This Week in Consumer News: Would You Like a Cocktail with Your Jeans?

Keeping up to date with the latest price and shopping trends involves the often arduous trek through business gibberish and nonsensical numbers. But instead, we've cut through the jargon to put together a roundup of this week's consumer news that you actually need to know about, including the much-publicized depreciation of Apple's shares, McDonald's mobile payments, and a store that will serve you drinks while you shop.

• Is the Smartphone Superpower Set to Slide?
  Following a downward shift that started last week, Apple's shares continued to fall in advance of iOS7. Many analysts have attributed this slide in part to the comparatively low numbers of preorders placed for the iPhone 5C; Apple have kept suspiciously hushed since the new budget-friendly iPhone model was announced last Tuesday. Comparatively, just a year ago, the iPhone 5 secured two million preorders in 24 hours and the news was shouted from the virtual rooftops for the benefit of consumer and investor alike. Thus, some experts believed that Apple's unusual silence is indicative of the public's lack of interest. Could the hardware heroes of the 21st century be losing their touch?
  [The Verge]
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• Nordstrom to Cash in on Impulse Buying with in-store Cocktail Bar
  In a bizarre attempt to add glamor to its aisles, Nordstrom has erected a cocktail in Bellevue Square, Seattle. Shoppers can now try on jeans and sip from a menu of craft cocktails and savory snacks. Although the Seattle Times found the delicacies underwhelming, it seems to us like the perfect spot to recoup should you wish to tackle the sale department for a second time. [Seattle Times]
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• User-Submitted Photos Boost Online Sales
  Successful online retailers, Urban Outfitters, Under Armour, and Beauty.com, have set aside the airbrush in favor of user-generated product photos. A newly-released platform called Fanreel employs the use of hashtagged content from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest and allows us plain folk with pimples and push-up bras to advertise branded products. The implementation of this marketing campaign has appeared successful so far, as Dessy.com has seen an increased engagement rate of 30% for their user-generated content gallery and fashion retailer Dannijo lauds the increased conversion rates the content creates. [Adweek]
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• An App-etite for Deep-Fried Consumption
  If you feel like fast food still takes too long to get from grill to gut, never fear. McDonald's is currently testing a mobile payment app in Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City in the hope of bringing the electronic option nationwide and to stimulate growth at a time when diners are eating out less and less. When ordering via the app, customers can collect their food in-store or via drive-thru, thereby spending less time talkin' and more time eatin'. [Business Week]
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• Time Warner Cable to Top the Set-Top Box
  On Wednesday, Time Warner Cable's incoming CEO announced that within a year, over-the-top content devices will replace leased set-top boxes as the company strides one step closer to becoming an all app-based entertainment delivery service. A Roku or Xbox One can facilitate such a service — the latter of which could use a sales boost as it heads into the holiday season in contention with Sony's more anticipated and cheaper PS4. [CNET]
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• Google Nexus 4 Takes Its Exit
  The fruit of Google and LG's smartphone collaboration, the Google Nexus 4, is rumored to be no more; on Monday, Google Play sold its last 16GB model. The news comes amid gadget-filled gossip that the two companies have again joined forces to imagine a newer version of the flagship phone, which could potentially be called the Nexus 5. [The Verge]
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• Amazon AirPlay, The Game
  In order to stay ahead of the game and keep the edge on its increasing number of competitors, Amazon has added AirPlay streaming to its Instant Video app for iOS. The functionality will now allow iPhone users to stream content to Apple TVs. [Engadget]
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