Ebay Sues Amazon and Tommy Hilfiger Touches Hearts

EBAY SUES AMAZON

Ebay sued e-commerce rival Amazon this week, alleging that they compromised Ebay's internal messaging system to poach successful sellers.

According to the lawsuit, dozens of international Amazon sales representatives used Ebay’s internal user messaging system to approach high-value sellers. The representatives violated Ebay's terms of service by soliciting Ebay members to persuade them to sell through Amazon.

The lawsuit filing described Amazon’s tactics as “part of a larger pattern of aggressive, unscrupulous conduct." Ebay requests monetary damages, as well as a court order, to prevent Amazon's soliciting.

MACY'S EXPANDS VIRTUAL SHOPPING

Macy's is expanding its virtual reality furniture shopping to more than 70 stores in January of 2019. The department store retailer claims the offering is the largest in-store VR rollout in retail history. Shoppers can design a living space with 3D furniture images, and use VR headsets to move through the space virtually to see if they like it before making a purchase.
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WeWORK THE RUNWAY

WeWork's retail ambitions are getting creative. Rent the Runway will open a network of clothing drop-off boxes in 15 WeWork locations in the US. The boxes will be accessible to both the general public and those who work in the offices. Future expansion may include access to full inventory within WeWork locations. Time will tell as the partnership evolves!
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TOMMY HILFIGER ADAPTS

Tommy Hilfiger pulls heartstrings and (those tears), with its latest campaign, titled “Independence,” featuring a cast of individuals with varying abilities.

The Adaptive clothing line launched in 2017 to aid those dealing with mobility issues, limited dexterity, missing limbs, and other disabilities that make it difficult for them to dress themselves.

Directed by James Rath, who was born legally blind as a result of ocular albinism and nystagmus, the campaign includes Dmitry Kim, a hip-hop dancer and leg amputee, Mia Armstrong, a six-year old superstar with Down’s syndrome, and more amazing individuals with phenomenal talent.

H&M GOES AI

H&M, through its venture capital arm H&M CO:LAB, has invested $13 million in Thread, an e-commerce startup using artificial intelligence (AI) and human stylists to make recommendations to its customers for the perfect style. The company has over 1 million users, with 25% of them purchasing all their clothes from Thread.
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THIS WEEK'S BRIGHT SPOT

Guess who's back? (No, we're not talking about the cold weather). Claire's! Just in time for the holidays, the accessories brand announced its exit from Chapter 11, eliminating $1.9 billion of debt and gaining access to $575 million in new capital. While there's talk that its UK stores ought to shutter, could this be a comeback for the US?
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