With the school year wrapping up and focus turning to summer, many retailers are preparing for a summer lull. But things are still busy on the technology and innovation side of things, brands continue to look to new ways to engage customers and keep them coming back time and again. KWI customer, Stance, is one example, and announced that its unique socks will be available in some airport kiosk locations. We’d also like to congratulate our long-term client, Bluemercury, on their 20th anniversary as they continue to bring luxury skincare and cosmetics to local communities. This Forbes article gives a sneak inside the brand’s history and what makes it work.
Check out some other headlines that were of interest this past month:
1. One day delivery was announced in April for Amazon Prime members. In response, Walmart revealed its plans for next day shipping on 220,000 popular items with the goal to reach 75 percent of American consumers by the end of 2019. The Walmart program will be based on a nationwide network of distribution centers that will have localized curated items and will be shipped from the closest distribution center in one box.
2. The WSJ looks into the growing clothing rental market led by Rent the Runway. Urban Outfitters joined the rental market with a new monthly program starting at $88 a month. The rental market, excluding costume rental, was valued at about $1 billion in 2018 and is projected to surpass $2.5 billion by 2023, according to GlobalData Retail.
3. Glossy did a deep dive into the growing athleisure market as fitness brands Peloton, SoulCycle and Equinox grew their own lifestyle brands through fashion partnerships and developing their own line of clothing and accessories.
4. Fast Company interviews Virgil Abloh about Nike’s store of the future in Chicago called the NikeLab Chicago Re-Creation Center and focuses on sustainability and experience. Abloh states “The footprint of this place is probably 20% retail on one of the most expensive retail streets in the country,” says Abloh. “The concept is valuable to me and the brand, but it’s not about the exchange of dollars.”