Ecommerce & Digital News Weekly - 8th August 2022

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News

Another week, another Ecommerce & Digital Weekly newsletter - so what's been happening in the past 7 days or so?

'The Bank of England has prophesied doom for the economy and rates are at a historic high.'

Meanwhile petrol prices are now consistently dropping, consumer confidence is slowly returning and there are many companies recording very healthy growth - Mondelez up 9.5%, Kering up 34%, Moncler up 48%, Next up (as reported below).

And it is not just a 'back to bricks and mortar' effect - Unilever now sells 14% of its portfolio of brands online!

... plus rates are actually still at a historic low; I am reading a book on it - a very effective cure for insomnia.

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new."

(Socrates)

SOCIAL MEDIA & PLATFORM NEWS - Meta, Instagram, Twitter

Digital Image for newsletter

Meta launches new conversational AI which learns from human interactions.
(Social Media Today)

Instagram takes inspiration from BeReal with new test features.
(Social Media Today)

Twitter Makes ‘Location Spotlight’ available to all businesses.
(Social Media Today)

Instagram expands NFT display options to more than 100 regions.
(Social Media Today)

Meta tests a new livestreaming platform for influencers.
(Insider)

Meta launches new ‘Advertiser Success Center’.
(Social Media Today)

Facebook shuts down its live commerce push.
(Social Media Today)

Website building and e-commerce platform Squarespace has launched its latest ad.
(The Drum)

METAVERSE NEWS - Netflix, Roblox, Tinder...

met averse VR

Netflix builds ‘Gray Man’ metaverse.
(TheCoinRepublic)

Patrón concocts cocktail-themed virtual quests in bigger bet on metaverse.
(Marketing Dive)

Roblox hosts cartoon reruns as metaverse content strategies evolve.
(Marketing Dive)

Athletes and celebs pay $2.9m for islands in metaverse
(SportTechie)

Metaverse market to generate $50b with finance sector adoption by 2026.
(Coin Geek)

Tinder scales back its plans for dating in the metaverse.
(End Gadget)

Socios.com will invest $100m in FC Barcelona metaverse push.
(BitCoin)

UK ECOMMERCE NEWS - Nature Valley, Next, The Very Group...

UK Ecommerce Newsletter

Nature Valley brings rewards to TikTok for sustainable back-to-school push.
(Marketing Dive)

Next raises annual profit forecast to £860m after sales boost.
(The Guardian)

The Very Group partners continues retail technology transformation.
(Charged Retail)

The Co-op extends Deliveroo tie-up for three years.
(Retail Gazette)

Cazoo 'laser-focused on profitability' as shares surge nearly 200%.
(PYMNTS)

Student Beans launches new tech to connect brands with 5 million customers.
(365 Retail)

Pets At Home first-quarter revenue rises on sustained demand.
(Reuters)

INTERNATIONAL ECOMMERCE NEWS - Shopify, Apple, Woolworths...

International ecommerce newsletter

Klaviyo and Shopify announce strategic partnership.
(Business Wire)

Apple is building a demand-side platform.
(Digiday)

Zalando stock jumps as online retailer sees stronger growth.
(Bloomberg)

Rent-A-Center adds tools for localized online-to-offline marketing.
(Retail Dive)

Alibaba beats expectations for revenue despite flat growth.
(ESM)

Woolworths launches online shopping platform for businesses.
(Retail Insight Network)

Benelux’s leading marketplace Bol.com now has 50.000 partner sellers.
(Ecommerce News)

The Fresh Market sees shoppable video, livestreaming zing.
(Marketing Dive)

IN THE MARKETS - Whatnot, Amazon, Cera...

In the markets newsletter

Amazon to acquire iRobot for $1.7b.
(Retail Dive)

Whatnot raises $150m to drive growth in live-streaming collectibles beyond Pokemon.
(dot.LA)

Cera raises £263m for digital care platform.
(UKTN)

Ulta Beauty launches venture fund.
(The Business of Fashion)

Tencent seeks bigger stake in 'Assassin's Creed' maker Ubisoft.
(Reuters)

Estée Lauder in talks to acquire Tom Ford for $3b.
(The Business of Fashion)

London-based KatKin picks up €21.6m.
(EU Startups)