The Week in Commerce Marketing — Retail, E-commerce and DTC: August 30, 2024 edition

Welcome to The Week in Commerce Marketing — Retail, E-commerce and DTC, a weekly roundup for marketers from Quad Insights.

Vera Bradley just announced a new collaboration with Urban Outfitters on a capsule collection that blends “functional, vintage-inspired designs with the signature style that resonates with Gen Z,” per a brand statement. The collection features six re-editions of Vera Bradley’s most popular bags — including the Vintage Tote, Molly Shoulder Bag, Large Duffel and others — in three new patterns that “evoke Vera Bradley’s storied past.” Pieces range from $15 to $100 and are available exclusively at select Urban Outfitters stores and online at urbanoutfitters.com.

Previously: “Urban Outfitters launches secondhand online clothing hub,” from the May 3 edition of this column.

More Gen Z- and millennial-focused product drops:

• “Hollister Collegiate Line Gives School Spirit a Refined Vintage Aesthetic” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “SHEIN Launches a Collection of Hiking Essentials” (Trend Hunter)

In an interview with the Financial Times this week, IKEA CEO Jesper Brodin revealed that the Swedish retailer is testing a “peer-to-peer marketplace where customers can sell each other secondhand furniture,” PYMNTS reports. IKEA Preowned, as the marketplace is called, allows customers to input photos and details about the item they want to sell, along with their asking price. The marketplace is meant to be locally focused, given that buyers are expected to pick up furniture directly from sellers. The retailer is testing IKEA Preowned in Madrid and Oslo through the end of 2024, before rolling it out globally, PYMNTS notes.

Previously: “IKEA launches first-ever Plan and Order Point store format in Texas,” from an earlier edition of The Week in Retail.

The percentage by which market share for “value apparel” has increased among Gen Z and millennial consumers in the last year, according to new data from Bank of America, which defines value apparel stores as “those that serve customers with the lowest median income.”

Something wicked this way comes! With Halloween approaching, seasonal retailer Spirit Halloween has announced that it’s set to open a record 1,525 stores this season (more than 1,100 of which are already open), Chain Store Age reports. In line with this year’s “Carnevil” theme, stores will feature a carnival area with booths and a funhouse.

Previously: “Petco debuts Halloween ‘Bootique’ and fall collection,” from the August 9 edition of this column.

Yeti, in collaboration with canned water brand Liquid Death, just launched a one-of-a-kind cooler to ring in the Halloween season, Food & Wine’s Stacey Leasca reports. The Casket Cooler is 83″ high by 23″ wide by 28″ deep — big enough to hold 378 12-ounce cans or 252 19.2-ounce cans of Liquid Death. Created using Yeti’s “heavy-duty, patented T-Latch lid locks and Triple Foam ColdCell technology,” Leasca writes, it’s designed “to keep your drinks ice-cold for an eternity.” Fans in the contiguous U.S. can bid on the Casket Cooler at liquiddeath.com/YETI; it’ll go to the highest bidder.

Previously:

• “Yeti opens NYC flagship store,” from the April 12 edition of The Week in Retail.
• “Liquid Death and e.l.f. Cosmetics partner on new ‘Corpse Paint’ collection,” from the March 29 edition of The Week in Consumer Packaged Goods.

More launches and collabs:

• “Le Monde Gourmand’s Pumpkin Crème Eau de Parfum is Warm and Spicy” (Trend Hunter)
• “Zales and Prince Partner on Tennis-themed Jewelry Collection for the U.S. Open” (Women’s Wear Daily)
• “KFC’s latest merch partnership is with Corkcicle” (Nation’s Restaurant News)
• ICYMI: “Crocs Teams Up With ‘Scooby-Doo!’ for Clog Collection Inspired by the Famous Dog and Mystery Machine” (Footwear News)

In partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and British Fashion Council, eBay just announced the launch of its inaugural Pre-Loved Fashion Week, with live, shoppable events in New York City and London from Sept. 6 through 11. Called “Endless Runway,” the shows, which are immediately shoppable for U.S. and U.K. consumers via eBay Live, will highlight the retailer’s selection of pre-owned designer clothing and accessories from designers such as Off-White and Simone Rocha. Curated by fashion creative Wisdom Kaye, “Endless Runway” precedes the official New York and London Fashion Week events.

Previously:

• “EBay announces launch of inaugural Recommerce Day to highlight the benefits of pre-loved items,” from the May 17 edition of The Week in Retail.
• “EBay 2024 Recommerce Report highlights growing preference for ‘pre-loved’ goods,” from the June 14 edition of The Week in Retail.

More resale news:

• “Asics tops sneaker resale growth chart” (Fashion Dive)
• “Walmart Takes on Amazon By Adding Pre-owned Watches, Collectibles to Marketplace” (BNN Bloomberg)

More DTC news:

• “Pfizer’s New DTC Website Aims to ‘Streamline the Path to Better Health’” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “Dolly Parton launches beauty line” (Retail Dive)
• “Warner Bros. Discovery Taps Shauna Spenley as Global Chief Marketing Officer for Direct-to-Consumer Division” (TheWrap)

More retail and e-commerce news:

• “Amazon focuses Labor Day sales event on back-to-school shoppers” (Chain Store Age)
• “Leonard Riggio, Who Built Barnes & Noble Into Book-Retailing Powerhouse, Is Dead at 83” (The Wall Street Journal)