When the pandemic first hit, many observers thought retailers’ resale initiatives, which offer quality second-hand and slightly imperfect apparel and home goods at a deeply discounted price and had been on the rise prior to the lockdown, would be placed on hold for safety reasons. Consumers, they thought, would potentially be concerned about the merchandise […]
Archive | Retail
Sporting Goods Get a Workout
Consumers have been boosting their purchases of sporting goods and outdoors products during the pandemic, as they search for ways to exercise safely, look to break up their homebound routines with activities outside, and, in some cases, address their fears in a turbulent time. Total retail sales of sporting goods in June 2020 were up […]
A Little Help From Your Friends
A number of retailers have set up programs in which they assist their customers in supporting healthcare workers, their neighbors, or their broader communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. These initiatives are primarily charitable, but they bring marketing and sometimes sales benefits as well: Walmart teamed with NextDoor, a social networking app for neighborhoods, for a […]
To Market, To Market
Licensors, brand owners, and retailers are starting to view online marketplaces as viable partners for a variety of collaborative ventures. In these digital “malls,” vendors small and large operate independent boutiques side by side, creating a one-stop destination for the buyers and attracting higher traffic for the sellers. The configurations of marketers’ relationships with these […]
Game On
Many retailers, both bricks-and-mortar and online, are looking to solidify their relationship with young adult, teen, and tween consumers, as well as younger future shoppers. Increasingly, they are turning to gaming as a tool in this quest. Value retailer Five Below partnered with Nerd Street Gamers, a developer of e-sports competition and training facilities, to […]
Boxes of Health and Beauty
The market for subscription boxes has been challenging for many companies. But the women’s beauty, wellness, and self-care area has been one of the bright spots. Recent examples of partnerships in this sector show its strength, as well as illustrating some of the key ways IP owners and celebrities are working with subscription box marketers: […]
Playing to Win
With the holiday season coming up quickly, it seems like a good time to take a look at what toy industry players are doing to position themselves for success. In the midst of a changing retail landscape, evolving leisure time habits among kids, trade and tariff concerns, and other challenges, companies involved in the production […]
Secondhand Clothes
Resale marketplace sites and consignment apps, which allow consumers to sell and purchase used and vintage goods—often higher-end and/or limited-edition fashion items—have been on the upswing in 2018 and 2019. The resale clothing market overall is expected to reach $51 billion by 2023, according to ThredUp’s 2019 Resale Report, compared to $24 billion in 2018. […]
Building A Well-Fitting Wardrobe by the Month
A growing number of fashion designers and celebrity-backed fashion labels have been doing deals in the plus- and extended-size market in the past year and a half, many of them for the first time. One popular strategy is to partner with a subscription box marketer specializing in this segment: Betsy Johnson entered the plus-size market […]
A Tumultuous Month for Meal Kits
A lot has happened in the constantly changing meal kit space in the last month or so, with some developments positive and some challenging. Taken together, these recent news items provide a snapshot of the current status of the meal kit business. This remains a category of interest to many licensors, especially in the celebrity, […]