3 Billion App That Could Be the Next Walmart by Jason Del Rey at Recode. “The company has taken the direct-to-consumer fad to the extreme, connecting buyers directly to Chinese manufacturers who ship to customer’s doors from factories, cutting out middlemen and markups along the way. That helps explain the dirt cheap prices, from $7 sweatpants to $15 smartwatches, but also the long delivery times of two to three weeks.” Read more
Whole Foods Will Pay $500,000 to End New York Pricing Investigation by Craig Giammona at Bloomberg. “The company said that there was no evidence of “systematic or intentional misconduct” but agreed to pay the fine to “put this issue behind us,” according to a statement on its website.” Read more
Returns spawning a huge industry of middlemen dedicated to figuring out what to do with all those goods by Shan Li at LA Times via Star Tribune. “For the average retailer, returns cost 4.4 percent in revenue lost to items that can’t be resold or must be discounted, research firm IHL Group said in a report.” Read more
Credit card chips mean longer lines for shoppers by Tim Donnelly at NY Post. “It’s so annoying it’s not even funny,” says a cashier at the Trader Joe’s in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. She was walking a customer through several attempts to get the reader to accept her card while the line stretched to a full lap of the store.” Read more
HUNGOVER AND HUNGRY – Diners ordered these dishes at much higher rates on New Year’s Day by Katie Little at CNBC. “On Jan. 1, people were 3,252 percent more likely to order a deep-dish pizza than usual. Hash browns were the next-biggest gainer on New Year’s Day, jumping 290 percent.” See the top 10 list / Read more
** Trade Show Spotlight – Retail Buyers Love ASD Market Week!
“I go to five different markets – if I had to give up a market this is the last one I’d give up” Retail chain owner
“It’s a very profitable show for us.” Buyer, Hallmark
See retail buyer testimonials. On February 28 – March 2, 2016, discover hot new products and stylish finds from over 2,600 vendors in categories including: fashion & accessories, beauty & fragrance, gift & home, toys & novelties and many more. Learn more about ASD / See category list | Register Now
Amazon will start building third Seattle skyscraper next fall by Marc Stiles at Puget Sound Business Journal. “It will have a 38-story building and an eight-story building, and together will total just over 1.1 million square feet of office space.” Read more / see the pics
After months of pressure, Costco commits to a cage-free egg supply by Deena Shanker via Quartz. “We are working with our suppliers toward a complete and sustainable transition to a cage‐free supply chain.” The superstore chain says that it has already made major strides: In 2006, only 2% of the eggs it sold were cage-free, now 26% are.” Read more | Read the release
…Nestlé Plans to Switch to Cage-Free Eggs by 2020 by Michael Desjardin “The announcement means that in as little as five years, Nestlé will need to completely change the way it sources eggs—about 20 million pounds worth per year. That’s a a tall order.” Read more
Target’s 2016/2017 Store Opening List at A Bullseye View. See the list & store pics
FedEx cites ‘unprecedented surge’ in online sales in latest sign of blockbuster holiday for e-commerce by Todd Bishop at GeekWire. “FedEx said that package volume “far exceeded all previous records.” Read more
Samsung Pay Will Launch Online Payments In the U.S. by Catherine Shu at TechCrunch. “In an interview with Reuters, Samsung global co-general manager Thomas Ko said Samsung Pay will roll out to more smartphone models next year…” Read more
Apple Devices, “Phablets” Dominate Holiday Sales by Sarah Perez at TechCrunch. “And while Apple won the top spot again, with a 49.1 percent share, it’s actually down 2.2 points from last year, when it had 51.3 percent market share. And its new iPad Pro hasn’t yet had much impact on its market share, Flurry also found.” Read more
Tipsheet Extra Stories
Huffington Post: Dear Target: All I Wanted for Christmas Was a Black Doll
Michigan kicker Kenny Allen took his $315 spending spree at Best Buy and turned it into a generous gesture
LA Times: A rare peek inside Michael Jackson’s former Neverland ranch (video)
The Economist: How countries spend their money (chart)
Former CEO of Bergdorf Goodman Sheds Light on Holiday Retailing Failures, Successes