‘A litmus test for Black Friday’: How U.S. brands got in on Singles’ Day On the beginning of Nov. 11, or Singles’ Day as it has come to be known, Chinese e-commerce giant reported $1 billion in sales in the first minute of the day. Within the first hour, that number ballooned to $12 billion before finally ending the full day at a record-breaking...
Why Gap is banking on the questionable spinoff of Old Navy Art Peck’s departure comes at a time when Gap and all of its brands, even Old Navy, have been hit with tough times and declining growth in sales. Spinning off Old Navy, the one bright spot in Gap’s portfolio, was part of Peck’s plan to revitalize the company. But under...
Why Adidas sees sustainable products as a ‘growth opportunity for years to come’ In 2015, when Adidas first launched its Parley for the Oceans line of sneakers, made from recycled ocean plastic, they sold only a million pairs. In 2019, Paul Murphy, senior PR manager for U.S. sports at Adidas said he expects to sell 11 million.
How resellers are elevating their tech tools to stay ahead of competition On the top floor of The RealReal’s Madison Avenue store, opened May 1 this year, senior valuations manager for jewelry Katie Ward has a 60x magnification lens that lets her spot the minuscule details of a sapphire ring. Those differences -- a small round spot that indicates the gem was...
Brands are linking influencers and Instagram Checkout to drive sales Brands can grant influencers and collaborators access to the store, making their products shoppable from the partner's account in addition to their own. Ultimately, the goal for brands using Instagram Checkout is bringing customers' point of sale as close as possible to where they're already browsing for discovery and making...
Zac Posen is the latest mid-size luxury brand to be squeezed out by conglomerate giants Last week, Zac Posen announced the shuttering of his company House of Z -- including Zac Posen, affordable handbag line ZAC Zac Posen and Saks-exclusive contemporary brand Z Spoke -- citing the difficulty of the current fashion market and his inability to find a partner that could help bring the...
How Rebecca Minkoff used video to lower customer acquisition costs Shifting to more personal videos, posted on a variety of social channels, had a massive and relatively immediate effect on the brand, cutting customer acquisition costs significantly. Moving forward, it plans to increase its focus on video, expanding to YouTube and keeping the focus on low-cost videos that work to...
How Cosabella is growing its business through private label and collaborations Cosabella, an Italian lingerie company, has made its own brand a priority since it launched in 1983. But in recent years, as Victoria’s Secret’s dominance of the market has waned and a big crop of DTC brands have looked to get in on lingerie, private label and collaborations have increasingly...
Plan B: How low conversion rates inspired M.M.LaFleur to change its business model When she first started womenswear brand M.M.LaFleur, the biggest mistake made by Sarah LaFleur was that she took it as a given that high-quality product at an affordable price would be enough to drive sales. She quickly learned that quality product doesn't translate online, and updated her business model to...