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DTC brands and platforms are passing on revenue from e-commerce as losses from physical sales losses mount. Examples include luxury watch platform Hodinkee, sustainable container brand Corkcicle and clothing rental service Wardrobe, which are using their existing e-commerce backends to help the store locations they sell their products in. This month watch-focused platform Hodinkee opened up its e-commerce platform to allow physical retailers it normally promotes, but are currently shut down for business, as well as watch brands it carries.
I’m not working today. I have bad anxiety, and have increasingly become more terrified of killing someone’s grandma. I’m not as worried about getting sick myself, so grocery shopping for me has become awful. Even before the strike, I’d been cutting back on work. Thankfully my rent is paid through April, but I’m terrified of falling behind on bills.
Unlike multi-million square foot warehouses, micro centers are typically located in much-smaller spaces within cities, averaging about 10,000 square feet. Examples include platforms like Fabric, which builds automated micro-fulfillment centers for retail clients, with a focus on grocery chains.
People don’t think of co-working spaces as operations for physical products, but all our fulfillment is done out of our office, where we have expensive equipment for custom label printing. Our teammate from California was feeling uncomfortable being in New York and went back home, and I wanted to support him on that. The timing also coincided with our other teammate leaving to have surgery, so now it’s just me, our full time head of engineering and a few part time employees.
With physical fitness facilities deemed non-essential and workout equipment selling out fast, virtual fitness startups are having a moment. Strength-training system Tonal, which launched in 2018 and retails for $2,995, is seeing a surge in sales this month. The wall-mounted weight simulation product is getting a second look from customers searching for exercise activities in confined spaces.
As the medical gear and staffing shortage increases, retail’s efforts toward coronaviruses relief are expanding beyond monetary donations. Since the virus’ outbreak in the U.S., multiple brands have announced plans to quickly offer important aid to those on the front lines of the public health crisis. Companies include direct to consumer players like Allbirds, Clove and Judy, as well as corporations like Apple, Walmart and Gap, among others. Medical gear is depleting fast, which has manufacturers like Honeywell putting factory schedules into overdrive to produce N95 masks. In the meantime, those with existing reservoirs are stepping in to replenish protective equipment and other needs for the healthcare providers who need it most.
DTC brands are going back to their roots by shifting their focus back to e-commerce.
"With everyone staying home, it’s actually been good for the puzzle business."
Radish, Everlywell and Nurx announced their own respective versions of at-home coronavirus tests.
"Landlords have been sympathetic to the retailer brands’ situation during these shutdowns."
"There is always going to be room for companies that understand a customer’s needs and deliver products with value."
The silver lining for dining establishment is the strong foot traffic quick service restaurants are seeing as quarantines take effect.
Retailers are embracing shopping rewards programs that offer bonuses beyond coupons. As brick and mortar and e-commerce retail struggle to navigate the current landscape, loyalty programs can act as a bridge to shoppers amid the Covid-19 crisis. A shift in customers’ expectations in recent years has led more retailers to adopt unique perks that reward frequent shoppers in experience-focused ways, not just discounts. Retail chains like Uniqlo, Sephora and H&M have joined the trend, along with startup direct to consumer brands like Carbon38 and Glossier.
"This could be the tipping point that finally gets Americans to adopt the bidet.”
SoulCycle's parent company joins competitors in capitalizing on the virtual fitness trend.
Brands and retailers are retaining their resources and keeping the tech stacks they have. That's according to a recent survey of brands and retailers from Modern Retail and Glossy. The respondents were asked if they've updated their e-commerce platforms in the last year, and many said they hadn't
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