Stay in Touch
A closed, decentralized ecosystem like Discord might not seem like a place for brands to flock to. But in recent months, a growing number -- including those outside of the gaming world -- have begun testing the platform. Resale site StockX debuted a Discord server in June, and brands like AllSaints, Chipotle and Jack in the Box have all hosted events and Q&As in their own Discord servers.
This summer, two delivery services -- GoPuff and DoorDash -- have each taken preliminary steps toward deploying private-label food products. GoPuff, for instance, launched its own line of ghost kitchens -- or food preparation hubs without storefronts attached -- from which the company plans to produce meals from existing brands as well as its own private-label recipes.
Amazon aggregators are beginning to turn to B-to-B sellers for growth. But in focusing on this segment, aggregators are also underscoring just how big of an opportunity B-to-B has quietly become for Amazon -- and Amazon sellers -- writ large.
In its quest to become everything to its customers and its sellers -- the company that both controls the plurality of retail sales in the U.S. and manages shipping and fulfillment for an ever-larger share of its millions of sellers -- Amazon might, in some ways, have over-promised what it can handle.
As buy now pay later services achieve ubiquity across e-commerce, they are looking to advertising as a new revenue stream. Last week, Afterpay announced the launch of its in-house ad network, which it is calling Afterpay Ads. . For these companies, advertising is a way to earn back their losses elsewhere -- and convince retailers to pay more for their services.
For years, creators and influencers have relied on ad-based revenue and sponsorship deals to earn an income on social platform, such as Instagram and YouTube. This has resulted in a select few influencers becoming sought-after, while many micro-influencers struggle to monetize their content without big brand deals. Now, new live streaming resale platform Galaxy wants to attract these creators with a revenue-sharing model.
A soon-to-launch demand side advertising platform allows Walmart to use the first-party data it has already amassed on U.S. shoppers in order to reach them across the web. With it, Walmart is able to give brands granular data about each shopper even when they aren’t on the Walmart platform, a fact that also lets brands re-target customers who might have viewed their product but didn’t make a purchase.
Amazon’s department store plan, if it does come to fruition, underscores something else: Amazon, which until recently was a purely e-commerce operation, has ramped up its investment in physical retail stores over the past three years. In addition to department stores, it’s in the process of building close to 40 Fresh grocery stores in the near future, which add to its total of 30 Go convenience stores and 24 Amazon Books stores.
A significant challenge for Twitch as it tightens its moderation policies is content like hot tub streams, which dance on the edge of acceptability.
The pandemic helped bring resale into the mainstream, with several platforms benefiting from the trend of young consumers buying and selling goods. One company that's experienced an influx in users, both young and outside the Gen Z demographic, is StockX. While the platform began as a go-to for rare, hard-to-find sneakers, StockX is working to diversify its partnerships and offerings to cater to a global audience.
As eBay and Amazon struggle against the pressures of verifying the authenticity of these cards, niche sites like TCGplayer, Cardmarket and Troll and Toad have emerged as influential hubs for buying and selling trading cards.
In 2018, Goja was one of the top 40 Amazon sellers in the world, and a year later, in 2019, it received an investment from JP Morgan, 3L Capital and Next Coast Ventures for an undisclosed amount in order to begin acquiring existing brands for the first time. Goja founder Walter Gonzalez Jr. spoke with Modern Retail about how the landscape has evolved.
Though Amazon has warehouses virtually everywhere in the U.S. in order to meet its delivery commitments, its physical footprint is not equally spread out across the country. As e-commerce booms, it’s beginning to reshape the landscape of some cities. A new air hub in Cincinnati showcases this.
While virtual trade shows were initially seen as a temporary blip amid the pandemic, companies like Faire and FashionGo now say they have no plans to stop. Both companies said their number of attendees has continued to increase for events in 2021 versus last year. As more and more wholesalers add e-commerce options, attending a digital trade show to find new products, too, may soon become a routine feature of the industry.
While some experts see Amazon delivery bots as having potential to reach customers, in general, “it’s just not gaining as much traction as you’d expect at that point,” said one expert. Delivery robots, on ground or by air, have never gotten past the pilot phase. And recent Amazon changes help explain why.
The Nation Retail Federation predicts record Halloween sales of $10.14 billion this year with candy and costumes, in particular, growing 20% and 28%. Still, while in person shopping opens up alongside an in-person holiday, Halloween e-commerce continues to thrive in 2021. And retailers are preparing accordingly.
Read MoreAt the Modern Retail Summit, retail marketers will discuss everything from the Amazon effect to new infrastructure to the shift in the direct-to-consumer world.
Book Passes
