Executive Summary

• This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” discusses how inventory is the element of multi-channel retailing in which a “seamless” proposition is really important.
• Saks Fifth Avenue has opened a new store in New York that offers web-inspired features aimed at melding the online and offline experiences.
• British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has launched an app called Chop Chop, through which shoppers in selected areas in London can place orders to be delivered within an hour.
• China’s Alipay payments platform has reached deals with 10 overseas airports and has signed up more than 80,000 merchants worldwide to meet the demand of Chinese outbound tourists.