1. Why fashion makes us happy: The proven mental health benefits of a joy-bringing wardrobe. “Many years of research has proven the effects of light and dark on our well-being. Our reaction to seeing inspiring, bright, harmonious things is mood-lifting, which in turn has a physical effect.” – Read More on the Telegraph

2. The Retail Industry Is Struggling to Understand What it Might Need Most … Tech: Savvy and subtle innovation — not robots, drones and flashy screens — are what’s needed most. – Read More on Bloomberg

3. In an attempt to win over direct-to-consumers brands, Amazon has offered them special deals to get them to sell. Those deals include financial investments ranging from $500,000 to $1 million if the brand would commit to selling on the platform, $1 million worth of free advertising on Amazon, and free inventory management through Fulfilled By Amazon. – Read More on Digiday

4. The color gold can change the way you spend money: Many studies have documented how colors influence consumer behavior. Customers who shop in a store that’s decorated with blue, cool colors are more likely to linger longer, buy something, and spend more than shoppers who frequent a store with red, warm-colored decor. – Read More on Fast Co.

5. RETRO READS on COLOR: The Business of Being Pantone, the Company that is Turning Color Into (Big) Money. Legally speaking, How Difficult is it to Claim a Color as Your Own?(Showing that consumers link a specific color exclusively to a single source is no small feat and one that requires not only a broad footprint in the marketplace, but a truly sizable marketing budget). In furtherance of a long-running battle to monopolize the color red for use on shoe soles, Uncertainty Shrouds Louboutin's $800 Million-Plus Red Soles in India. And finally, As Companies Rely on More Branding Elements, the Question Becomes: What is in a Color?