Sales & Marketing news

• Watch billionaire Jack Ma sing his heart out during a surprise performance at a music festival

  19-10-2017 23:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  Business Insider's Henry Blodget and Sara Silverstein break down Jack Ma's latest musical endeavor. While the Alibaba CEO has previously been spotted dancing at company meetings, he recently appeared at a music festival and sang a few songs for the crowd of thousands.Join the conversation about this story »
  
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• THE BOTTOM LINE: Unstoppable Netflix, red-hot banks, and talking shop with a $6 trillion investment chief

  19-10-2017 22:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  This week:
  Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget looks at Netflix following the company's earnings report, which saw the stock surging to a new high. He discusses the main thesis of Netflix, which is that it's a modern TV network, and points out that most of the company's growth is coming from overseas. Blodget reminds CEOs that it's not imperative to just maximize profits — that it's OK to reinvest in your own business and still be rewarded in the stock market. In terms of Netflix's future v
  
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• MongoDB skyrockets 33% on its first day of trading (MDB)

  19-10-2017 22:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  Mongo DB jumped more than 30% on its first day of trading.
  The company isn't profitable but is working on improving that.
   
  MongoDB, a database provider, jumped on its first day of trading.
  Shares closed up more than 33% on the day of its initial public offering. The company priced its IPO at $24 a share, which was higher than the expected range of $20 to $22. It closed the day at $32.07.
  The company offered 8 million shares in its IPO and raised $192 million, valuing the company
  
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• Stitch Fix just filed for an IPO

  19-10-2017 22:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  Stitch Fix, a personal styling company, just filed for an IPO.
  It was profitable the last two years, and had $1 billion in revenue this year.
  It will trade under the ticker SFIX.
  Personal styling service Stitch Fix filed for an IPO Thursday. According to its S-1 filing with the SEC, it plans to use the ticker SFIX.
  The company claims nearly 2.2 million "active clients" and revenue of nearly $1 billion for 2017. The company was profitable in both 2015 and 2016, with $730.3 million
  
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• STOCKS FIGHT BACK: Here's what you need to know

  19-10-2017 22:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  Thursday didn't get off to a good start.
  On Thursday morning, Apple was down as much as 2.8% on reports of the company cutting production orders linked to the new iPhone 8. Apple led the S&P 500 down as much as 0.5% in early trading.
  But, the markets weren't going to let a single stock drag them down, so at about 10:15 AM, the S&P reversed course and started a long march upward to end the day above its break-even point.
  More than one Wall Street firm has called for a
  
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• HEDGE FUND PITCH: The company that owns the Knicks, Rangers and Rockettes could pop 40% (MSG)

  19-10-2017 21:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  Samantha Greenberg, a former partner at Paulson & Co. who started hedge fund Margate Capital last year, pitched Madison Square Group at the Robin Hood Conference on Thursday.
  Greenberg said MSG has a 38% upside, and could trade up to $291 a share. 
  Greenberg touted the growing number of billionaires – who may in turn buy more sports teams – as a bullish sign for MSG.
  The founder of a fresh hedge fund launch pitched the Madison Square Garden Company to a high-profile Wall St
  
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• Netflix found a formula for international growth — and it’s paying off (NFLX)

  19-10-2017 21:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  Netflix continues to add more subscribers internationally than in the US
  Morgan Stanley's head of media research explains why the company is thriving overseas and why he's so bullish on the stock. 
   
  Shares of Netflix hit record highs this week after the company reported another quarter of subscriber growth and earnings-per-share that exceeded Wall Street's expectations. 
  In the US, the company added 850,000 new customers, but overseas it added a whopping 4.45
  
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• Nike has lost its crown as king of the sneaker market — and a sneaker mogul has a simple explanation for why (NKE)

  19-10-2017 21:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  Nike has had a problem with its Jordan brand recently.
  There is a simple formula that explains how Nike came to this problem, and how it can fix it.
  The problem probably can be traced back to decisions made years ago.
   
