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Getting products manufactured overseas, transporting them over to the United States and shipping them out to customers globally is still nearly as difficult as it was in 2020 -- and in some cases more difficult. As a result, nearly every decision that a burgeoning e-commerce startup has to make these days has to account for shipping or production delays on every little item.
Modern convenience store chain Foxtrot plans to open 50 new stores over the course of the next two years, expanding to New York City, Austin, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles and Houston. Under the expansion, Foxtrot will retain its commitment to under thirty minutes delivery and under five minutes pickup, data-driven merchandizing and 40% local goods.
For brands that focus on seasonal products, marketing efforts can be tricky to balance throughout the year. Rosé makers, for example, often have to plan for quiet winter months and demand surge during the summer. Yes Way Rosé, which primarily focuses on French-made rosé, is testing out new strategies so that it doesn't rely on only the summer months for sales.
In the past, refurbished technology was typically associated with second-rate or used, unwanted inventory. But thanks to the secondhand boom, consumers are increasingly considering professionally refurbished electronics over new ones. As a result, some online marketplaces are boosts in sales.
Weighted blanket brand Bearaby's hyper-localized digital advertising helped the brand increase revenue by 600% in 2020. Going forward, Bearaby will maintain the strategy, while adapting advertising narratives towards trends like travel and working around IOS 14 app privacy tracking by keeping users' purchasing path in a single creative-to-cart, new ad type.
Last summer, brands took a muted approach to marketing. Now, the mood is much more celebratory as some brands are rushing to host their first in-person events in nearly eighteen months. Many of these events are being planned on the fly, as some brands were hesitant to plan any indoor events until a month or two ago.
Over the years, many health and beauty direct-to-consumer brands have chosen to expand their physical retail via standalone stores or marketplaces. However, there is also a growing trend of partnering with traditional department stores or big box retailers, such as Nordstrom and Target. Urban Outfitters, once known as a hip millennial clothing retailer, is quietly building its own hub of digitally-native skincare and wellness brands.
Health care apparel brand Figs, which recently went public, has an army of nurses and doctors online. These brand ambassadors have helped give the company a name -- as well as lowered its customer acquisition costs.
Outside of athleisure, fashion sales were some of the hardest hit during the pandemic. Now, with apparel sales ticking back up again, retailers and brands are looking for ways to stand out in the crowded field -- including those in the kids clothing category. One way online children's boutique Maisonette is approaching this is by launching its third private label.
Roughly two months after the iOS14 update rolled out, direct-to-consumer startups are still trying to understand the impact of it. The impact felt by DTC startups has widely varied, according to the four media marketers and media buyers. Multiple brands reported their cost per impressions (CPMs) rising on Facebook since the iOS14 update, while the conversion and purchase-related data Facebook reports back seems to be less accurate.
After a year of vying for shelf space and digital customers, premium beverage companies are strategizing how to retain their newfound customers. Startup brands like Olipop, Sunwink and Swoon are looking for new long-term ways to keep shoppers replenishing as the pandemic winds down.
This summer, several brands are abandoning the traditional showroom and getting on the road. As pop-ups and showrooms return, brands including Cuyana and Maker&Son are bringing their inventory to customers via a showroom-on-wheels concept.
Over the past year, many retail startups experimented with virtual events. But for Monica + Andy, an eight year old baby clothing brand, virtual events became a regular part of its marketing strategy. Now, Monica + Andy presents a potential case study as to how DTC brands might approach events going forward: CEO Monica Royer said she expects half of Monica + Andy's events to be virtual, half in-person, going forward.
This month marked the first time that two million passengers were screened in airports on a single day. Suitcase and travel brands are embracing the return of air travel by offering new products, expanding into new markets and doubling down on brick-and-mortar.
The direct-to-consumer chewing gum brands have been pushing one idea in particular: Rather than positioning chewing gum as an afterthought purchase, they want turn it into a high-price, premium product that consumers seek out on direct-to-consumer websites the way they might with a houseplant or a meal kit.
Every interaction a customer has with a brand is an opportunity to nurture the customer-brand relationship. This report highlights tactics that top brands are using to improve the customer experience.
While other states have had conflicting rulings over Amazon's liability risk -- a court in Texas last month said Amazon wasn’t on the hook for a battery sold by a third party, for instance -- the growing number of legal authorities who are holding Amazon accountable is a concerning sign for the company. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission lawsuit is only the latest.
Read MoreAt Modern Retail’s Livestream Commerce Trends, we’ll explore how the growth of livestream and video shopping trends are transforming how retailers, brands and marketing teams are engaging with consumers in-stream and live across social and owned-and-operated websites.
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