Edition #29: Inside Amazon’s Fashion Power Play | Plus the week’s biggest global + India retail stories

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The post–Black Friday landscape has delivered a massive week for global retail: Amazon reshapes logistics, Nike restructures leadership, K-beauty heats up the U.S. market, and India sees big moves in AI, alcohol, and consumer categories.

And at the center of it all — a Deep Dive into how Amazon quietly became America’s biggest clothing seller, redefining fashion retail as we know it.

🌍 World Retail Headlines

Costco sues the Trump administration, seeks refund of tariffs

Costco has filed a lawsuit to recover millions in tariffs paid during the Trump-era trade war, arguing the duties were improperly imposed on certain Chinese imports.
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Court sides with Adidas in appeal over Kanye West collaboration

A UK court ruled in favor of Adidas in a dispute related to its collaboration with Kanye West, strengthening the brand’s legal footing following the high-profile partnership fallout.
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Holiday shopping turnout surges to 202.9M during Thanksgiving weekend

The NRF reported a record turnout during the Thanksgiving-to-Cyber Monday period, signaling resilient consumer demand despite inflationary pressures.
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Nike eliminates CTO and chief commercial roles in major reorg

Nike is undergoing a leadership overhaul to streamline operations and accelerate digital transformation, eliminating two top executive roles.
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PepsiCo partners with Mercedes F1 for Gatorade, Sting & Doritos

PepsiCo has inked a global branding and performance partnership with the Mercedes F1 team, expanding sports marketing across hydration, energy and snacking categories.
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Amazon re-evaluates relationship with USPS

Amazon is reportedly in discussions with USPS about restructuring or potentially reducing its dependency on the postal service for last-mile deliveries.
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TikTok-fueled K-beauty boom triggers U.S. retail race

Korean beauty brands are experiencing unprecedented demand on TikTok, pushing American retailers to expand shelf space and accelerate partnerships.
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BNPL drives over $1B in Cyber Monday online spending

Buy Now, Pay Later usage hit a new milestone on Cyber Monday as cost-conscious shoppers embraced installment options for holiday purchases.
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LVMH denies misappropriating Hermès shares from family heir

LVMH rejected allegations related to improper handling of Hermès share transfers, amid ongoing legal disputes with a family member.
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Yankee Candle parent company announces layoffs and store closures

Newell Brands is cutting jobs and closing stores as part of a restructuring move to stabilize declining performance across its home fragrance segment.
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📰 India Retail News

Mankind Pharma enters cat food segment with PetStar Delight

Mankind expands into pet care with a new cat food line, diversifying beyond pharmaceuticals to capture India’s fast-growing pet category.
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Amazon ramps up India AI investments with $12.7B commitment

Amazon plans deep investments into India’s AI infrastructure, aiming to support 15 million SMBs and train 4 million students by 2030.
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Smartphone prices rise as memory chip costs surge

A global chip shortage is pushing up smartphone prices across India, with premium and mid-range devices seeing the biggest hikes.
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Pernod Ricard posts ₹27,446 crore revenue in FY25

The liquor major retained its market leadership and forecasts double-digit growth driven by premiumization and resilient demand.
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RBI expected to tolerate weaker rupee as inflows soften

India’s central bank is likely to allow mild rupee depreciation amid waning foreign investment inflows.
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Tobacco excise duty not an additional tax, says Finance Ministry

The updated duty framework will be shared with states, easing concerns over double taxation on tobacco products.
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💻 Tech Headlines

Meta hires Apple’s top designer Alan Dye for AI glasses

Meta strengthens its wearable and mixed reality strategy by bringing in one of Apple’s most influential design leaders.
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OpenAI to acquire Neptune, boosting AI model training stack

The acquisition enhances OpenAI’s ability to scale model training and improves tooling for developers building on GPT models.
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Amazon tests 30-minute neighborhood delivery in Seattle

Amazon is experimenting with ultra-fast, hyperlocal delivery zones to enable sub-30-minute fulfilment — a new frontier in logistics.
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Salesforce lifts revenue outlook thanks to AI adoption

Businesses continue aggressive investment in AI tools across CRM, boosting Salesforce’s guidance for 2025.
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Russia bans Roblox citing extremist content risks

Russia has blocked the gaming platform Roblox over concerns related to user safety and extremist influence.
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Security startup Verkada hits $5.8B valuation

Verkada raises new funding led by CapitalG to scale enterprise surveillance and security AI products.
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🔥 Funding, IPO & Q3 Earnings

• Flipkart appoints ex-Meta exec Dan Neary to board ahead of 2026 IPO

• Meesho’s ₹5,421 crore IPO subscribed 2.35× on Day 1

• Reliance Retail appoints Jeyandran Venugopal as President & CEO

• Iris Ventures invests $15M in medical-grade skincare brand Innerskin

• Inditex Q3 sales up 8.4% driven by logistics & luxury strategy

• PVH Q3 profits fall but beat expectations

• Macy’s raises 2025 guidance after operational improvements

• American Eagle beats estimates, lifts full-year outlook

👔 Key Retail Appointments & Exits

• Costco appoints former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to board

• Batiste names Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim as brand ambassador

• Versace parts ways with Chief Creative Officer Dario Vitale

🤖 Deep Dive: How Amazon Became America’s Biggest Clothing Seller

What’s Happening

Amazon didn’t become America’s top clothing retailer through fashion pedigree — it won through distribution power, convenience, and data-driven merchandising.

While traditional apparel retailers focused on seasonal design cycles and store expansions, Amazon quietly spent a decade removing every friction point in buying clothes online:
✔ Unlimited browse depth
✔ Endless sizing and style variety
✔ Fast, free returns
✔ Prime-driven frequency
✔ Private labels filling white spaces others ignored

The turning point came when Amazon’s “try before you buy”, one-click returns, and algorithmic recommendations started outperforming store associates.

Today, Amazon’s clothing business is larger than any U.S. department store chain — and still growing. Its scale is built not on trendsetting but on removing every barrier to clicking “Add to Cart.”

Key Stats You Should Know

• Amazon controls over 20% of U.S. online apparel sales

• Apparel is among Amazon’s top three product categories

• 75%+ of U.S. households shop fashion on Amazon at least once a year

• Amazon offers hundreds of private label SKUs across basics, athleisure & essentials

• “Try Before You Buy” drove a double-digit lift in conversion in pilot markets

What It Means for Retail & Consumer Brands

• Convenience beats brand loyalty — frictionless experiences win

• Basics & essentials drive volume — Amazon excels where choices overwhelm

• Return policies shape buying behavior — generous returns built its apparel moat

• Search visibility = market share — apparel brands must optimize for Amazon’s ranking logic

• Private labels will keep expanding — especially in high-margin basics

• Traditional retailers need relevance beyond assortment — experience, community, fit solutions

Sources:

CNBC | Industry Analysis | Market Reports

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