  In 1987, Nike partnered with then-rookie Michael Jordan and released the first Air Jordan, which forever changed the shoe industry. Nike's crown as king of the sneaker market lasted until just recently when the unthinkable happened and the brand suddenly lost its "cool
  
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• The new bill to fix Obamacare has enough votes to pass — but Trump and the GOP could still kill it

  19-10-2017 20:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  The bipartisan Alexander-Murray Obamacare stabilization bill debuted on Tuesday.
  The bill's authors announced 24 co-sponsors in the Senate, 12 in each party.
  GOP leadership, especially President Donald Trump, still needs to get on board for it to pass.
  The push to stabilize the Obamacare individual insurance exchanges is getting some key support in the Senate, but there is one major hurdle the bill must jump in order to pass.
  On Tuesday, Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray debuted
  
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• The bipartisan plan to stabilize Obamacare is gaining steam — but it still faces one huge challenge

  19-10-2017 20:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  The bipartisan Alexander-Murray Obamacare stabilization bill debuted on Tuesday.
  The bill's authors announced 24 co-sponsors in the Senate, 12 in each party.
  GOP leadership, especially President Donald Trump, still needs to get on board for it to pass.
  The push to stabilize the Obamacare individual insurance exchanges is getting some key support in the Senate, but there is one major hurdle the bill must jump in order to pass.
  On Tuesday, Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray debuted
  
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• Wall Street banks are starting to sound the alarm on a stock market correction

  19-10-2017 19:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  Bank of America Merrill Lynch is the latest Wall Street firm to issue a warning about a possible stock market correction.
  A correction is technically defined as a 10% sell-off, and the benchmark S&P 500 hasn't seen one in more than two years.
  BAML joins Morgan Stanley among the ranks of big firms that have sounded the alarm this week.
   
  The S&P 500 hasn't seen a correction in almost two years. But a growing chorus of Wall Street strategists says one could be right around the corner
  
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• United tanks 11% as outlook disappoints

  19-10-2017 19:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  Shares of United Continental are down more than 10% on Thursday.
  The company gave investors a disappointing pre-tax margin forecast.United Continental shares are under pressure on Thursday, down more than 10%, after the company gave a disappointing profit outlook.  
  The company beat Wall Street estimates on both the top and bottom lines, earning $2.22 a share on revenue of $9.87 billion, but it was the pre-tax margin forecast of between 3% and 5% for the fourth quarter
  
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• Goldman Sachs just signaled a terrifying turning point for Nike (NKE)

  19-10-2017 18:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  Goldman Sachs investment services downgraded Nike to a neutral rating.
  The bank cited "fundamental challenges" and an excess of inventory in its note to investors.
  The bad news for Nike indicates the company has not managed to turn around its business yet.
  Nike is still facing headwinds as it seeks to right the ship.
  Citing "fundamental challenges" in the industry, slowing sales, and an excess of inventory with retail partners, Goldman Sachs downgraded Nike to a "neutral rating" in a note
  
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• I stopped using Blue Apron after being a huge fan — and the reasons reveal that the company is doomed (APRN)

  19-10-2017 18:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  My parents and I used to be loyal Blue Apron customers but stopped using the service. 
  The issues we found show deeper problems at the meal-kit company. 
  Blue Apron just laid off hundreds of people following competition from Amazon and Kroger. Blue Apron is in trouble. 
  The meal-kit company just fired hundreds of people as it faces competition from Amazon and Kroger, and a recent study showed that new customers — which the company spends heavily to acquire —
  
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• The most important new Apple Watch feature has been shut down in China (AAPL)

  19-10-2017 18:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  There is no carrier currently offering service for the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE in China. 
  A cellular connection is the biggest new feature on this year's Apple Watch.
  The Chinese government could be looking to more closely regulate the eSIM technology the device uses. 
  The single wireless carrier supporting Apple's latest Apple Watch in China has ceased offering service for the device, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. 
  China Unicom, one of three state
  
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• MongoDB skyrockets 30% on its first day of trading (MDB)

  19-10-2017 17:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  Mongo DB jumped more than 30% on its first day of trading.
  The company isn't profitable but is working on improving that.
   
