There are devices in the retail world we take for granted. Let’s stop doing that.

Escalator

• Patented: 1859
• First patent holder: Nathan Ames

One small step: It took a while for the escalator to start ascending.

In 1859, Nathan Ames, of Saugus, Massachusetts, filed a patent for what he called “revolving stairs,” with illustrations that are recognizably an escalator, but he never built one—and the idea languished for decades.

In 1892, engineer Jesse Reno revived the idea, securing a patent for his “inclined elevator.” Rather than articulated stairs, it was essentially a conveyor belt—like a big treadmill—that went from floor to floor. It made its debut on Coney Island in 1896, where, in a two-week demonstration, about 75,000 people rode the contraption.

It ascended seven feet.

The first device built with steps debuted at the 1900 Paris Exposition, brought to life by a team that included the Otis Elevator Company. It was the first time the device was called an escalator—its etymology uncertain but possibly based on the French word escalade, which means “climbing,” with Otis tacking on the last two syllables from its beloved elevator.

Otis trademarked “escalator” in 1900, but the US Patent and Trademark Office canceled the trademark in 1950, ruling the term had become generic—a case of what legal circles darkly call genericide.

Retailers bought in early to the up-scale experience of escalators. Keep reading.—AAN

Rising costs are driving consumers to not only reconsider spending habits, but also completely eliminate things from their purchase list that they might not necessarily need. When it comes to beauty, customers are not necessarily ready to give up on skin care or hair care luxuries just yet.

Instead, they’re trading down.

“Beauty, especially color cosmetics, suffered overall during the pandemic. Some consumers became more cost conscious and open to lower-priced labels, including private labels, when they otherwise wouldn’t have been prior to the pandemic,” Michelle Kluz, partner in the consumer practice of Kearney—who was also recently named CEO of Stila Cosmetics—told Retail Brew in an email.

Take Elf Beauty, for instance: It beat Wall Street forecasts in its quarterly results. 

• A portion of that success came from the sales of its $10 hero product Power Grip Primer as consumers traded down from a high-end rival product (which went unnamed) priced at $34, Tarang Amin, Elf’s chairman and CEO, told WWD.

Private-label beauty may benefit from the “trading down” trend, because brands can offer an affordable price with a side of aspirational quality.

Pivoting to private: “If you see that the shampoo…that you bought last month or three months ago went from $10 to $14, you just might say, ‘I’m trading down. Let me see what I can get in private label,’” Marie Driscoll, managing director of luxury and retail at Coresight, told Retail Brew.

• Private-label brands made up 6.8% of sales at Sephora, in the year ending June 2022, per Jonah Ellin, chief product officer at 1010data.
• Between April and December 2020, overall beauty sales were down 17% online, and online sales at Sephora and Ulta were down 25.5%.
• During the same period, private label Sephora Collection and Ulta brand items were slightly up at 0.5%.

Retailers are sticking by private labels for bargain beauty—keep reading.—JS

Today’s top retail reads.

Slow and steady: 90% of retailers across the US now take Apple Pay—a feat that took an incredible amount of patience on Apple’s part. (the Wall Street Journal)

P(l)aying it fair: Tip fatigue, what tip fatigue? Despite restaurant price hikes, restaurant goers remain undeterred and aren’t cutting back on tips. (CNBC)

Dumpster chic: Shoppers eager to check out Kanye West’s Yeezy Gap line may find themselves rummaging through trash-bag-like totes at Gap stores. (Insider)

Consumers are likely to spend more than ever in 2022. Insider Intelligence’s team of analysts share 3 of the biggest trends in the retail industry that every commerce professional should know.

Three of the stories below are real...and one is most definitely not. Can you spot the fake?

1. A sustainable-fashion company is refurbishing trash bags into $300 worth of colorful outfits.
2. Capri Sun’s Wild Cherry drink is part of a recall for being potentially contaminated with cleaning solution.
3. Costco’s stylish wear is inspiring searches for “Costco clothing” on TikTok.
4. Snoop Dogg has launched a gluten-free cereal, called Snoop Loopz.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• Woman-founded Blume knows there’s an equity problem in fundraising
• Carhartt dishes on its innovation, store strategies
• Payment experts break down which solutions will define luxury and fast fashion in the years to come