Executive Summary

• This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” discusses the election fever currently gripping voters in the US and the coming election’s effect on shopping and Halloween spending.
• According to a report from Astound Commerce, m-commerce sales are up 40% this year, growing faster than e-commerce sales, which have increased by 11%. These figures show that mobile is the fastest-growing digital commerce channel.
• Italian eyewear group Luxottica and software giant Intel have launched a smart eyewear device called Radar Pace. The device allows real-time tracking of the wearer’s athletic performance, provides instant coaching and responds to voice commands.
• Toyota Motor unveiled a baby companion robot called Kirobo Mini in Japan, where plummeting birth rates have left many women childless. The product is a doe-eyed, palm-sized robot that speaks with a babylike, high-pitched voice. Toyota plans to sell the robot for ¥39,800 (US$392) in Japan next year.