The Week in Commerce Marketing — Retail, E-commerce and DTC: September 27, 2024 edition

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

DTC online spirits retailer Flaviar just announced the launch of its first bourbon subscription service called “Champions of Bourbon,” Forbes’ Stephanie Gravalese reports. Champions of Bourbon includes a curated selection of award-winning bourbons, with only those “that have received either a gold medal at prestigious competitions like the San Francisco World Spirits Competition or a 90+ rating from respected publications such as Whiskey Advocate or Wine Enthusiast … considered,” Gravalese writes. Subscribers get one bottle every month for a monthly pay-as-you-go price of $49.99 (or $42.50 per month for a prepaid three-month membership).

That’s the projected year-over-year growth in US. online sales during the 2024 holiday shopping season (Nov. 1 to Dec. 31), for a record total of $240.8 billion — with mobile shopping expected to account for 53.2% of that — according to Adobe’s just-released holiday shopping forecast. (See more stats in the most recent edition of The Weekly 10.)

More consumer insights:

• “Report: Less than 5% of retail space available at end of August” (Chain Store Age)
• “Sustainability, Quality Top Of Mind For Gen Z Grocery Shoppers” (Store Brands)
• “One in five Kroger shoppers waiting on big purchases until after presidential election” (Supermarket News)
• “Social Shopping Is on the Rise — and It’s Not Just Gen Z” (Adweek)
• “Forrester Forecast: Online’s Share of U.S. Sales to Top 29% by 2029” (Retail TouchPoints)
• “Two in three shoppers won’t buy products in locked display cases” (Retail Brew)
• “Placer.ai: C-stores, especially regional ones, see visit gains in 2024” (Chain Store Age)
• “Consumers shop digital channels more amid grocery price concerns, Ibotta reports” (FoodNavigator USA)
• “This video platform triggers the most impulse purchases” (Chain Store Age)
• “New Report Finds Shoppers Value In-store Shopping” (Women’s Wear Daily)

Kay Jewelers just kicked off a “brand evolution” that includes an updated in-store shopping experience, a new collection and a creative campaign focused on “showcasing real, authentic love and how people truly experience it in their day-to-day lives,” per a brand statement. The in-store evolution involves the addition of a “Customization and Collaboration area” that Kay says is “fit to host wedding parties, friend groups and any other consumers looking to create memories that last.” The jeweler’s new collection, Studio by Kay, includes more than 30 styles, including hoop earrings and stackable rings, that are meant to reflect current trends. Studio by Kay launches online at Kay.com and at select Kay locations on Oct. 28.

See also: “Finally, People Are Getting Engaged. Kay Jewelers Is Ready.” (MediaPost)

More notable launches:

• “Guess’ New Fragrance Pays Homage to the Thrill Seeker with Adrenaline-Filled Scent” (Happi)
• “Alice + Olivia Reprises Its Beatles Collaboration” (Women’s Wear Daily)
• “One of Nike’s Most Popular Sneakers Gets Dressed Up for Halloween” (Footwear News)
• “Ulta Beauty Is Launching Toy Minis of Its Bestselling Products” (Beauty Inc)
• “MAC Enters Its Sleek Satin Era with New Lipstick Collection” (Happi)
• “Shiseido launches immersive experience at Macy’s to promote its most premium skin-care line” (Glossy)

Gap and Disney just announced an expansion of their partnership with the launch of the Gap x Disney Collegiate collection, which features “’90s varsity-inspired apparel and accessories featuring classic Mickey & Friends characters and Gap’s signature logo,” per a brand announcement. Priced from $14 to $149, the seasonal collection’s first drop will include denim pieces and fleece sets “for the entire family” featuring “preppy colors and collegiate fonts.” In addition to a yearbook-style campaign running across social channels, the collection’s launch will be accompanied by an IRL fan experience at the Georgia vs. Alabama college football game on Saturday (Sept. 28).

See also: “E.l.f. and Tinder release limited-edition collection and campaign inspiring singles to ‘Face the First Date,’” from the September 13 edition of this column.

More brand collabs and partnerships:

• “Harry Styles’ Pleasing Collaborates With Disney’s ‘Fantasia’ on a Joyous Collection” (Women’s Wear Daily)
• “Levi’s Teases a New Beyoncé Collaboration” (Rivet)
• “Inspired by TikTok, E.l.f. Cosmetics and Caboodles Launch a Purse Just for Lip Treatments” (Beauty Inc)
• “Harlem’s Fashion Row Dropped an Exclusive Fall Collection at Nordstrom (It’s Just as Good as It Sounds)” (Cosmopolitan)
• “American Eagle, Timberland Team on Outdoors-inspired Collection” (Women’s Wear Daily)
• “Wrangler and Staud release fall collaboration” (Fashion Dive)
• “7-Eleven Presents the Always Open x Ja’Marr Chase Merch” (Trend Hunter)
• “Wrangler Drops First Collab Collection With Country Star Lainey Wilson” (Rivet)
• “Lulus Partners With Dillard’s in Strategic U.S. Wholesale Partnership” (Women’s Wear Daily)

ASICS just released what it’s calling a public service announcement (PSA) starring actor Brian Cox (Logan Roy from HBO’s “Succession”), in which the brand calls out the dangers of sitting at your desk all day, MediaPost’s Sara Mahoney reports. In the 74-second spot, Cox calls desks “the deadliest thing in the office,” noting their negative effects on mental health, and encourages viewers to get away from them. (“Run, jump, roller skate, whatever; I don’t care — just move, for your mind,” he says.) The ad builds on ASICS’s slogan “Sound Mind, Sound Body” and follows the brand’s Desk Break Experiment, conducted by researchers at King’s College London, showing that as little as 15 minutes of movement during the workday has the power to improve individuals’ mental state by nearly 23%, Mahoney notes.

More fall campaigns:

• “NYX Professional Makeup ‘Who Stole Halloween?’ Campaign Offers $10K Reward” (Happi)
• “Kit Butler Stars in Jimmy Choo’s Men’s Fall 2024 Campaign” (Footwear News)
• “Calvin Klein Features K-pop Group NewJeans in Fall Campaign” (Women’s Wear Daily)
• “Adidas Continues Its Push To Be ‘More American’” (MediaPost)