Modern Retail

04/25/2021

Why more brands are offering try-before-you-buy options

Some fashion startups are adopting the Stitch Fix model.

Some luxury companies are adding “try-before-you-buy” capabilities to their listings to reduce the number of product returns.

04/24/2021

Online used car sales are booming -- but the road remains bumpy

E-commerce marketplaces specializing in used car sales are having a moment — sort of.

As e-commerce continues to sweep the retail world, it has ensnared even nontraditional online purchases, including expensive items like cars.

04/24/2021

As shipping costs increase, brands are rethinking their growth strategies

Over the past year, a surge in e-commerce orders showcased the pressure shipping carriers face. As a result, the delivery companies are increasing their prices.

Carriers -- including FedEx and UPS -- announced that their recent holiday surcharges will stay in place as demand continues.

04/24/2021

To increase margins, ghost kitchens are going B-to-B

Zuul Market’s model offers an early glimpse of a much larger effort by the ghost kitchen industry to establish itself in institutional food markets, largely as a way to keep up their pace of growth even as the pandemic starts to fade.

For ghost kitchen companies like Zuul, focusing on bulk orders helps dramatically cut the cost of delivery and logistics.

04/23/2021

Amazon Salon hints at the e-commerce giant's B-to-B ambitions

Few people probably associate Amazon with the salon business -- but the company has been making consistent beauty inroads.

Few people probably associate Amazon with the salon business -- but the company has been making consistent beauty inroads.

04/23/2021

Affirm seeks to go beyond buy now pay later with its Returnly acquisition

Buy now, pay later startup Affirm is looking to acquisitions to gain an edge over its competitors.

Buy now, pay later startup Affirm is looking to acquisitions to gain an edge over its competitors.

04/22/2021

DTC furniture brand Floyd is launching a resale marketplace

Direct-to-consumer furniture brand Floyd is launching its own resale marketplace, called Full Cycle, as a way to prolong their products' life cycle in the market. The move is part of the company's sustainability mission, but also offers customers a discounted alternative to Floyd's products.

Furniture brand Floyd, which launched its flagship bed frame back in 2015, is adding a resale component to its business.

04/22/2021

The e-commerce services war escalates

Amazon Briefing: The e-commerce services war escalates

Ready-to-assemble furniture has become a dominant player, especially as e-commerce ascends in the furniture industry.

04/22/2021

Crocs president Michelle Poole on the shoe brand's influencer strategy

According to Crocs president Michelle Poole, the company's success was thanks to the brand keeping its ear to the ground and remaining scrappy.

Crocs, known for its ubiquitous plastic slip-ons, saw revenue grow 12.6% year-over-year, hitting $1.39 billion.

04/22/2021

The e-commerce services war escalates

Amazon is reportedly thinking of getting into the furniture assembly business. The new service, if Amazon does eventually roll it out, would seem to bring Amazon’s services offerings more in-house. It also seems to be a defensive play against companies like Wayfair and Walmart, which have offered in-home assembly for years, and which have seen their online furniture sales surge over the past year.

Ready-to-assemble furniture has become a dominant player, especially as e-commerce ascends in the furniture industry.

04/22/2021

Why more brands are offering try-before-you-buy options | Modern Retail

As more consumers shop online, brands are looking for ways to minimize return rates and keep logistics costs low.

As more consumers shop online, brands are looking for ways to minimize return rates and keep logistics costs low. One solution for this is "try before you buy," which allows customers to test out their order and pay for what they want to keep. While services like Amazon Wardrobe and Stitch Fix helpe...

04/21/2021

Online used car sales are booming -- but the road remains bumpy

E-commerce marketplaces specializing in used car sales are having a moment — sort of.

As e-commerce continues to sweep the retail world, it has ensnared even nontraditional online purchases, including expensive items like cars.

04/21/2021

Cheatsheet: Oatly's losses grow as the oat milk brand eyes global domination | Modern Retail

Oatly wants to become the go-to alternative to dairy all around the world.

