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As inflation wrecks havoc on Americans' shopping habits, luxury brands have become even more exclusive thanks to historical price hikes. These factors, according to luxury resale platforms, create an opportunity to court high-end shoppers looking for deals.
With more direct-to-consumer brands entering retail, they face the challenge of standing out on a shelf instead of social media feeds. That's why DTC brand Omsom, known for its East Asian and Southeast Asian sauces, rethought its packaging and look for its first major retail debut at Whole Foods.
These days, brand founders are trying to find authentic ways to connect and engage with potential customers. One brand foregoing the now-standard digital advertising tactic in favor of word-of-mouth Reddit buzz is Short story. The styling service specializes in petite women's fashion, and uses forums to talk about their products and fit.
CPG startups are constantly trying to get creative with their marketing. One brand, Aura Bora, is taking a page out of the playbook of fast food chains by offering its most loyal customers a secret menu of limited-edition flavors like banana bergamot and mango chili.
Affiliate marketing has long been a staple in online marketing, with many brands utilizing reviews and gift guides to create brand awareness and sales. But with digital advertising going through growing pains, more DTC brands are considering the channel as a cheaper alternative to social ads.
J.Crew is the latest retailer to overhaul its rewards program to make it more enticing for shoppers to use often. Through its new J.Crew Passport program, the company is taking a page out of subsidiary Madewell's playbook by offering tiered rewards for its most loyal customers.
After years of operating exclusively direct-to-consumer brand, Glossier is branching out into wholesale. As part of this new direction under new CEO Kyle Leahy, the company is also restructuring internally to better support wholesale and retail expansion. This week, Glossier laid off about two dozen employees as it ramps up hiring of new positions that specialize in supply chain and wholesale distribution.
Rent the Runway continues to forge its profitability path by diversifying beyond fashion rentals. The company's latest move is a partnership with Saks Off 5th, the off-price department store owned by Saks Fifth Avenue, which will sell pre-worn Rent the Runway items through its website.
As more traditional retailers test shoppable video content, some are trying to maximize their existing audience to increase engagement. One example is The Fresh Market, which is promoting videos highlighting new products and cooking tips to its existing newsletter subscribers.
SoulCycle's latest marketing tactic features a direct shot at competitor Peloton. After a few years of struggling to get people to workout at its studios, the company has a national campaign touting the benefits of in-person classes.
In its third year in business, DTC underwear brand Parade is rapidly expanding its products and retail footprint. This week, the company announced its new retail partnership with Urban Outfitters, marking its first distribution partnership with a third-party retailer.
Despite Instacart's softening revenue, brands continue to bet on grocery delivery. Several CPG startups spoke about how they're utilizing Instacart Ads and the challenges of gaming the platform's algorithm.
With digital advertising costs continuing to rise, direct-to-consumer brands are finding new channels to allocate their marketing dollars to. Some are turning to professional sports sponsorships to obtain and grow their audiences.
When Amazon started its Prime Day shopping event in 2015, many of the limited-time deals were focused on tech and gadgets. However, more and more, grocery and CPG brands are participating in the annual event -- both to increase sales and acquire new customers more cheaply.
After years of facing volatile foot traffic, coffee shops -- both large chains and independent operators -- are still trying to adapt to new consumption patterns. As an added challenge, higher prices are also deterring frequent visits. In turn, these businesses are trying new and old tactics to draw customers in more often.
Despite grappling with the impact of excess inventory and shifting customer spending, Walmart reported that it is steadily resolving some of the issues impacting its bottom line. The retail giant is battling headwinds on several fronts, but thanks to value propositions, experts said it is able to weather the storm.
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