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Retailers have accelerated their investments in automation amid the persistent labor shortage. They've rented robots, tested self-driving cars and even deployed cooking robots — in some cases, it can be cheaper than hiring a human.
The Instagram brand is over. Instead, TikTok brands -- with video-friendly products and brand founders embracing a social creator role -- are on the rise. A mix of unfiltered content, creator-minded founders and products in use drive virality on the platform.
The food startup recently raised a total of $7 million in its first outside funding round. Equilibra Ventures, a startup incubation platform founded by Kind Snacks CEO and Shark Tank guest host Daniel Lubetzky, and other angel investors participated in the round.
A brand called Bonavita was one of the first to make a good affordable at-home automatic drip coffee machine. But recent legal battles put its future in limbo. Now, Bonavita is trying to rise again -- but it still has some skeletons in the closet.
The subscription box was part of the 2010 startup zeitgeist, but, as time went on, the model proved challenging to scale. In turn, formerly subscription-box-only startups have turned to new avenues of revenue like direct-sell, retail partnerships and more personalized subscription.
Grocery store merchandising is becoming more data-driven to reflect changing consumer tastes. One company that's jumping on the strategy is Schwan's, which makes several brands of frozen that include its growing Asian-inspired SKUs.
At streetwear resale platform StockX kids' streetwear and sneaker resales are up 150% year-over-year. Parents are now increasingly willing to buy into the streetwear hype-cycle of limited edition, $100-plus hoodies for their kids. In turn, brands have a new opportunity to release buzzy kids styles at higher price-points, and to embrace the limited edition marketing and product drop cycle of formerly adult-only streetwear brands.
Grocery giants H-E-B and Albertsons are producing shoppable cooking videos, hoping they drive more online purchases. Some are relying on platforms like Facebook Live and YouTube, while others are hosting the content on their own websites.
On Thursday, Cole Haan released its first sustainable sneaker made of 25% recycled materials, and a new outsole technology made from dandelion rubber. The new rubber tech, dubbed “Flowerfoam,” is one of many proprietary materials that Cole Haan has released in the past few years. As casualization hits fashion, the brand has been pivoting from its traditional dresswear roots into athletic footwear, high performance materials and more casual versions of its dressier styles.
Despite investments ranging from NFTs to buzzy collaborations, mall stalwart Gap hasn't been able to rebrand at scale: last week, the brand's parent company, Gap Inc., was downgraded to a midcap stock and removed from the S&P 500. It's not as though Gap hasn't attempted to rebrand, but the problem is the piecemeal nature of these efforts.
Retailers typically go on a hiring blitz later in the year in preparation for the busiest shopping season of the year. But due to the competitive labor market, several retailers like Home Depot and Adidas aren't done hiring yet.
Wedding retailer David's Bridal announced the launch of Jules and Cleo, a juniors eventwear private label. As brides postpone their weddings amid the continued pandemic and inflation increases product prices across categories, a juniors private label allows David's Bridal to diversify via a low-priced line.
Resale companies like the RealReal and Rebag are vying for a slice of a potentially massive circular economy that insiders claim is growing due to a socially-conscious shift toward sustainability and away from fast fashion. Despite having been around for years, online luxury resale's brick and mortar locations are freshly valuable due to their ability to capture new customers amid an ongoing rise in digital marketing costs, and as people are returning to physical retail.
With prices rising, history would indicate that consumers should have been leaning towards store-owned brands. Large retailers like Kroger, Target and Walmart may be set to benefit.
By the third quarter of 2021, the out of home industry was already up 10% in year-to-date revenue compared to 2020, according to the Out Of Home Advertising Association. To stand out in the space and make their marketing more interactive, brands are testing out everything from tying NFTs to traditional billboards to turning store windows into live performances.
Away's new line is yet another sign that retailers are catering to new travel habits, which involve an increasing amount of car trips, close-to-home getaways, and outdoor adventures.
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