Oatly wants to become the go-to alternative to dairy all around the world. In order to do so, the oat milk brand just filed to go public in the U.S. Oatly's rise has been rapid -- a Swedish company, Oatly Group AB only started selling its products in the U.S. in 2017. And last year, it had revenue o...

04/20/2021

As shipping costs increase, brands are rethinking their growth strategies

Over the past year, a surge in e-commerce orders showcased the pressure shipping carriers face. As a result, the delivery companies are increasing their prices.

Carriers -- including FedEx and UPS -- announced that their recent holiday surcharges will stay in place as demand continues.

04/20/2021

DTC Briefing: Sustainability is becoming a bigger -- and murkier -- selling point for startups | Modern Retail

Direct-to-consumer brands have been conditioned to think that as modern companies, they need to have some sort of sustainability component. The problem is that there are a lot of different ways that brands are trying to claim that they are “sustainable,” and it’s not immediately clear which of these practices actually have the biggest environmental benefits. As a result, sustainability often feel more like a marketing ploy than a practice that actually results in real change.

Direct-to-consumer brands have been conditioned to think that as modern companies, they need to have some sort of sustainability component. The problem is that there are a lot of different ways that brands are trying to claim that they are “sustainable,” and it’s not immediately clear which of...

04/20/2021

DTC Briefing: Sustainability is becoming a bigger -- and murkier -- selling point for startups | Modern Retail

DTC Briefing: Sustainability is becoming a bigger -- and murkier -- selling point for startups

Direct-to-consumer brands have been conditioned to think that as modern companies, they need to have some sort of sustainability component. The problem is that there are a lot of different ways that brands are trying to claim that they are “sustainable,” and it’s not immediately clear which of...

04/20/2021

Bed Bath & Beyond's chief merchandising officer on the retailer's in-house brands strategy

After spending the year building out its digital strategy, Bed Bath & Beyond is turning its attention to merchandising.

After spending the year building out its digital strategy, Bed Bath & Beyond is turning its attention to merchandising.

04/19/2021

Target is looking beyond its stores to make the last mile of delivery more efficient

For the past several years, Target has centered its e-commerce strategy around using its stores to fulfill online orders. And while that has proven to be more cost-effective, the model also has its limitations.

Relying solely on stores to fulfill online orders has its limitations -- namely, that it takes up a lot of space.

04/19/2021

To increase margins, ghost kitchens are going B-to-B

Ghost kitchen company Zuul is partnering with landlords -- and the model offers an early glimpse of a much larger effort by the ghost kitchen industry to establish itself in institutional food markets.

For ghost kitchen companies like Zuul, focusing on bulk orders helps dramatically cut the cost of delivery and logistics.

04/18/2021

How online florist UrbanStems leaned in on self gifting to grow sales

As daily habits shifted in the past year, so has gifting. Floral arrangements’ popularity, in particular, saw unexpected popularity throughout the year.

UrbanStems said consumers have increasingly utilized flower arrangements for both home decor and to foster connections over the past year.

04/18/2021

Taika CEO Michael Sharon on growing a coffee brand during the pandemic

Taika co-founder and CEO Michael Sharon joined the Modern Retail Podcast this week and spoke about how the company has been able to grow over the last year.

If you text the phone number on a can of the coffee drink Taika, chances are that a human will respond. This is by design.

04/18/2021

As brands consider opening pop-ups, New York City loses its luster

The increase in vaccinations over the spring has coincided with an uptick in pop-ups from e-commerce companies.

E-commerce brands are getting ready to test the waters of physical retail again, but not necessarily on the streets of Soho like before.

04/17/2021

Retailers are increasingly launching third-party marketplaces

As e-commerce competition intensifies, a growing number of retail brands are trying to stay competitive by adding more and more to their selection.

Traditional retailers and retail brands are increasingly building out third-party marketplaces as part of a much larger marketplace boom.

04/17/2021

Why Grove Collaborative is launching at Target

The San Francisco-based company, which sells eco-friendly home essentials and personal care products, is bringing some of its offerings to Target stores later this month.

