As a DTC marketer, I’ve not only had the benefit of being the head of marketing of one of the newest brands challenging the status quo, but I’ve been able to join a community of DTC marketers that I’ve gotten to know, learn from and share experiences with. DTC marketers today have to be more…
This upcoming year is already shaping up to be a banner year with a new Brexit deadline, the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and, of course, a presidential election. But what about the retail industry? As a new year approaches, we asked analysts what they expect to see from retailers in 2020. Their responses run the…
The 2010s may well be remembered as the decade that fashion became fast, when retailers quickly flipped styles from the catwalk to the clothing rack. In 2010, Amazon Prime had fewer than 25 million subscribers, and H&M didn’t operate an ecommerce website in the U.S. European favorites like Mango and Zara were beginning to make…
The direct-to-consumer landscape heated up in 2019, with several brands achieving unicorn status, CEO shakeups, and more companies opening up a brick-and-mortar presence. As 2020 kicks off a new decade, the DTC space continues to change, with industry experts predicting more acquisitions, an expanding home category, a new kind of sustainability messaging and more. Mergers…
Christmas is in the rearview mirror, bringing another holiday shopping season to a close–sort of. With five days left in 2019, consumers are rushing to spend those holiday gift cards (along with returning and exchanging items that didn’t suit their tastes). But this holiday season has already been a merry one for retailers. Despite a…
While bankruptcies and store closures have become all too common for brick-and-mortar retailers, one physical marketplace is flipping this narrative: airports. With airports across the country renovating to address both infrastructural needs and the rising number of travelers, the stage is set for terminals to become a high-growth area for retailers. Bain & Company estimates…
The way we shop changed radically in 2019. It was the year two-day shipping became slow, BOPIS somehow seemed less ridiculous–perhaps because we’ve heard it so much by now–and Prime Day expanded into a two-day affair. We’ve already reflected on Amazon’s enduring impact on shopping, so here’s a look at the trends that defined the…
With store closures, one-day shipping wars between Amazon and Walmart, the ongoing tariff debacle with the U.S. and China and multiple CEO shakeups, 2019 was yet another volatile year for the retail industry. Click here to read more. The industry saw some gains as well, with numerous acquisitions of digitally native brands and more store…
Super Saturday–otherwise known by its other moniker, Panic Saturday–is the last big shopping day before Christmas. This year, with six fewer shopping days in the season, Adobe Analytics predicted online spend to increase to $1.2 billion, showing 18% growth, with the National Retail Federation estimating that 148 million Americans would shop, up from 134.3 million…
Troubled Forever 21 is bringing on Marisa Thalberg, Taco Bell’s former global chief brand officer, for a short-term project to revitalize the fast fashion retailer’s brand, the company announced on Monday. While at Taco Bell, Thalberg previously worked with Forever 21 in 2017 when the two companies collaborated on an apparel line, the Forever 21…
Confectionery manufacturers have long benefited from the human tendency to purchase products on impulse. That same instant gratification, however, simply isn’t available when shopping on the internet. The economics of shipping a single chocolate bar just don’t add up, and that’s why candy companies have been slow to hop on the direct-to-consumer bandwagon. Now, one…
Helen of Troy, a consumer products conglomerate, is acquiring prestige hair care salon Drybar for $255 million in cash, the company announced this morning. The purchase includes Drybar’s trademark and other intellectual property associated with the brand’s products, as well as related production assets and working capital. As part of the deal, Helen of Troy…
Zippin, the San Francisco-based checkout-free technology startup that closely resembles Amazon Go’s cashierless concept, closed a $12 million round in Series A funding led by Evolv Ventures on Dec. 12. Evolv Ventures, a venture fund dedicated to making investments in companies that specialize in emerging tech with the potential to transform the CPG industry, is…
Bed Bath & Beyond’s CEO Mark Tritton, who took the reins in early November, is shaking up his C-suite. Five C-level executives are leaving the home goods retailer: the chief merchandising officer, the chief marketing officer, the chief digital officer, the chief legal officer and general counsel and the chief administrative officer, the company announced…
We’re coming to the end of a decade of constantly rising consumer expectations, but the trend will only continue as we enter the 2020s. The past 10 years brought a lot of change. In 2010, on-demand services were just emerging, and we thought about mobile in terms of social apps, not commerce. This year, for…
It’s been a busy year for b8ta, the retail shop and retail-as-a-service platform. It’s worked with Macy’s, received two rounds of funding and rolled out Forum, a fashion and lifestyle version of its namesake store concept, all while expanding b8ta stores domestically and internationally. In October, b8ta opened a new store in San Francisco’s Mission…
Question for you..how many print ads did you make this year? Holy crap, that many! To make and run print ads that help build brands, we need healthy newspapers and magazines. But newspapers are slip slidin’ away at an alarming rate. Over the last 15 years, newspapers have lost $35 billion in ad revenue and […]
As legacy brands from the past surge back to life, such as Toys R Us and Lord & Taylor, newer department store models continue to expand as well. Earlier this week, retail startup Neighborhood Goods, which stocks mostly direct-to-consumer brands, opened its second store in New York’s Chelsea Market. Its first shop, in Plano, Texas,…
Pringles is back in the Big Game for the third year running, this time with the help of everyone’s favorite animated and irreverent sci-fi adventuring duo: Rick and Morty. The collaborative spot with Adult Swim will continue the theme of flavor stacking–nesting different chip flavors on top of one another to create new combinations–from the…
Levi’s offers multiple ways to customize its products, with techniques ranging from in-house tailoring, embroidered patches and denim finishing with lasers. To showcase these offerings in real life, the clothing brand has launched a customization-focused experience in Miami. Levi’s Haus Miami opened in the Wynwood Arts District on Dec. 5, timed to the city’s annual…
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