Activewear isn’t going anywhere, in fact it’s here to stay. The already healthy global activewear market is only expected to increase its muscle in the coming years, thanks to a greater interest in health and wellness, as well as a continued appreciation for comfortable athleisure and streetwear styles that are now worn for work, working out and hanging out. Looking Good, Feeling Great The NPD Group says 44 percent of consumers care more about their health and wellness today than before Covid-19 hit, and this is leading to increased sales …
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Holiday 2022: Merry? Or Not So Bright?
Each fall the retail industry and news networks chime in with Q4 predictions. This year, especially with looming mid-term elections, continued post-pandemic pressures and rising global energy/supply chain costs, the predictions are even more vital. Industry reports commonly predict a 3-5 percent increase in retail sales YOY, but with 8+ percent inflation rates, experts are conflicted on how the consumer will respond this holiday season and are pushing back on actual growth. Predictions for the Future and Beyond With 300+ leading global …
If These Clothes Could Talk
The clothing industry has gaps among the product, their partners, today’s consumer, and even in their supply chains. Regardless of the ongoing initiatives, technology and data layered on top of legacy systems and infrastructure are not solving problems for the consumer and our beloved planet. Focus on the bottom line is falling victim to short-term thinking. The top obstacle preventing effective and productive change starts with the mindset in the C-suite. The United Nations Climate Week is over; now it’s time to get to work. Beat The …
Dupes Undermine Prestige Brands
With more than 60,000 monthly searches, and nearly a half million downloads since its 2018 debut, the comparison-shopping app Brandefy is a success by any measure. And the fact that this handy tool for finding beauty dupes acquired nearly 70,000 new “community members” in 2021 speaks to both the consumer’s growing skincare-literacy and fondness for self-care acquired during Covid, alongside a more recent surge in inflation-generated concerns about personal finances. TikTokking into the Alternatives And then there’s that other massive …
How Fashion Looks Inward During Climate Week
Now that New York Fashion Week has wrapped, the city is experiencing Climate Week NYC. And while the former event is full of glamor and glitz, the latter – taking place September 19-to-25 – will be calling on government officials, industry leaders, CEOs, and international decision-makers to address and rethink the actions to be taken regarding climate initiatives. Fashion and Climate Change In a DHL webinar earlier this year titled “Delivering on Circularity, Pathways for Fashion,” DHL’s Mirella Muller, president, global eRetail and …
Is 2022 Back-to-School Back to Normal?
It may seem like only yesterday that you heard kids singing, “No more pencils, no more books...” but here we are again deep into the 2022 Back-to-School season for retailers who supply all the stuff students need (and maybe don’t need) for their return to classes. And while apparel drives the BTS season, the home side of things is also a big business, especially for college kids heading back to dorms. Whether it’s classic items like laptops and mini fridges or somewhat more esoteric products like high-performance bedding and wall art, …
Victoria’s Secret: Is a Turnaround Possible?
I coined the phrase, “positioning drift” to define the collapse of A&F about eight years ago, following about 25 years of incredible growth under the leadership of CEO Michael Jeffries. “As Michael Jeffries heads into the sunset, he will be leaving behind a once victorious A&F brand that he brilliantly developed over the past quarter century that is now in tatters. He was blinded by meteoric success, in my opinion and did not see his adversaries gunning for his consumers as his brand drifted off course. That was Jeffries’ Achilles …
Claims Abuse and Fraud: Bigger than Chargebacks?
The uptick in ecommerce has inspired many trends for businesses of all sizes and stripes —and not all of them are positive. While most omnichannel and ecommerce retailers have historically been concerned with chargeback fraud, some now recognize a type of fraud that has, quite possibly, even more impact on the bottom line. Our work at Appriss® Retail has uncovered an alarming rise of ecommerce order claims and claims fraud and abuse, posing the threat of substantial losses to retailers if it’s not addressed. With the continued growth in …