After years of building out its digital marketplace, Grove Collaborative is landing at its first retail location.

04/17/2021

How apparel brands are mapping out their post-pandemic strategies

Now, as more people get vaccinated, apparel retailers are hoping that customers will want to get dressed up again heading into the summer.

Apparel retailers are eagerly looking forward to summer, as they are some of the businesses that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic.

04/16/2021

How online florist UrbanStems leaned in on self gifting to grow sales

UrbanStems said consumers have increasingly utilized flower arrangements for both home decor and to foster connections over the past year.

UrbanStems said consumers have increasingly utilized flower arrangements for both home decor and to foster connections over the past year.

04/16/2021

Amazon's latest investor letter highlights importance of marketplace

Amazon estimates that nearly 60% of its business comes from third-party sellers, showing just how important the marketplace has become.

Amazon estimates that nearly 60% of its business comes from third-party sellers, showing just how important the marketplace has become.

04/16/2021

Stitch Fix is preparing for its next phase of growth

Stitch Fix is increasingly looking to invest in new products and services to fuel its next stage of growth.

Sitch Fix is increasingly looking to invest in new products and services to fuel its next stage of growth.

04/15/2021

Logistics, third-party sellers & Alexa: What to know from Amazon's investor letter | Modern Retail

In his investor letter, Jeff Bezos confirmed that Amazon Prime now has “more than 200 million subscribers” worldwide. But beyond that top-line figure, a few other numbers in the Bezos letter illustrate exactly where that growth is coming from -- and largely confirm existing speculation about the ascendancy of Amazon’s third-party sellers, its accelerating logistics footprint and the growth of its Alexa system.

In his investor letter, Jeff Bezos confirmed that Amazon Prime now has “more than 200 million subscribers” worldwide. But beyond that top-line figure, a few other numbers in the Bezos letter illustrate exactly where that growth is coming from -- and largely confirm existing speculation about the...

04/15/2021

To keep customers engaged, e-commerce brands are creating buyer journeys that also offer relevant content. Here’s how marketers are approaching personalization in 2021. Sponsored by ROKT. https://bit.ly/3gexMQS

To keep customers engaged, e-commerce brands are creating buyer journeys that also offer relevant content. Here’s how marketers are approaching personalization in 2021. Sponsored by ROKT. https://bit.ly/3gexMQS

04/15/2021

Taika CEO Michael Sharon on growing a coffee brand during the pandemic

Taika co-founder and CEO Michael Sharon joined the Modern Retail Podcast this week and spoke about how the company has been able to grow over the last year.

If you text the phone number on a can of the coffee drink Taika, chances are that a human will respond. This is by design.

04/15/2021

As brands consider opening pop-ups, New York City loses its luster

E-commerce brands are getting ready to test the waters of physical retail again — but not necessarily on the streets of Soho that they used to flock to before.

E-commerce brands are getting ready to test the waters of physical retail again, but not necessarily on the streets of Soho like before.

04/15/2021

Why Amazon is investing in physical grocery stores

In under a year, Amazon has laid the groundwork for a national, physical grocery chain.

In under a year, Amazon has laid the groundwork for a national, physical grocery chain after shuttering its Pantry product.

04/15/2021

Pandemic-era consumers want more than the standard in-store or online shopping options. Download this guide to learn how fashion retailers can create an omnichannel experience for all types of shoppers. Sponsored by Adobe. https://bit.ly/3acS6hU

Pandemic-era consumers want more than the standard in-store or online shopping options. Download this guide to learn how fashion retailers can create an omnichannel experience for all types of shoppers. Sponsored by Adobe. https://bit.ly/3acS6hU

04/15/2021

'No longer on hold': Bridal brands are preparing for a wedding boom | Modern Retail

After a year of postponed and canceled events, wedding-focused retailers are ready for a demand spike.

After a year of postponed and canceled events, wedding-focused retailers are ready for a demand spike. The pandemic has led many shops to shutter or adapt by offering virtual consultations. However, industry experts note that unlike other categories, bridal dress shopping is still largely reliant on...