Pink. It was once viewed as the solitary color with which to express femininity. But as we get closer to the July 2023 release date of the Barbie movie, you can expect to see a whole lot of it being peddled under the label “Barbiecore.” Although what Barbiecore really means beyond the sale of ensembles that are heavy on hot pink and a whole lot of skate rink flair is largely up for interpretation. "Barbie" is a popular brand of dolls and doll-themed merchandise from the toy production powerhouse, Mattel, Inc. To date, the company has sold …
Millennials Boost Online Luxury and Beauty
Millennial shoppers have never taken social norms at face value. From demanding values-based retail marketing to refusing to invest in homes they can’t afford, millennials have been questioning the status quo since they came of age in the early aughts. Yet millennials’ bucking of traditions doesn’t end there. Millennials shifted the global retail marketplace by spending on experiences rather than things, debunking the idea that by foregoing their daily avocado toast they can buy a home, and, most recently, ignoring headlines about in-store …
DTC Changes Course and Comes to Department Stores
Remember when direct to consumer brands were all anyone could talk about? Warby Parker, Harry’s Shave Club, and a seemingly endless litany of subscription boxes dominated headlines just five years ago. During pandemic lockdowns, consumers went inward and connected even more deeply with their favorite brands. You’d think this would cause an even larger surge in DTC brands post-pandemic, but this hasn’t been the case. Forbes recently published an article stating that 2010 to 2020 was “the golden age for DTC companies.” So, what does that mean …
Gen Z at Work
Employee retention has reached a new low. In the retail industry, frontline employee turnover has been at 60 percent for years, tying with hospitality as the vertical with the highest turnover. But today, 63 percent of frontline retail managers are thinking about quitting in the near future. It is a whole new world now that boomers are retiring, and Gen Z has entered the skilled workforce. And Gen Z never differs from their millennial and Gen X predecessors in more ways than their career priorities. Case in point: Most Gen Z employees have a …
Are De-Influencers Changing the World, or Just Another Consumerist Fad?
Have you been seeing the phrase “late capitalism” pop up a lot lately? The term was originally attributed to German economist Werner Sombart referring to economic, political, and social deprivations associated with the aftermath of the first world war. The way we see it used in 2023, late capitalism has come to refer to an absurdist level of consumerism. And it’s in this environment of late capitalism, surrounded by $2,050 Balenciaga plush snake neck noodles and celebrities that openly mainline diabetes medication for weight loss, that the …
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It’s Midlife Crisis Time for Millennials. Here’s What They’re Buying
Geriatric millennials are turning forty, but don’t expect us to make the same big-ticket purchases as our predecessors. Millennials currently fall within the age range of 27 to 42. Many are staring down the barrel of the big Four-O. But, due to the perilous state of the economy, millennials have more to fear than our mortality. Although millennials’ minds and bodies are of a certain age, our net worth is not. Millennials still only account for 7 percent of the nation’s total wealth. Before you start saying that everyone struggles in their …
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What Ever Happened to Caring About Brand Dilution?
Remember when you couldn’t open your laptop without getting bombarded by “race to the bottom” brand messaging? They were selling Coach and Kate Spade at T.J. Maxx and we couldn’t stop talking about it, and whether the brands would be able to retain their value positioning. Analysts feared that brand dilution would be the death of retail. Not one of us had an inkling about the global pandemic that was about to turn the retail industry on its head, bringing fashion retail closer to swimming with the sharks than anything to precede it. The …
Gen Z Nostalgia is Accelerating: Categories to Watch
Oxford Languages (the dictionary people) defines nostalgia as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.” But nostalgia isn’t relegated to time periods that we’ve personally experienced. Remember the late 60s resurgence in the early aughts? I remember scouring Woodstock DVDs for footage of my teen dream, Roger Daltrey from The Who. I also ransacked my mom’s boxes of high school mementos to resurrect a pair of vintage Levi’s cords and hot pink running shorts that …
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