  MongoDB, a database provider, jumped on its first day of trading.
  Shares were up more than 30% after opening for trading on the day of its initial public offering. The company priced its IPO at $24 a share, which was higher than its expected range of $20-$22 per share. It is currently trading at about $29.40.
  The company offered 8 million shares in its IPO, and r
  
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• Google's parent company just led a $1 billion investment into Lyft — valuing it at $11 billion (GOOG, GOOGL)

  19-10-2017 17:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  Lyft just raised $1 billion in a funding round led by CapitalG, the investment arm of Alphabet.
  Alphabet, Google's parent company, has forged a close relationship with Lyft. Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving-car company, has partnered with Lyft on the technology.
  Lyft is now valued at $11 billion.
  Lyft just secured $1 billion in a funding round led by Alphabet's investment arm, CapitalG, giving it a post-money valuation of $11 billion.
  Lyft has been growing its cash cushion to take on Ub
  
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• Google's parent company is leading a $1 billion charge against Uber (GOOG, GOOGL)

  19-10-2017 17:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  Lyft just raised $1 billion in a funding round led by CapitalG, the investment arm of Alphabet, Google's parent company.
  Alphabet has forged a close relationship with Lyft. Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving-car company, has partnered with Lyft on the technology.
  Lyft is now valued at $11 billion.Lyft just secured $1 billion in a funding round led by Alphabet's investment arm, CapitalG, giving it a post-money valuation of $11 billion.
  Lyft has been growing its cash cushion to take on Uber. The $1 b
  
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• Google just delivered a $1 billion blow to Uber (GOOG, GOOGL)

  19-10-2017 17:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  Lyft just raised $1 billion in a funding round led by CapitalG, the investment arm of Alphabet, Google's parent company.
  Alphabet has forged a close relationship with Lyft. Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving-car company, has partnered with Lyft on the technology.
  Lyft is now valued at $11 billion.Lyft just secured $1 billion in a funding round led by Alphabet's investment arm, CapitalG, giving it a post-money valuation of $11 billion.
  Lyft has been growing its cash cushion to take on Uber. The $1 b
  
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• Walmart is building an 'online mall' to threaten Amazon's most booming business

  19-10-2017 17:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  Walmart is entering a deal to sell Lord & Taylor goods online, the Wall Street Journal reported.
  The move is part of a plan to create an "online mall."
  Walmart is locked in a bitter battle with Amazon as it moves online.As Walmart seeks to broaden its assortment to better compete with Amazon, deals with other retailers have become a big part of its strategy.
  The latest, according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal, is a new deal with department store Lord & Taylor. It includes a
  
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• SHILLER: Most people got the cause of Black Monday's stock market crash wrong

  19-10-2017 17:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  Right after the stock market crashed on Oct. 19, 1987, Robert Shiller sent investors a questionnaire to figure out what caused it. 
  His research showed that trader panic was as culpable as the computer programs that worsened the crash, contrary to the government and many traders' conclusions.
  The same panic can happen again, Shiller wrote in the New York Times, and new technology can spread fear even faster.
   On the 30th anniversary of Black Monday, the Nobel prize-winning author
  
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• The stock market is finally falling — and Apple is to blame (AAPL)

  19-10-2017 16:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  The S&P 500 is headed for its biggest drop in more than six weeks
  Weakness is Apple shares is a big reason for the market-wide decline, which is more pronounced in the tech-heavy Nasdaq index
   
  Stocks dropped on Thursday, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 on pace for their biggest losses since late September.
  At the root of the selling was weakness in Apple, which dropped as much as 2.8% on a report that orders for the recently-launched iPhone 8 have been cut for the r
  
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• UBS: The Apple Watch Series 3 could be the most popular yet (AAPL)

  19-10-2017 16:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Apple Watch is the most popular in the world, according to Apple.
  The new version, the Series 3, could eclipse the popularity of the Series 2, based on searches for the watch.
  Bad reviews could plague the new watch, however.
   
