Daily LInks
1. Walmart’s sales jumped 6 percent in the first quarter, driven by e-commerce: The question now is whether Walmart can continue its pace of growth as shopping habits start to normalize. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said although the second half of the year “has more uncertainty than a typical year, we anticipate continued pent-up demand throughout 2021.” – Read More on the New York Times
2. Teeth Whiteners and Travel Bags Are the New Reopening Trade: With pandemic restrictions easing and life starting to return to normal, people just want to get out and shop the way they used to. If hot tubs, home cinemas and Peloton bikes were some of the best-sellers during lockdowns, a raft of more outward-facing consumer categories is starting to take their place. – Read More on Bloomberg
3. Shein overtakes Amazon as the most installed shopping app in US: The fashion retailer’s ascent is quiet because the startup, despite reportedly exceeding a $15 billion valuation, maintains an unusually low profile and doesn’t try to make itself known to the media. – Read More on TechCrunch
4. This start-up is making digital passports… for clothes: As well as reselling products, the digital ID makes it easier to repair them with the correct materials, or to recycle them when they reach the end of their lives. This approach should result in less landfill. – Read More on World Economic Forum
5. Luxury Fashion Brands Turn to Gaming to Attract New Buyers: Brands want to position themselves at the center of an industry that made $175 billion in 2020, one with an increasing number of women. A 2020 report from the Entertainment Software Association found that women account for 41 percent of all gamers in the U.S. – Read More on Wired