Retail Brew // Morning Brew // Update

It’s Tuesday, and as you may have heard, there was a major market meltdown yesterday. Theories abound about what happened, but one is that investors are afraid the US economy is headed for a slowdown—though for what it’s worth, some analysts said leading retailers such as Walmart are still in good shape.

In today’s edition:

—Andrew Adam Newman, Alex Vuocolo

MARKETING

Trial by Wire

UrbanStems

Wirecutter loves me, Wirecutter loves me not.

So went the petal-plucking melodrama for UrbanStems, which was declared the best online flower delivery service by the New York Times product review team in 2021…only to be dethroned the next year over what Wirecutter called “dilapidated deliveries.”

Megan Darmody, VP of marketing at UrbanStems, acknowledged to Retail Brew that “we had sort of gotten ourselves in a pickle” with a bouquet that sometimes was delivered looking less impressive than on the company’s website. The problem, Darmody explained, was the bouquet photo showed Free Spirit roses, which have a striking blend of orange and red, but because some farms UrbanStems partnered with couldn’t source Free Spirits, were being substituted with—gasp!—standard pink roses.

“We really pride ourselves in ‘what you see is what you get,’ and Wirecutter was totally right: The bouquet that they got didn’t look as good as it did on-site,” Darmody said. “We vowed to never let that happen again.”

So UrbanStems regrouped.

“This wasn’t just a marketing initiative,” Darmody said. “It was like a full, company-wide goal to get this title back.”

In April, Wirecutter published this year’s rating. And guess what UrbanStems came out smelling like?

Keep reading here.—AAN

FROM THE CREW

Marketing strategies that sell

Join Marketing Brew at their summit on September 12 in New York for an unparalleled opportunity to dive deep into the latest retail marketing trends and strategies. Connect with industry leaders from top brands like eos, Claire’s, Edible, Every Man Jack, e.l.f., and more as they share insights on navigating the evolving retail marketing landscape. Whether you’re focused on customer engagement, generative AI, or innovative marketing tactics, this summit offers invaluable networking opportunities and actionable takeaways. Grab your ticket now!

E-COMMERCE

Holiday heat

Warrengoldswain/Getty Images

For retailers, it’s never too hot out to start thinking about the holidays. As the latest Shopify sales data shared exclusively with Retail Brew shows, back-to-school spending is still going strong, but purchases of seasonal decorations and gifts are also surging.

In July, the e-commerce platform saw triple-digit increases in sales of seasonal/holiday decorations (up 177% month over month), holiday ornaments (153%), wrapping paper (114%), and gift tags and labels (104%). And blowing past these other categories were sales of advent calendars, which jumped 4,967% last month..

Indeed, it’s Christmas in July for holiday-focused brands such as Mr. Christmas. The company’s online sales increased 200% in July, according to Shopify, due to promos and campaigns it ran during the month, as well as the launch of its vintage 90th Anniversary collection.

A similarly positioned brand, King of Christmas, told Shopify it generated more sales in July than in Q1 and Q2 combined, and that sales are up 30% year-to-date.

Keep reading here.—AV

STORES

Specs and mortar

Francis Scialabba

About 15 years ago, when four MBA students at Wharton asked their professor, Adam Grant, to invest in their then-novel proposal to start an online prescription eyewear company, he took a hard pass.

“My first reaction was: that’s ridiculous,” he told CNBC in 2020. “You can’t buy glasses over the internet. You have to go get your eyes tested. And then you have to try them on. This is not going to work.”

But the company, Warby Parker, which launched in 2010, certainly did work, and by 2013 it was expanding into brick-and-mortar retail, opening a store in Manhattan’s trendy SoHo district. That footprint has grown ever since, and its locations surged from 204 in May 2023 (per an SEC filing) to 273 stores today.

Keep reading here.—AAN

TOGETHER WITH BROOKFIELD PROPERTIES

Get the lowdown on luxury. Discover Iconic Collection, an assemblage of luxury properties and destinations for sophisticated consumers. These are spaces reimagining retail through luxury, sustainability, and one-of-a-kind experiences—properties providing high-profile retailers, culinary feats, and cultural concepts in inspiring settings. Iconic magazine delivers this expertise to you, exploring retail’s future with stories from game changers across industries.

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

Locked out: Major retailers started locking up products to prevent theft. Here’s a look at how the practice has backfired. (Bloomberg)

Skimp busters: As inflation weighs on wallets, some customers are taking steps to “stop the skimp” by comparing portion sizes across Chipotle locations. (the Wall Street Journal)

Snack combo: M&M’s owner Mars reportedly is looking into acquiring snack maker Kellanova, which was recently spun off from Kellogg. (CNBC)

Your secret weapon at work: Crush it at work with Per My Last Email—a podcast full of smart, funny insights about navigating your career.

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