Skip to main content
BoF Logo

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Bits & Bytes | Venture Capitalists Bet on Shoe Start-Ups, JD.com Invests in Luxury Retailer

This week, venture investors put a premium on shoe start-ups, while JD.com builds up its presence in the luxury retail sector with an investment in Chinese luxury retailer Secoo.
A sneaker factory | Source: Shutterstock
By
  • Kristina Ezhova

Shoe Start-Ups Aren't Dragging Their Feet (Tech Crunch)
"Over the past year-and-a-half, investors have tied up roughly $170 million in an assortment of shoe-related startups. The vast majority is going to sellers and designers of footwear that people might actually want to walk in."

Chinese Luxury Retailer Secoo Drives Expansion via $175 Million Deal with JD.com (South China Morning Post)
"The investment made by JD.com in Secoo marked the Chinese online shopping giant's first luxury market-related deal after it sold Google a $550 million stake in the company last month. L Catterton Asia, previously known as L Capital Asia, will provide industry expertise based on its more than 200 investments in leading consumer brands."

Tagwalk Wants to Be the Google of Fashion (The New York Times)
"By using more than 2,800 key words, users can search by brand, season, city, trend, colour, fabric or style through 128,000 pictures. The business does not have a subscription fee, nor does it have advertising. For Tagwalk, mining and selling data analytics is where the real money is."

Amazon Drives 80 Percent of US E-Commerce (Retail Dive)
"Amazon's gross merchandise value this year is on pace to rise 29 percent year over year, blowing past past total US e-commerce growth of 16 percent expected for the year. The fastest growing product categories this year are expected to be food and beverage, apparel and accessories and health, personal care and beauty."

© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Technology
Analysis and advice on how technology is disrupting fashion and creating new opportunities.

Using AI to Create Customer-Centric Business Strategies

At The Business of Fashion’s Professional Summit in New York last week, Sona Abaryan, partner and global retail and luxury sector lead at tech-enabled data science firm Ekimetrics, shared how businesses can more effectively leverage AI-driven insights on consumer behaviour to achieve a customer-centric strategic approach.


Case Study | How to Turn Data Into Meaningful Customer Connections

Before fashion businesses can put artificial intelligence to work or target the right shoppers online, they need good data and a deep understanding of who their customers are and what they want. This case study offers a guide for brands that want to truly know their customer, allowing them to make smarter decisions that serve shoppers and drive results.


view more

Subscribe to the BoF Daily Digest

The essential daily round-up of fashion news, analysis, and breaking news alerts.

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON
BoF Professional - How to Turn Data Into Meaningful Customer Connections
© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Accessibility Statement.
BoF Professional - How to Turn Data Into Meaningful Customer Connections