DTC

Disrupting Marketplaces for Disruptor Brands

Industry jokes about anemic DTC logos circle a tough truth for digitally native brands: When everything looks and sounds the same, it’s tough to stand out. 

One market(place) solution: Get an industry veteran’s stamp of approval. That’s what The Fascination, a new marketplace-meets-magazine built by the founders of Leesa, hopes to offer brands. If anyone knows how crowded a DTC category can get, it’s the bed-in-a-box cohort.  

• At launch, The Fascination hosts 100+ brands across footwear, apparel, home, and wellness. 
• The Fascination screened each brand for “science” (technical product qualities) and “soul” (founding story). Eventually, each brand’s profile page will be supplemented with in-depth product reviews written by Fascination staffers. 
• For now, items are listed with affiliate links. Down the road, the site will have a native checkout experience.  

Cofounder Matt Hayes told Retail Brew that appearing on The Fascination should create “validation for your brand that you can’t manufacture yourself.” 

• That’s partially through industry veterans’ approval, and partially through listing emerging brands alongside classic DTC examples (Allbirds, Haus, The Sill). 

It’s also a form of cross-selling that the free-for-all nature of bigger sites (ahem, Amazon) can’t imitate. “Irrespective of the category, these brands realize that [their] customer demographic and archetypes are the same,” Hayes said.

Seeing triple

The Fascination is the latest site attempting to cut through the Helvetica clutter with brand background checks.

• A sample: Thingtesting catalogs and reviews emerging brands. The Verticale also launched last year to aggregate DTC brands that passed an internal values check. 

Brands selected to appear on The Fascination told Retail Brew the site's take on the content commerce intersection is valuable for...

Spreading out sales: “We truly believe that the [...] adoption of e-commerce buying habits that we saw in 2020 is permanent,” said Bryan Edwards, cofounder and co-CEO of fragrance brand Snif. So to win online, brands need to diversify their channels. 

Boosting legitimacy: “The day we were featured on Thingtesting is still one of the biggest sales days we’ve ever had,” said James Shalhoub, cofounder of pet care brand Finn. “Platforms like them and The Fascination, which are so mission-forward around authenticity and thoughtfulness, legitimize us in a way traditional media can’t.” 

My takeaway: Time will tell which marketplace platform shoppers prefer, if any. But even the most story-driven brands now need another platform’s megaphone to get their message (and products) out. 

SPONSORED BY BAZAARVOICE

Join the (Sam’s) Club

If you’re looking to prioritize digital this year—and we know you are—we’ve got a hot ticket for you.

Bazaarvoice is hosting a webinar with Robelle Mancilla, Director of Site Merchandising & Site Operations for Samsclub.com, to discuss takeaways from 2020 and how they’ve accelerated a digital-first retail mindset. 

Topics of discussion will include:

• Recent developments and priorities Sam’s Club has put in place to further lead digital transformation in the retail space
• Holiday 2020 takeaways and trends shaping the future shopping behavior of Sam’s Club shoppers
• Strategies for suppliers to optimize their user-generated content (UGC) strategies to achieve multichannel success in this new fiscal year
• Tips to cultivate inspiring and engaging experiences for Sam’s Club shoppers through UGC

So just like at Sam’s Club, there’s gonna be a bulk of info that retailers and brands alike need to know to thrive in 2021.

Save your e-seat right here.

HOT TOPIC

At the mall, it’s where band tees are the only tees. In Retail Brew, it’s where I invite readers to weigh in on a trending retail topic. 

It seems one retailer took my advice to start planning for the 2021 holiday season now. Last week, Target said it would close its stores on Thanksgiving Day again this year.

• Keeping stores open on major holidays, cutting into time that employees can spend with their families, has long been controversial. 
• With Covid-19 in the mix, retailers that had used the holiday to squeeze extra sales closed their doors in 2020.

My questions: Will this move compel other big box chains to push out their holiday calendars early? Is it a sign that corporate retail’s more conscientious of store workers’ needs? I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

+ Quick recap: When it comes to events, you’d rather go in-person than go home. 48% of readers who took our last flash poll said industry conferences aren’t worth the time when they’re virtual. 22% said they still attend; 29% weren’t sure.

LAUNCHPAD

New section alert

As today’s top story reminds us, new brands are too numerous for each one to get the profile treatment. So here, we’ll share a quick snapshot of new names retail pros should watch. 

In the vanity: Merit, from Who What Wear founder Katherine Power, is a seven product spin on cruelty-free makeup. Everist cuts excess water and single-use plastic out of the shower with its “haircare concentrates,” aka water-activated shampoo. 

In the kitchen: immi updates ramen noodles with more nutritious ingredients (and tons of on-site recipes). Then there’s Defy, joining the wave of fancy home bevs with its white wine in a can. 

Want to shout out an upcoming launch? Submit a brand here.

SPONSORED BY ORACLE NETSUITE

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SWAPPING SKUS

What do Red Lobster, The Row, and Dry January have in common? Honestly, nothing, except that they’re all central to the best non-news reads I came across this week. 

1. An exploration into the evolution of cause-based marketing—in retail and across the business world. (2PM)
2. You have to admire Frank & Eileen for finding a path forward after processing $11 million in canceled orders. (Inc.)
3. One chain restaurant. One “endless” promo plan. Years of damage. (Mel Magazine)
4. Remembering one of Brooklyn’s most influential local stores: “Bird wasn’t for regular moms, it was for cool moms.” (Elle)
5. Which streetwear brand is poised to become the next Supreme? (WWD)
6. Dry January is low- or no-ABV beverages’ time to shine. Founders across the category know it. (Modern Retail) 
7. After the success of its switch to face masks, Athleta wants to become a fully fledged lifestyle brand. (Business Insider)
8. Whether you call it “vintage,” “archival,” or “thrifted,” designer brands want more power over how their old designs are sold. (GQ)

FRIEND OR FAUX?

Let’s round out this very DTC edition with a twist on our weekly game. For each of the categories below, I’ve listed four brands: three that exist, one that’s made-up. You’ll need to pick the faker from the lineup.

1. Candles: Boy Smells, Wafted, Cancelled Plans, Forvr Mood 
2. Cookware: First Course, Made In, Great Jones, Our Place
3. Pet food: Smalls, Jinx, Skip, Tailored

Keep reading for the answers. 

ICYMI

Fall behind on your Retail Brews? New to the list? Here are the articles and interviews you should catch up on.

• An Interview with Petco CEO Ron Coughlin
• Inside Shipt’s Expansion from Grocery Delivery to Everything Delivery
• Harry’s Transformation into a Personal Care Empire Is Underway

FRIEND OR FAUX? ANSWER

The following brands only sound real:

1. Wafted
2. First Course
3. Skip