The Week in Commerce Marketing — Retail, E-commerce and DTC: March 28, 2025 edition

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

Home furniture and accessories retailer Wayfair just debuted a new feature called Wayfair Verified that it calls “your shortcut to the good stuff.” Products earning the Wayfair Verified seal of approval are only sold by trusted supply partners and have been evaluated by Wayfair product specialists and merchants, with a focus on items with high customer ratings as well as low return and damage rates. Designed to help shoppers “outfit their home with confidence,” Wayfair Verified includes a five-step evaluation process that includes a packaging and assembly assessment, a qualitative quality review (including hand testing each item for comfort and stability) and more.

More commerce news and innovations:

• “Williams-Sonoma Joins The S&P 500” (Store Brands)
• “BuyBuy Baby to relaunch online in May” (Retail Dive)
• “Old Navy partners with Radar for rollout of AI-powered RFID technology” (Chain Store Age)
• “FedEx Launches Returns Service with 3,000 Dropoff Locations” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “Amazon is making Prime Day a four-day event in 2025” (Modern Retail)
• “Designer Brands to open more DSW stores, refresh rewards program” (Retail Dive)
• “Meijer to open new neighborhood market concept” (Chain Store Age)
• “Coty sells stake in Kim Kardashian beauty brand Skkn to Skims” (Retail Dive)
• ICYMI: “Five Below Plans 150 New Stores by February 2026” (Retail TouchPoints)

With a focus on “strengthening its brand partnerships while redefining the in-store shopping experience,” The Vitamin Shoppe just announced the launch of its new Hometown Stores concept, which enables local retailers to team up with leading brands headquartered in the same city to create “a one-of-a-kind destination for brand enthusiasts and the local wellness community.” Participating locations of The Vitamin Shoppe feature a custom-branded space of 200 square feet or more, showcasing the partner brand’s products and serving as centers for community engagement — from brand activations and events to social content opportunities. To kick off the concept, The Vitamin Shoppe is partnering with sports nutrition brands Bucked Up and RAW Nutrition.

More brand partnerships:

• “Ice-T and American Greetings team up for the coolest e-card yet” (Black Enterprise)
• “Sprouts Farmers Market Inks 8 New Women’s Sports Deals” (Progressive Grocer)
• “NFL and Under Armour Team for Official Footwear and Glove Partnership” (Adweek)

“Guys aren’t supermodels. They just want to look good without having to think too hard. And as the return-to-office trend picks up, raising more what-to-wear questions, we tried to get in front of men as they make some of those decisions.”
—Matt Repicky, Senior Vice President and Chief Brands Officer at Men’s Wearhouse parent company Tailored Brands, speaking with MediaPost’s Sarah Mahoney about Men’s Wearhouse’s “What Do I Wear to This Thing?” campaign.

See also: “Dude, Here’s Your Outfit: Men’s Wearhouse Doubles Down on Comedy in New Ads” (Adweek)

Duluth Trading Co. is bringing back its Underwear Trade-Up Event this year — which we first covered in the March 29, 2024 edition of this column — with the addition of its first-ever Underwear for Life giveaway. On Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13, the first 300 customers at all of Duluth’s 65 retail locations can trade in a pair of “old, holey, overloved underwear” for a free pair of Duluth’s signature “no-pinch, no-stink, no-sweat undies,” while supplies last. Customers trading in their old underwear will also receive a Peel & Reveal prize card, offering a range of prizes from in-store discounts to a lifetime supply of Duluth undies.

More brand activations and events:

• “Lululemon is promoting its resale program with pilates classes and partnerships” (Modern Retail)
• “Neiman Marcus, Estée Lauder Cos. launch nationwide event series” (Luxury Daily)
• “Walmart prices its Easter meal lower than last year” (Chain Store Age)
• ICYMI: “Sam’s Club offers digital ‘all-day grazing experience’ for Easter” (Grocery Dive)
• ICYMI: “Jacquemus and Neiman Marcus Launch Immersive Bowling Experience at NorthPark Store in Dallas” (Women’s Wear Daily)

DTC meal-kit brand Home Chef just launched a collaboration with the video game Minecraft that brings “the imaginative world of Minecraft into the kitchen with game-inspired meal kits,” Trend Hunter’s Debra John reports. Home Chef x Minecraft includes four weeks of meals, with dishes that “combine flavorful ingredients with unique, playful presentations” (e.g., Overworld Chicken BLT Sandwich with foraged greens and oven fries), John writes. Customers will also receive a free backpack clip of a Minecraft character with their order, while supplies last.

See also: “Walmart and Minecraft Partner on New ‘Golden Child’ Storytelling Adventure” (Retail TouchPoints)

Previously:

• “Home Chef announces collaboration with ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’,” from the Feb. 28 edition of this column.
• “Home Chef partners with ‘PAW Patrol’ on family menu collection,” from the Aug. 16, 2024 edition of this column.

More brand collabs:

• “David’s Bridal and WILDFANG Launch the Intricate Empower Suit” (Trend Hunter)
• ICYMI: “HEYDUDE’s MLB Collection Includes Internet-Famous Wally Shoes to Flex Your Favorite Team for Opening Day” (Footwear News)