This Week in Review☕: Cyber Monday sales shatter records globally | Are robots picking up your groceries? | Versace bought out for $1.5BN as Italy dominates luxury fashion | Travel rebounds as holiday
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Quick Bites:
Retail 🛍️ : Cyber Monday notches a global record this week.
Cyber Monday just hit a record $14.25 billion in sales- but Black Friday is also catching up. For the second year in a row, Black Friday’s online spending grew 9.1%, beating Cyber Monday’s 7.1% growth.
Yep.. Happy thanksgiving to everyone who didn’t have a problem stomping anyone to death on Black Friday last week ✋
Because CLOBBERING each other for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what you already have is definitely the right way to go lmao 🫢
Personally, we didn’t partake in any sale shopping this past weekend. Like Black Friday and Cyber Monday? No thanks. Only criminals tell you to come out at 4 in the morning for a 4 dollar DVD player
PS. Unless we see “Was $5000, now $13.75”, we’re NOT interested in any sale 🖕🏻
Key Highlights, reported by Adobe data:
-Meanwhile, in the real world, shoppers physically showed up too– turnout hit an 8-year high– proving that humanity will still stand in line if you promise them a free tote bag and 30% off Tide detergent.
-AI stood out. Adobe says AI-powered shopping surged 758% throughout November compared to last year.
So yes, people are officially letting algorithms choose their outfits, their gifts, and probably their entire personality.
-Buy Now, Pay Later is also having its moment- tracking toward 11% growth, which makes sense because everyone wants luxury… just not the bill.
-Mobile is quietly winning too: phones are expected to drive more than half of all online spending.
i.e Society is now shopping, scrolling, and making life decisions while lying horizontally.
Our Thoughts💡:
Festive shopping strategy when you’re broke:
1. Window shop like its your cardio
2. Collect free samples like you’re on a treasure hunt
3. Nap in the discount section- it’s called Energy conservation
#BrokebutHappy #HappyHolidays
AI: Anthropic is prepping for an IPO.
Anthropic has officially lawyered up for a future IPO, according to the Financial Times, and the listing could drop as early as 2026.
Their law firm of choice? Wilson Sonsini– the same legal powerhouse behind Google, Lyft, and pretty much every tech company that has ever sprinted toward the Nasdaq with success.
The real headline, though: Anthropic’s public debut could land the company a valuation north of $300 billion.
Umm at this point its safe to say that AI companies aren’t raising money- they’re raising GDP 🔥🔥🔥
But the interesting part? This IPO race is turning into the most Silicon Valley thing ever: a rivalry. Anthropic might actually beat OpenAI to the public markets.
OpenAI- valued at around $500 billion– is reportedly working on its own listing.
i.e Wall Street may soon be choosing between two AI giants the way you choose between almond milk and oat milk- neither is cheap, both are overhyped, and everyone has a snooty opinion 🫢🫢
If both companies go public, it could mark one of the biggest back-to-back IPO waves in tech history- and definitely the most chaotic since Uber, Slack, and Pinterest all decided to test the markets during Mercury retrograde.
The AI arms race is no longer just about building models- it’s about who reaches Wall Street first.
Festive Season 🎄: Turkey Talk! Chsristmas is around the corner and it remains one of the world’s most celebrated holidays.
However, with rising grocery prices and staples like Turkey and Pork Roast being up by almost +40% since 2022, many have dreaded the cherished holiday since a few years.
To all our friends who celebrate: No need to post your Christmas dinner. We’re all the eating the same thing
However, this year people can breathe a sigh of relief. This is largely due to a 6% drop in turkey prices- the meal’s centrepiece dish.
The price tag of the festive holiday meal, which also includes cranberries, sweet gravy and stuffing, has also dropped for a 2nd consecutive year, Reuters reports.
How to cook a turkey:
Buy a turkey
Have a glass of wine
Stuff turkey
Have a glass of wine
Put turkey in oven
Relax and have a glass of wine
Turk the bastey
Wine of glass another get
Hunt for meal thermometer
Glass yourself another pour of wine
Bake the wine for 4 hours
Take the oven out of the turkey
Tet the sable
Grab another wottle of bine
Turk the carvey
Our Thoughts💡:
Umm about time prices are down! Christmas dinner without turkey is like eating green bean casserole without onion rings 🧅🧅🧅
Fashion 💼 : Prada completes $1.45 billion takeover of Versace, the Business of Fashion reports.
Two of Italy’s most iconic luxury labels will now be under one company.
Prada bringing its famously sharp operations and supply chain, while Versace contributes… well, Versace energy. The gold chains. The medusa. The drama. The Donatella of it all.
Versace’s sales have been dragging during the luxury slowdown, so the move is partly a rescue mission– though Prada’s CEO Andrea Guerra has already warned everyone not to expect instant miracles.
As he told Business of Fashion, this turnaround isn’t a sprint; “the journey will be long.”
Meanwhile, Prada’s house already includes the wildly growing Miu Miu, which is selling bows, boleros, and ballet flats like it’s 2010 Tumblr all over again.
If this merger works, Italy might have the strongest luxury lineup in the foreseeable future. And if not?
Well… at least our memes will be fabulous 🥰
Quicker Bites:
- World Health Organization issues first-ever global guidelines on using GLP-1 medicines for obesity treatment.
- Global markets rebound modestly as equities rise and bond & crypto selling pressure eases.
- The Indian rupee falls past ₹90 per US dollar– hitting a record low amid continued capital outflows.
- The Australian Open 2025 (golf) returns to traditional format at Royal Melbourne, with Rory McIlroy headlining the field.
- The Reuters NEXT Summit 2025 kicks off in New York with top global leaders and industry icons shaping discussions on AI, economy, media, and luxury
Business Eye 
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