Daily LInks
1. Luxury Certificates Will Soon Be Standard in China: Breitling announced that it will issue “digital passports” for its watches. The digital certificates use a blockchain-based solution that prevents scammers from hacking or altering information. According to Tech Crunch, these certificates will ensure that customers will “also see the benefits of supply chain regulation.” – Read More on Jing
2. The decade of VC funding that shaped e-commerce and DTC brands: In reality, sources said the amount of investment in DTC brands is meaningfully smaller than it’s built up to be. “Consumer businesses can only be so big. How many unicorns do we know about in the CPG space? Allbirds, fine — they just got there. Warby Parker. People thought Casper was, but that wasn’t true.” – Read More on Retail Dive
3. High fashion in Italy faces “strange,” uncertain times: “In this period, some of our customers came back because to go to our competitors is difficult now because they’re abroad. And we have faced a strange moment when everybody’s coming back and telling us, “Well, we want to do ‘Made in Italy.’ So we want to work with you more than before, but your prices are too high.” – Read More on Marketplace
4. It’s getting harder to find Nikes—and that’s just how Nike wants it: Whether it’s Levi’s, Nike, Under Armour, or Gucci, the aims are generally the same. They want to elevate the images of their brands and maintain a tighter grip on them by selling in fewer, better stores. If they don’t, they risk losing the cachet that helps make a brand desirable and motivates shoppers to buy its products, especially at full price. – Read More on Quartz
5. RELATED READ: One Year After Nike Stopped Selling on Amazon. “For years, Nike had refused to sell directly to Amazon, fearing it would undermine its brand. Nike executives were unhappy with how unauthorized sellers continued to be widely available on Amazon.” – Read More on TFL
