Not Just a Miracle – Not Just a Department Store

While JC Penney, Kohl’s and Target struggle to regain their “mojo,” or better put, to save their butts, Macy’s seems to be mojo-fueled and on a trajectory to be the last man standing. Or, are they simply stealing sales away from their befuddled competitors? The answer is a mixture of both.

The Macy\’s on 34th Street today, is no miracle, nor are its recent positive (albeit aligned with a weak economy) financial results. It\’s just the result of the strategic vision and methodical, complex tactical implementation of CEO Terry Lundgren and his five-star team. The store is a shopper’s delight, an audio-visual stimulating experience, one special event after another, \”Black Friday,\” and Christmas energy every day. Their many exclusive brands are showcased in a boutique-like shopping environment, and it\’s obvious that Macy\’s has evolved its brands and experience for the Millennial generation, soon to be the primary consumer segment. Over time, I expect Macy\’s will spread the miracle across most of their roughly 800 doors.

Department Stores\’ Last Man Standing or a Different Model?

If not \”the last man standing\” among department stores (an apt reference to Gary Cooper in the classic film, High Noon), Macy\’s clearly created a differentiated national brand that they dominate. In a retail industry that I expect will struggle for growth between 2% to 3%, at best, for years to come, in which discounting is the weapon of necessity (Macy\’s included), Macy\’s is outpacing the pack with its \”My Macy\’s\” localization strategy and ongoing pursuit of a seamlessly integrated omnichannel; plus “Magic Macy’s” elevated consumer service (including new augmented reality technology), as well as its continual focus on the \”experience.\”

In fact, I wish they would stop calling their business model a department store. I believe that sometime in the not too distant future the terms “wholesale” and “retail” will cease to exist as relics of the past, defining business models that are ceasing to exist. And, the classic “department store” definition will become irrelevant as well.

In the second edition, of our updated book, The New Rules of Retail, (due to be released in August), we redefine retailing into three sectors: “Omni-Brand to Consumer,” Commoditization,” and “Liquidation.” The Omni-Brand to Consumer sector is best positioned strategically for maximum competitive advantage and profitable growth.

The business models in this sector are destination brands, not nameplates. These brands are highly differentiated, including unique, mentally indelible experiences. Ultimately the brand is the creator of the largest percentage of all products and services sold (if not, they exercise dominant control). These brands will then control the distribution of its goods, including the experience, on all relevant distribution platforms, seamlessly integrated, from creation to consumption.

As Macy’s continues to evolve, in my opinion, they will begin to look like the poster child of this newly defined Omni-Brand to Consumer sector.

The Future is Now

I refer back to some quotes from an article I wrote for The Robin Report in 2011 to give context to Macy’s evolution. At the time, Lundgren commented that the massive $400 million expansion and restoration that Macy’s was undergoing, would create “a modern, customer-centric shopping experience” to reflect “how a new generation of customers prefers to shop.” His next statement was the one that really caught my attention. He said, “In many cases, product will be organized by lifestyle to help customers create looks and build wardrobes across categories.”

The significance of that last statement might have gone unnoticed by many. But Lundgren’s commitment to this lifestyle aspect of the shopping experience could well have been the first “shot across the bow” of the branded apparel specialty chains, most of which have used this same strategy to steal apparel share from department stores.

I have long speculated that if the big stores could begin to organize their products and services around lifestyle it could actually provide them a huge competitive advantage, because they already trump the branded specialists with the breadth of their selection. This merchandising reorganization speaks to an easier, more convenient shopping experience without having to traverse the maze of departments and floors.

Finally, I could not sign off in that article without offering up what could be the severest blow to the branded specialists, which would be department stores rolling out their private or exclusive brands as branded specialty chains. While Macy’s did so with their Aeropostale brand several years ago without great success, I believe it was simply ahead of its time.

How About Macy’s Mini-Mall?

So what might brand-Macy’s look like fully evolved? As I said back in 2011, Macy’s would resemble more of an enclosed mini-mall, full of go-to events, cafes, restaurants, and a collection of small, branded lifestyle shops that would be leased and run by the brand, which by the way, Mr. Lundgren was recently quoted in WWD declaring he’s “all in” and “I’m a believer” in the leased shop concept. Macy’s, the brand, would be the destination, with a mini-mall full of experiences so compelling that consumers would leave the Internet or any other store that just sells stuff.

One thing I am sure of is that even though many of Macy’s initiatives will result in echoes of its origins as a kind of a grand palace, the future is now for the department store sector. Macy’s is certainly providing a roadmap for transforming the department store into a more relevant 21st century model, defined by us as the Omni-Brand to Consumer model.

And, at the end of the day, they can call the model whatever they want, as long as consumers connect with it the moment they hear it.

How about, well … Macy’s?