  The Apple Watch Series 3 could be one of the most popular watches in the world, based on analysis from UBS.
  In its hardware event launching the new watch, Apple said the second generation of its watch moved to the top spot as the most popular watch in t
  
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• The most bullish Apple analyst says to 'buy into the iPhone 8 gloom and doom ahead of the iPhone X' (AAPL)

  19-10-2017 16:41 via feedproxy.google.com
  Brian White, an analyst at Drexel Hamilton, says to buy Apple stock ahead of next Friday, when iPhone X preorders start.
  Apple shares sagged on Thursday following reports of slashed iPhone 8 production.
  White is the most bullish analyst covering Apple.Apple shares are slipping on Thursday after reports out of Asia suggested the company had cut production orders for the iPhone 8.
  But that isn't scaring Brian White, an analyst at Drexel Hamilton, who says to "buy into the iPhone 8 gloom and doom
  
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• Amazon's new HQ2 could come with a scary consequence for renters — here are the cities most at risk

  19-10-2017 16:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  Amazon plans to spend $5 billion to build a second headquarters, dubbed HQ2, which it says will provide jobs to as many as 50,000 highly paid employees.
  Cities across North America have been submitting proposals to host HQ2 because of the potential for economic growth if Amazon comes to town.
  Rents could rise by over $200 a month in the city that wins the bid for Amazon's new headquarters.Thursday is the deadline for cities across North America to submit their bids to become the home of Amazon'
  
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• Betterment, the investing startup that's attracting $12 million a day, is now valued at $1 billion in private market trading

  19-10-2017 16:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  Betterment, the largest independent roboadviser with $11 billion under management, provides algorithm-based online and mobile financial advice.
  It raised $70 million in a funding round in July led by Swedish investor Kinnevik, giving it an $800 million valuation. 
  According to a list of investment opportunities from EquityZen, a platform for pre-IPO shares, shares are now being offered at an implied valuation of over $1 billion. 
   
  Betterment, a roboadviser with $11 bil
  
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• International round-up: Nivea accused of racism and Burger King’s anti-bullying campaign

  19-10-2017 16:21
  This is why black businesses need to rise up and cater for our needs. Nivea can’t get away with pushing this skin lightening agenda across Africa. Appalling. pic.twitter.com/8uR7XHNgVa
  — William Adoasi (@WilliamAdoasi) October 18, 2017Nivea criticised over skin-lightening ads
  Nivea is facing a barrage of criticism over “racist” ads for a body lotion that lightens the ski of black women. The ads, which have appeared on billboards and in TV spots across West Africa, promise
  
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• These 8 businesses seem safe from Amazon, according to investors

  19-10-2017 16:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  It's no secret that Amazon is a major threat to many businesses.
  From its humble origins as an online bookseller, Amazon has expanded its business into groceries, streaming, cloud computing, advertising, and transportation logistics, to name a few. In the wake of recent rumors that it may be entering the athleisure market, it may seem that no business is safe from Amazon.
  That may not be true, according to a recent investor survey from Morgan Stanley Research. Investors indicated that
  
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• Trump’s final 5 candidates for Fed chair

  19-10-2017 16:09 via feedproxy.google.com
   
  Trump is down to five candidates for Fed chair; Kevin Warsh and Jerome Powell appear to be favorites.
  Warsh comes from a politically influential family, but may be seen as too young.
  Powell, a current Fed governor and a former private equity magnate, would signal continuity.
   
  Donald Trump has indicated he is close to making a decision on arguably his most powerful economic appointee: the next chair of the Federal Reserve.
  While the president has dangled the possibility of
  
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• Ben Davis: Lush’s approach to ecommerce should be a lesson for all retail marketers

  19-10-2017 16:06
  The Lush website has a homepage that breaks many of the rules of conversion rate optimisation. But far from misunderstanding the online customer journey, the cosmetics company is one of the few retail brands that excites with its website and demonstrates an understanding of brand strategy alongside functionality.
  Let’s discuss some homepage conventions in ecommerce. A homepage is supposed to maintain the buying momentum of the shopper through a main menu, a search box and content tile
  
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• Trump claimed that he dumped all of his stocks right before the Black Monday crash in 1987

  19-10-2017 16:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  Black Monday, October 19, 1987 was the day of the largest one day stock market drop in history.
  Then-real estate investor Donald Trump told the Wall Street Journal the next day that he had dumped all his stock in the preceding months before the crash.
  "I think the market is going to go down further, there are just too many things wrong with the country," Trump said.On Monday, October 19, 1987 the stock market was rocked by the worst one-day fall in history with the Dow Jones industrial average
  
