Bits & Bytes | Smartphone Shopping, Jet Funding, Data Saves Retail

"Smartphones Overtake Desktops for Holiday Shopping" (Associated Press)
"For the first time, more people will visit retailers' web sites through their smartphones than on desktop computers or tablets during the holiday shopping season that begins on Thanksgiving Day."

"Amazon Challenger Jet.com Announces $350 Million" (Bloomberg)
"Investment E-commerce startup Jet.com announced a $350 million cash infusion led by Fidelity Investments, providing money to help the company attract customers during its first holiday shopping season.

"How Data Is Saving the Retail Industry" (Business Insider)
"Today, given the extent of data available, retailers in fashion can be a few steps ahead of the game — for example, they have access to millions of conversations in social media and can be more predictive of what is going to catch on."

"Fashion Brands Ramp Up Digital Ad Spending, Without Cutting Back in Print" (Digiday)
"53 percent more brands ran online ads in September 2015 than in the same time period last year."

"New Balance Pushes Ahead In Design Race To Bring 3-D Printed Shoes to Consumers" (Fast Company)
"In an attempt to appeal to design-conscious consumers, major athletic shoe brands like Nike and Adidas have been investing heavily in 3-D printing. Now, New Balance is aiming to beat both Nike and Adidas to the finish line."