Five At Five: Saks Hits A Retail Reset

Welcome to Five at Five, your late look at payments and commerce news you might have missed. Today’s stories include a look at Saks and its plans for beauty, a Sears and Citi credit card deal, a data breach involving mother and children, the latest move for Amazon’s Alexa and building pressure to investigate technology giants.

Saks Hits Reset on Beauty

When most brands say they want to bring something to a whole new level, they are speaking metaphorically. However, when Saks Fifth Avenue speaks of its plans to hit the reset button on beauty by moving to a whole new level, they actually mean that quite literally.

Sears Announces Extension of Co-Branded Credit Card with Citi

The deal also includes long-term marketing arrangements, as well as enhancements to the Shop Your Way Mastercard rewards program, including benefits that were previously available only during special promotions.

Mobile App TeenSafe Leaks Parent and Child Data

TeenSafe allows parents to view their child’s text messages and location, monitor who they’re calling and when, look at their web browsing history and find out which apps have been installed. The company says more than one million parents are using the app at a price of $14.95 per month.

Alexa Comes to Acer Windows 10 Laptops

Acer’s Spin 3 and Spin 5 line of laptops, which come with the Windows 10 operating system, have Alexa built in. Additionally, Alexa will be embedded in other PCs being manufactured by Acer, including the Nitro 5 Spin gaming computer, as well as in its all-in-one laptops.

Treasury Secretary Wants DOJ to Look into Google’s Power

Steven Mnuchin’s call for scrutiny comes at a time when the public is growing increasingly concerned with the power of a few technology companies.