The Week in Commerce Marketing — Retail, E-commerce and DTC: September 13, 2024 edition

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

Amazon just announced new ways Prime members can save, including the addition of a new private-label value brand. The move expands Prime savings in-store and online at Amazon Fresh, including savings on more than 3,000 grocery items. Specifically, Prime members can now enjoy up to 50% off on up to 15 weekly rotating grocery favorites, 25% off over 1,200 rotating Prime-exclusive groceries and household items, and 10% off Amazon private-label brands, including the e-commerce giant’s new Amazon Saver offering. Amazon Saver is focused on what Amazon calls “affordable grocery essentials,” from crackers to condiments, with most items costing $5 and under. Amazon began rolling out products from its Saver brand this week and plans to release more than 100 additional items over time.

See also:

• “Amazon Streamlines Sales of Brick-and-Mortar Inventory with New Integration” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “Amazon Is Quietly Bringing Ads to Rufus, Its Gen AI Search Engine” (Adweek) 

More private-label launches:

• “Target Debuts Its 1st Exclusive Collection for Pets and Pet Lovers” (Progressive Grocer)
• “Trader Joe’s Unleashes Pumpkin Treats” (Store Brands)
• “Macy’s Launches New Men’s Private Brand, Mode of One” (Women’s Wear Daily) 

“It’s really about brand love. Everything we’ve been doing at Old Navy is a subtle evolution, with every step that we’ve taken. It’s not something that is like turning on the lights in the store, and all of a sudden it’s a completely different brand. There’s such rich heritage and iconography, and we’ve just been modernizing that.” — Behnaz Ghahramani, Chief Marketing Officer at Old Navy, speaking with MediaPost’s Sarah Mahoney.

The retailer is celebrating 30 years in business with the release of a new brand identity, a campaign and a capsule collection featuring revivals of some of its ’90s-era apparel. 

See also:

• “Under Zac Posen, Old Navy releases the ’94 Reissue collection playing to the nostalgia trend” (Glossy)
• “Why nostalgia is the hottest trend for clothing marketing this fall” (Ad Age) 

Brand research consultancy Brand Keys just released the 2024 edition of its annual Loyalty Leaders List, which is based on an analysis of nearly 1,500 brands identified in its 2024 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index across 142 industry categories. Here are the brands in the top 10 for loyalty — including Mattel and Levi Strauss, which respectively jumped 32 and 29 spots since last year.  

1. Apple 
2. Amazon 
3. TikTok 
4. Domino’s 
5. Netflix 
6. YouTube  
7. Samsung 
8. Levi Strauss 
9. Dunkin’ 
10. Mattel 

That’s the price of the new Adidas x Swarovski Adizero Impact+ baseball cleat, which is adorned with Swarovski crystals, per Footwear News’ Peter Verry. The limited-edition collab will be worn by Adidas athlete and MLB All-Star Julio Rodríguez at the Seattle Mariners’ upcoming home games against the New York Yankees on Sept. 17 and 18. On the 17th, Adidas will release 44 pairs of the cleats “in honor of the iconic No. 44 worn by Rodríguez and all-time baseball legends,” Verry notes. 

More notable partnerships and collabs:

• “JCPenney and Jamey Perry Launch Fashionable Adaptive Apparel Line” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “Martha Stewart Is Going Indoors and Out With Her New Chilewich Partnership” (Gifts & Decorative Accessories)
• “Scotch & Soda taps Joe Jonas as first global ambassador” (Fashion Network)
• “Sabrina Carpenter named Redken celebrity ambassador” (Drug Store News)
• “Rowing Blazers launches Arthur Ashe collection through Afterpay” (Fashion Dive)
• “SHEIN X SmileyWorld Reveal Collaboration” (Licensing Global)
• “Jeremiah Brent Partners with Crate & Kids on New Furniture Collection” (Town & Country Magazine)
• “HEYDUDE x SpongeBob Collection Drops” (RetailWire)
• ICYMI: “Reebok and Barbie Team Up For Family-Friendly Collection and Initiative Focused on Empowering Girls” (Footwear News) 

Southern California supermarket chain Stater Bros. Markets just announced the launch of a new digital Sponsored Product Sampling program in partnership with Mercatus, a digital engagement and e-commerce solutions provider for regional grocers. The program is designed to simplify traditional product sampling, with technology from Swish Brand Experiences integrated into Stater Bros.’ digital shopping platform, powered by Mercatus, enabling “retailers and brands to execute targeted, on-demand and measurable product sampling campaigns,” per an announcement. Shoppers are targeted based on their purchase history and offered samples in similar categories, increasing “the likelihood of converting these samples into new sales.” Dairy-free ice cream brand Klimon is the first brand to partner with the grocery chain on its Sponsored Product Sampling program. 

Other retail and e-commerce news:

• “Simon Rebrands and Expands Online Marketplace Following ‘Phenomenal Growth’” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “The big switch: Why Shoe Carnival is flipping some of its stores into Shoe Stations” (Retail Dive)
• “Steve Madden launches recycling program with Trashie” (Fashion Network)
• “L’Occitane en Provence Opens First-of-its-Kind Boutique in NYC” (Beauty Packaging)
• “Roblox Unlocks In-Game Commerce with Shopify Integration” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “Walmart kicks off multicity fashion tour” (Retail Dive)
• “Fast Fashion? Zara to Bring Pre-Owned Clothing Service to US” (PYMNTS)