Shopify Avoids Amazon Model, RealReal Luxury Consignment, Merch Based on Spotify, Japan's Luxury Retailers, Millenial Urban Lifestyle, Influencers' Influence, Grow Brand While Upholding Tradition
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Shopify's approach to building an e-commerce empire is quite different from that of Amazon, eBay, and other online giants.
Our philosophy and focus since Tobi [Lütke], the founder, started the company was to allow for more voices to be at the table rather than few and to drop the barrier of entry as low as possible so that everyone could chase their ambitions and dreams and be an entrepreneur.
I think it's really, really important for Shopify, and I think that we're doing a great job of this today, but we have to continue to double down indefinitely to constantly remind us, internally and externally, we're the entrepreneurship company, and we're here to build things for entrepreneurs.
TheRealReal’s Online Luxury Consignment Shop
How the reseller brings designer goods into the “circular economy.” Poshmark, which was also founded in 2011, has sold a billion dollars’ worth of merchandise so far; Vestiaire Collective, based in France, focusses on the international market; Rebag offers only handbags; StockX is the leading sneaker reseller; ThredUp, which sells used casual clothing, adds fifteen thousand items to its site every day.
“Super cute 100% linen Peter Pan collar cropped jacket in grey blue, perfect for frolicking in a field,” one recent listing began, followed by a sterner request: “ ONLY ‘LIKE’ IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING I NEED TO MAKE RENT THIS MONTH .”
This band is selling custom T-shirts based on your Spotify habits
Using data to personalize merch British band Bring Me the Horizon has launched a new merch line with a twist: a dedicated website that serves up personalized T-shirts to people based on their Spotify listening data.
Permissions and limited application aside, the idea of using streaming habits to customize things like shirts for fans is intriguing, especially in a world that increasingly wants greater access to artists and values physical music merch more than it has in a long time.
New sites are helping customers make sense of the DTC landscape | Modern Retail
New and existing sites are increasingly seeing an opportunity in helping both shoppers and industry members make sense of the growing DTC landscape.
On Thingtesting’s Instagram account, which has nearly 40,000 followers, Gyllander posts approximately 350 word reviews of products, mostly from DTC brands like Summersalt, Magic Spoon, and Haus.
So, the pair launched The Consumer Packaged Goods Directory in March, which is simply a list of new CPG brands in categories like CBD, pet care and food.
Inside Japan’s cutting-edge luxury retailers
Multi-brand fashion boutiques with sharply curated selections are profiting at the expense of legacy department stores. While legacy department stores like Isetan, Takashimaya, and Hankyu and Hanshin owner H2O Retailing still hold great significance for older consumers, they’ve struggled to compete with younger-oriented shopping channels, such as specialised boutiques and e-commerce sites.
“[Our customers are interested in] not only big luxury brands but up-and-coming or cool talent,” says Restir’s creative director and buyer Maiko Shibata, noting that the labels with the highest sell-throughs are currently Alyx, Chloé and Maison Margiela.
The Millennial Urban Lifestyle Is About to Get More Expensive
As WeWork crashes and Uber bleeds cash, the consumer-tech gold rush may be coming to an end. If you wake up on a Casper mattress, work out with a Peloton before breakfast, Uber to your desk at a WeWork, order DoorDash for lunch, take a Lyft home, and get dinner through Postmates, you’ve interacted with seven companies that will collectively lose nearly $14 billion this year.
The idea that companies like Uber and WeWork and DoorDash don’t make a profit might come as a shock to the many people who spend a fair amount of their take-home pay each month on ride-hailing, shared office space, or meal delivery.
Influencers are changing the face of commerce for good
This emerging business model extends far beyond the Jordans and Jenners of the world. Marshawn Lynch, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga have launched apparel , shoe , and beauty lines —notably retaining complete creative and financial control because there are no licensing contracts, sponsorship deals, or corporate conditions to satisfy.
In Jordan’s day, fame was largely controlled by a handful of entities—agents, entertainment studios, managers, and advertisers—who made decisions based on narrow cultural and aesthetic criteria for what was considered “marketable.”
Phillip Lim on growing a brand while upholding tradition – Glossy
On this week's Glossy Podcast, Lim talks about waste and sustainability in fashion, and why going fur-free doesn't mean sacrificing luxury.
On this week’s Glossy Podcast, Lim talks about waste and sustainability in fashion, and why going fur-free doesn’t mean sacrificing luxury.
On establishing a work culture that fosters creativity: “For us, it’s really like going back to a humble, natural approach, thinking the way we would in school.
Brands, especially venture-backed ones, live and die by a few metrics. Customer lifetime value and retention rates are especially critical in proving to investors that their company is worthy of being…
Modern Retail asked a handful of marketing experts what some of the most common tactics they’ve seen have been employed by brands to make their metrics look better than they actually are.
He also said that seasonality and subscription cadence should be taken into account when calculating retention — many cancellations, for example, will usually come right before or after a billing notification.
The Athletic co-founder Adam Hansmann: 'We believe there is a $1b company to build here' - Digiday
"The segment of sports fans we're targeting are people that really care. That know the difference between just a headline about a story, 'who won the game,' and the true insight about the teams that you really care about."
The Athletic, which now has 500 employees, has its share of detractors, who note the company’s path to profitability will be perilous with its penchant for paying top salaries for writers.
It’s not clicks, the way you’d traditionally think about it if you were using Chartbeat or something like that, but it’s really understanding if a specific piece of content, if a story led someone to literally pay for the subscription via that paywall on that article.”