Walmart Test Drives Tesla | Macy’s By-Appointment-Only Santa Visits | Alibaba's Big Offline Grocery Push

A lot of wearable tech misses the fashion mark for the simple reason that it’s designed for athletic purposes rather than style. Why should wearables be limited to fitness buffs? We all use technology every day, and as much as athleisure style has grown in recent years, sometimes people just want to dress normally. Avery Dennison and EVRYTHNG are working to bring high tech to high fashion — here’s how, and what, consumers and brands stand to gain. Read More...

As Alibaba struggles to shake its bad reputation for selling counterfeit merchandise, more fake gear continues to proliferate on the company’s Taobao marketplace — this time for the Brooklyn Nets, and just as co-founder Joe Tsai was purchasing a large stake in the team’s franchise, too. Alibaba protested its inclusion on the U.S. Notorious Markets List last year, but it seems the inclusion was well-earned after all. Will the Chinese eCommerce giant ever be free of the counterfeit blight? Read More...

The same media that put Walmart out to pasture a little more than a year ago is now gushing over its ability to “make Amazon sweat.” Karen Webster said that watching the strategic volleying as these two retail behemoths jockey for retail preeminence has made for great business sport over the years. She also believes that as different as they are, Amazon and Walmart today share a strategic focus that complicates the future success of other retailers — companies who will need help from other “Pays” to survive in the years ahead. Find out what that is, and then tell us who you think is best positioned to make a difference. Read More...