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• Blue Apron is slipping after laying off hundreds of workers (APRN)

  19-10-2017 15:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  Shares of Blue Apron are down 3.21% at $5.13 a piece after the company announced it would be laying off 6% of its workforce, or about 300 employees.
  Blue Apron announced a "company-wide realignment of personnel to support its strategic priorities" in an 8-K submitted to the SEC on Wednesday. The company plans spend $3.5 million  on severance packages.
  The layoffs included both positions in the company's corporate offices and fulfillment centers, according to the filing.
  "Our
  
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• GOLDMAN SACHS: Here's the only strategy you need to crush earnings season

  19-10-2017 15:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  Earnings season is here, and Goldman Sachs has some money-making ideas.
  Their recommendations involve options trades on single stocks that are designed to capture potential gains in share prices.
   We all know the old adage: buy low and sell high.
  That's exactly what Goldman Sachs recommends for stock traders heading into earnings season — except their suggested method involves options.
  The focal point of their strategy involves identifying downtrodden stocks with strong fundamen
  
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• Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein trolls the UK on Twitter

  19-10-2017 15:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein spelled out the bank's post-Brexit plans for Europe in a Tweet.
  "Just left Frankfurt," he tweeted. "Great meetings, great weather, really enjoyed it. Good, because I'll be spending a lot more time there. #Brexit."
  Goldman Sachs currently employs 6,500 people in the UK and currently has around 200 staff in Frankfurt.
  But the bank recently leased a space in a Frankfurt tower block that could hold up to 1,000 staff.
  Goldman has reportedly been looking for office s
  
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• Apple is slipping after reports of iPhone 8 production cuts (AAPL)

  19-10-2017 15:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  Shares of Apple are down 1.65% to $157.12 in early trading on Thursday on reports that the company has cut orders linked to its new iPhone 8.
  Apple has cut production orders linked to the iPhone 8 by more than 50% for the rest of the year, according to Bloomberg which cites the Economic Daily News, a Taipei-based publication. The reports do not specify details of the production cuts nor the source of the information.
  The iPhone 8 was seen as the less impressive of several new iPhone models
  
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• UK ad industry demands open borders

  19-10-2017 01:21 via warc.com
  LONDON: The Advertising Association (AA), the industry’s trade body, has launched a major campaign to ensure the UK continues to welcome talented workers from abroad after the country leaves the European Union.Depending on what, if any,...
  
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• Media giants agree to digital ad gold standard

  19-10-2017 01:21 via warc.com
  LONDON: Google, Facebook and Microsoft are among 23 major tech and media companies who have signed up to a new initiative that aims to raise standards across the digital advertising industry in the UK.Launched yesterday by the Internet Advertising...
  
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• McDonald's, KFC eye growth in Chinese hinterland

  19-10-2017 01:21 via warc.com
  BEIJING: KFC and McDonald’s, both emblems of US fast food culture, are opening new stores at a rapid rate with the most fertile territory to be found in China’s small cities, according to reports.China’s fast food market
  
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• Google among Asia's 'most authentic' brands

  19-10-2017 01:21 via warc.com
  ASIA: Although e-commerce giant Amazon is ranked as the world’s “most authentic” brand in a new global study, Google comes out on top in Hong Kong and India, while smartphone manufacturer Huawei is most highly regarded in China. ...
  
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• Facebook swoops to acquire teen-focused app

  19-10-2017 01:21 via warc.com
  SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook has acquired tbh, a teen-focused polling app that allows users to send anonymous compliments to each other, for a sum reported to be less than $100m.According
  
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• Carhartt taps power of user-generated content

  19-10-2017 01:21 via warc.com
  LOS ANGELES: Carhartt, the workwear and apparel manufacturer, has found user-generated content to be an extremely effective tool in building its brand and encouraging purchases.Anna Cole, Carhartt’s Director of e-Commerce Operations, User...
  
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• Black Friday will attract fewer shoppers this year

  19-10-2017 01:21 via warc.com
  NEW YORK: More US consumers plan to shop online this year, but that won’t necessarily extend to Black Friday or other traditional holiday shopping events, a new survey has revealed.With Thanksgiving and Black Friday not much more than a...
  
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