Brick & Data

Retailers are getting into using 3D printing for all sorts of things, Amazon opening more and more pop-up stores in malls, and why wearables are actually useful for work.

There's a new app that brings crowdsourcing to grocery shopping, Google now helps you shop the look from your favorite fashion bloggers, and Tommy Hilfiger is sending styles from the runway straight to you.

Nike moving out. Whole foods has some rotten apples. Honeymoon is over for Gap. Wait, what honeymoon?. Weird news of the week ---- Nike Moving Out Donald Trump’s private real estate empire officially lost one of its most important tenants on Monday, when Nike announced that it is closing its store at the president’s 6 East 57th Street property in New York City next spring in favor of a new location just a few blocks away. The announcement comes a year after commercial landlord SL Green disclosed that it had signed a 15-year lease with Nike at 650 Fifth Avenue. Whole Foods Has Some Rotten Apples Whole Foods shoppers complained about finding bruised, discolored, tasteless, and rotten produce in stores across the US. Shoppers also cited persistent out-of-stock issues. Many customers are blaming the problems on Amazon, which acquired Whole Foods in a $13.7 billion deal in August. "Price reductions are appreciated but not at the expense of reliable quality," one customer said. Whole Foods told Business Insider that it has made no recent changes that would affect the quality or availability of its produce. Not much has changed, so they say Honeymoon is Over for Gap. Wait, What Honeymoon? Gap Inc.'s Banana Republic and Gap brands are swiftly losing customers to other brands, according to a report from data management and analytics firm 1010data emailed to Retail Dive. From October 2016 to September 2017, Banana Republic lost 58% of shoppers who had shopped at least once between October 2015 to September 2016, 45% more than in the trailing year, according to the report. Weird News of the Week Nordstrom is selling Marie Antoinette inspires sock loafers. SOCK LOAFERS. According to Nordstrom's product description, the shoe was, "Inspired by the idea of what Marie Antoinette might wear in 2017, a cutout loafer in glossy patent leather is inset with a quirky striped sport-sock shaft embroidered with flowers, giving it a striking, avant-garde look." Despite the fact that the product looks like it was made from your mom's Mary Janes and your 12-year-old cousin's socks, Nordstrom claims you'll feel just like a modern Marie Antoinette — and they've got the price tag to prove it. Originally priced at $1,400, the shoes are now on sale for a precise $839.98, because spending that much on shoes you could probably construct at the Goodwill is exactly what defines members of the modern aristocracy.

Have you heard of "hearables"? Well, now you have. We are joined by the co-founders of "hearable" startup, Peripherii. Their first product is a "smart earring" with built in virtual personal assistants like Siri and Google Assistant to add amazing functionality to jewelery. Not only can these earrings take and make calls and whisper alerts, it can respond to voice commands, call an Uber, or dim the lights in your room. Co-founders Priti Moudgill and Sonal Budhiraja tell us how it all started and where it's going. About Peripherii Peripherii is a NY-based hearable company whose first product is a smart earring that brings smart assistants like Siri/Google to the wearer’s ear, but subtly in the form of a piece of jewelry. Not only can our earring take and make calls and whisper alerts, it can respond to voice commands and call Uber, dictate a text, set a timer, etc. Calling our earring just a headset is fine too, because that simple fact of hiding an earphone in an earring causes an orbital jump in its utility and accessibility. For women, an earring is a natural accessory. Wearing a smart earring will not require much of a behavior change, and yet it will give them full access to the audio functionality of their phones. It is hard to overstate the convenience factor of this small change: that the voice-activated functions of the phone will always be available, without having to have the phone in hand, and without having to rummage for earbuds. And then there is the secret agent aspect: a piece of jewelry that is a lot more than meets the eye! It’s also the answer to every woman’s evening-out quandary: how to stay within ear-shot, in a manner of speaking, of their loved ones, without having to wear earbuds with a party dress or having to hold the phone in their hand all evening. Our broader vision is a world where electronics are minimally invasive, almost invisible, and we interact with them in an instinctual manner so we can focus on what matters without fumbling or fussing with gadgets. Advances in AI are leading up to emotionally savvy smart assistants. In such a future, it will not always be the user who initiates the interaction. Our smart earring, anticipating your tiredness at the end of day, might whisper in your ear if you would like the lights dimmed or white noise played or a pizza ordered. Our smart earring is a first step in that direction. For more, including how to get involved in their IndiGogo, visit www.peripherii.com. About Sonal Budhiraja Sonal has a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from LSU and B.Tech from NITK, India. For her second Master’s thesis in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers, Sonal tinkered with programming a glove for use in a virtual surgery. Sonal has also worked as a developer and writer at various software companies such as SAP and IBM. About Priti Moudgill Priti’s engineering background includes degrees from IIT (Kanpur, India) & Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), and research/engineering positions at IBM. She has a strong product instinct with consumer inventions licensed to Conair and Rubbermaid. She has also worked in the fashion industry designing and manufacturing accessories for clients such as Bergdorfs, Holt Renfrew, Tsum, Gilt, etc.

Internet of Things devices are becoming useful for retailers, Nike has something in store for us on Cyber Monday, and Nordstrom grows three heads.