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Last Thursday, Diane von Furstenberg's studio in New York's Meatpacking district underwent a temporary transformation. Gone were the large pieces of furniture on the east-facing wall; in their place were cameras, studio lights and a half dozen production people, in addition to representatives from Google, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), public relations firm KCD as well as von Furstenberg's own design company. The occasion? Von Furstenberg was hosting the first shoppable Google+ Hangout, one in a series to be held by CFDA designers.

There's a sense of alternate reality built in to each of URBN Inc.'s (owner of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, BDLHN and Terrain) stores. Now URBN is taking this experience to the next level by building a branded village where ladies (and men) can live its ethereal lifestyle and buy it, too. Our sister site Racked Philly reports that the company purchased 6.5 acres in Devon, Pa. (about 30 minutes outside the heart of Philadelphia as the Google Maps flies) onto which they plan to erect a Terrain garden center, an Anthropologie, a boutique hotel, a couple farm-to-table restaurants, and more.

Econsultancy takes a close look at Coach's social strategy and shares how the luxury brand has created a strong global social presence. "Many of the posts include links back to the relevant page on Coach's e-commerce site, though it manages to achieve a subtle tone rather than putting people off with an overt sales pitch…

Sherwin-Williams is releasing a new consumer app for Google Glass, called ColorSnap Glass. Developed for Sherwin-Williams by digital marketing agency Resource, ColorSnapp Glass provides a digital layer of color samples customers can view using the Google Glass device. "We're committed to harnessing the latest in technology in order to create superior experiences for our customers," said Ellen Moreau, VP of

When it comes to website load times, user expectations are constantly escalating. In 1999, the optimal load time was eight seconds. By 2010, 57 percent of online shoppers stated they would abandon a web page after waiting just three seconds for it to load. While internet users may have high expectations, these expectations aren't being met by most sites.

Luxury brands by their nature must approach digital marketing in a far different manner than brands that appeal to the masses. This includes everything from targeting to customer service. Luxury brands must be able to take the services their customers expect in-store and provide them in the digital space.

Online shopping is expected to reach the $300 billion mark in the U.S. by 2015, which is up from only $93 billion just 10 years ago. Retailers need to keep up with consumers’ ever-changing needs when it comes to shopping and making purchase decisions online. Here are three of the most critical ways online shopping is changing:

With search moving away from desktops for a mobile alternative, Google became aware of the need need for a new web design layout that could help better monetize search results across all devices.

The key to getting shoppers to notice your online videos is to get as much mileage out of them as possible. That means thinking beyond product pages. Sure, they're the logical place for your videos, but there are many more ways to place videos in front of consumers’ eyeballs — at the beginning of the shopping process, in the middle and after browsers become buyers.

For any business owner or executive who has spent years contemplating international expansion, now is undoubtedly starting to feel like the right time to act. The media is abuzz with stories about the global economy and technology advancements make it seem easier than ever to reach burgeoning new markets. It's true that markets are opening up and there's enormous potential for retailers that make the right decisions about online content and lead generation, but easy? International expansion isn't easy, even in the age of online retail. Growing beyond borders requires the right mix of people, knowledge and technology.