Unlike Its Competitors, Clorox Is Building Its Own Direct-to-Consumer Business In-House

For a 106-year-old brand, The Clorox Company is taking an unconventional approach to the direct-to-consumer model. Instead of embarking on an acquisition spree, like Unilever did when it acquired Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion, or building a team entirely in-house, Clorox poached former Boxed marketing chief Jackson Jeyanayagam in January to write the playbook…

Alibaba Hits $38.4 Billion on Singles Day 2019

It was another record-breaking day for retail as Chinese ecommerce platform Alibaba rang up 268.4 billion yuan ($38.4 billion) during Singles Day 2019. This was the 11th so-called 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, and consumers once again demonstrated that the 24-hour sale, which started out as a means to sell coats in 2009, is an ecommerce…

Consumers Worldwide Are Eating More Snacks Than Meals

Everyone loves a good snack now and then, but a new survey by Mondel?z International proves that snacking is a lot more important to our culture than we might think. The 2019 State of Snacking report analyzing global consumer snacking trends and found that 6 in 10 adults “can’t imagine their life without snacks.” That…

Why Taylor Swift’s Singles Day Performance Could Be Trouble (Trouble, Trouble)

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift will perform at Alibaba’s Singles Day countdown gala on Nov. 10, following other U.S.-based performers like Mariah Carey and Pharrell Williams in recent years. In terms of the promotional opportunity, it’s a logical move for Swift, who headlined Amazon’s first-ever Prime Day concert in July leading up to the release of her…

Why One Ikea Location Suddenly Has Quotes Around Its Name

Typically, seeing quotes around a brand name would make you understandably wary, in the same way you’d be reluctant to eat something that someone described with air-quotes as “food.” But with Ikea’s Wembley location in London, there’s a good–albeit a bit obscure–reason why the chain has put quote marks around its name on the front…

Barneys New York’s Fate Is Sealed After Authentic Brands Acquisition Gets Court Approval

Barneys New York’s bankruptcy woes have come to an end–and likely, so has the store’s storied history as a standalone retailer. On Oct. 31, a New York State bankruptcy court approved the sale of Barneys New York to Authentic Brands, parent company of brands like Frederick’s of Hollywood and Nine West, and financial services company…

One of the Best Holiday Ads in Years Just Kicked Off Christmas Season

It’s usually hard to get excited about Christmas when you’re still two months away, and the marketing around it can be especially exasperating so early in the calendar. But here’s a worthy exception. British catalog retailer Argos today unveiled this year’s holiday season ad, and it’s an instant classic. Created by agency The&Partnership, the long-form…

Target’s Holiday Campaign Features a Cast of 125 in Nearly 100 Scenes

Halloween costumes may not yet be packed away, and jack-0-lanterns are still scattered around stoops across the country, but it’s Nov. 1–and that means retailers are ushering in the holiday season. And with the start of the holiday season (or at the very least, the holiday preseason, for those who won’t acknowledge it until after…

Google’s Holiday Shopping Report Points Retailers to 3 Key Areas to Focus On

Each year, the holiday season creeps just a bit earlier, and 2019 is no exception. Target and Walmart each rolled out holiday deals back-to-back, with the former introducing one-day shipping starting Nov. 1 and the latter already offering its “Early deals drop.” With an expected 4% year-over-year increase in retail sales from last year, according…

5 Ways to Beat Amazon at Its Own Game This Holiday Season

Of the holiday gifts shoppers will buy online this year, 42% expect to purchase all or most of them from Amazon, according to a new report from web content management firm Episerver. On the flip side, 47% will buy few or none of their gifts from Amazon, which means nearly half the market is still…

Retailers Need to Learn How to Effectively Juggle In-Store and Online Shopping

As I waited in line at a popular local restaurant, I watched the lone cashier assist a constant flow of drivers from four different delivery services who were picking up orders. I smiled sympathetically at her as she arranged orders on the counter. She was kind and efficient at her job, but there was no…

Campbell’s Mark Clouse on Keeping a 150-Year-Old Brand Relevant

Campbell Soup Company president and CEO Mark Clouse joined the brand in January 2019, becoming just the 14th leader in its 150-year history. Earlier this month, Clouse gathered with employees from New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange as part of the brand’s anniversary…

Direct-to-Consumer Brands Are Using Search Terms on Pinterest to Find Success

As customer acquisition costs rise among the digital duopoly, direct-to-consumer brands are looking to any other platform to gain an edge over competitors and scale the business. For many DTC brands, Pinterest’s become a safe haven to test campaigns, reach different parts of the funnel and receive more customers. Pinterest has scaled up its ad…

Gap’s Sweet Holiday Campaign Follows the Bond Between a Mother and Son

They say it’s the thought that counts, and that’s what Gap has chosen to remind people of as the holiday shopping season kicks into gear. In a departure from its typically cheery, dance-filled campaigns, the retailer’s latest effort takes a more understated, emotional approach. Created by Johannes Leonardo, the spot opens with a mom tearing…

Target and Walmart Are Focusing on In-Store Ease for the Shorter Holiday Season

Halloween is one week away, but retailers are already looking ahead to the December holiday season–and all the shopping that comes with it. Target and Walmart revealed their plans for the holiday season this week, with both retailers looking to staff up and roll out seasonal promotions early to jump ahead of the holiday season….

Brooklinen Debuts Spaces, an Online Marketplace for Bedroom Products

Many direct-to-consumer brands are starting to follow the traditional trajectory that legacy companies were once admonished for: Grow into as many tangential categories as possible. Allbirds started its business with footwear and now sells socks; Everlane launched with basic wardrobe staples and has since expanded into sneakers and other product categories. Brooklinen, the 5-year-old DTC…

Rothy’s Won’t Chase Trends—It’s Making Them

Rothy’s, a direct-to-consumer footwear brand founded in 2012, knows how much its customers love the shoe. The brand doesn’t necessarily need to dig deep to figure out how they like a silhouette or a color, either. There are several Facebook groups dedicated to discussing, buying, selling and trading the shoe, including one called Rothy’s Addicts…

B8ta Is Moving Beyond Consumer Electronics and Entering Fashion and Lifestyle

As legacy retailers struggle to figure out what will bring consumers through their doors, upstarts like b8ta are hitting on ways to help how brands can work with stores. On Nov. 15, b8ta is expanding its reach and rolling out Forum, a shop with rotating sustainable and ethical fashion and lifestyle brands in Los Angeles….

Walmart’s In-Home Grocery Delivery Service Is Live

In-kitchen and in-garage grocery delivery is now available from Walmart in four locations: Pittsburgh, Pa., Kansas City, Mo., Kansas City, Kan., and Vero Beach, Fla. In a blog post, Walmart said over 1 million customers will be able to use the service. Before these consumers can avail themselves of in-kitchen and in-garage delivery, a rep…

Employee Protests Are on the Rise at Retailers Like Amazon and Walmart

With a rallying cry of “We are humans, not robots,” workers in Amazon’s warehouses have walked out multiple times this year over issues like a 30-hour-per-week cap and working conditions. While a spokesperson for the National Labor Relations Board said it does not track employee protests, staff at retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair and Whole…