E-COMM

Shopify's Hiring

Last quarter, Shopify found it was even easier to extend its quarantine sales streak than to get mistaken for Spotify. In earnings Wednesday, the storefronts-as-a-service provider reported Q1 revenue jumped 110% YoY ($989 million, up from $470 million); gross merchandise volume reached $37.3 billion. 

“Shopify has emerged as ‘the one to beat’ for mid-market commerce solutions,” Emily Pfeiffer, senior analyst at Forrester Research, told Retail Brew. But as overall e-comm growth calms down from its 2020 click rush, “Shopify will have to figure out how to keep innovating at breakneck speeds if they want to hold onto the market share they’ve earned so far.”

First step: Reversing a C-suite retreat. Shopify is at a teambuilding crossroads after a recent wave of executive exits. New hires could make the difference between extending its surge and [insert your favorite losing sports metaphor here]. 

• Last week, three executives—its chief technology officer, chief legal officer, and chief talent officer—said they would leave the company in the coming months. 
• In September, Shopify’s chief product officer resigned. CEO Tobi Lutke has absorbed those duties.

Filling the bench

Speculation about Shopify’s leadership departures is reaching Taylor Swift fan theory levels—wildly out of control, and not worth a recap from sane adults. 

What can we discuss? Analysts who spoke with Retail Brew said Shopify’s most pressing executive hire is its longest vacant: the chief product officer. 

• Two ongoing projects—a fulfillment service for merchants and its Shop order assistance app—need extra TLC from the product side to scale.
• Shopify’s entire value prop hinges on its ease of use for merchants.

+ The in-store angle: Nikhil Thadani, VP, capital markets advisory at Sophic Capital, told Retail Brew that Shopify’s in-store point of sale products will become more important as retail reopens. 

“Shopify has set a bar for simplicity against which even much more mature, enterprise-level players are now being compared,” Pfeiffer said. “They’ll need to stay ahead of this swiftly changing market as an entire industry of seasoned providers aims to compete.” 

• Not to mention headless commerce upstarts that claim to out-design Shopify. 

Bottom line: “Organizations are determining whether or not they need to replace the platform they launched in 2020 with one that is more fit for purpose,” Jason Daigler, VP, analyst at Gartner, told us. 

For Shopify to hang on to the merchants it gained last year, it’ll need to hire the right talent to see upcoming updates through. — HL

REAL ESTATE

¿Por Qué No Los Dos?

As corporate offices begin to reopen, one thing is abundantly clear: Hybrid work is here to stay. Retailers across the country are downsizing or upgrading their corporate HQs in response. 

New digs: BJ’s Wholesale, L’Oréal, and Under Armour all announced new office openings or relocation plans in recent weeks. 

• BJ’s hopes it can land a tax break from Marlborough City, MA, to move 800 employees to a 190,000-square-foot office five miles from its current HQ. 
• L’Oréal USA will open a second HQ in El Segundo, CA, in early 2022. The company moved to a permanent hybrid model in August 2020, allowing employees to WFH two days a week. 
• Under Armour said it will need much less IRL space because of its newly adopted hybrid model. It plans to consolidate 1,700 Baltimore-based employees to a new global headquarters by 2025. 

The takeaway: 89% of people expect to be able to work from home at least part time after the pandemic. With the US beginning to open back up, some retailers are adjusting accordingly. — KM

SPONSORED BY SAILTHRU

May We Get Personal With You?

But not about your hopes, dreams, or favorite hot dog topping—ours is, weirdly, pineapple slices—we want to talk about how you’re handling all the changes the retail world has experienced lately.

As life opens back up, you'll be dealing with new consumer priorities, behaviors, and preferences. But instead of guessing at what those will be, we personally got you this: Sailthru’s 2021 Retail Personalization Index Consumer Survey.

In this guide on all things trends, you’ll discover:

• Why health and safety need to be a top priority in your customer experience
• How to better engage omnichannel shoppers and convert them into customers
• The true business potential of value-based personalization

You won't discover, however, why a few slices of tart pineapple are so good on a frankfurter—it’s simply indescribable. 

Ready to get personalized with your customers? Read Sailthru’s Personalization Index Consumer Survey here. 

E-COMM

Fighting Cancer Goes DTC

Dealing with cancer is difficult. Liya Shuster-Bier found out firsthand as a caregiver while her mother battled breast cancer, and later as a patient herself. 

During her treatment in 2018, Shuster-Bier founded Alula, a care navigation platform that helps cancer patients through treatment and remission. Now, Alula is using popular e-comm tactics to make it easier for patients to buy the products they need. 

Singular store 

Alula opened up its DTC marketplace this week through Shopify. It consolidates products for cancer patients, including oximeters, thermometers, gauze, heating/cooling pads, and post mastectomy bras. 

“My mom kept looking at me while we were scrolling through our laptops and said, ‘Liya, why isn’t this all organized in a singular store? I’m not the first person in America to have breast cancer,'” Shuster-Bier told Retail Brew.

The marketplace is divided into five mini stores for different stages of treatment: essentials, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and transplant. 

• Partners include Patch10, an apparel company for those undergoing medical treatment; AnaOno, a post-surgery apparel developer; and McKesson Corp., which provides health monitoring equipment. 
• Under its dropshipping model, Alula doesn’t carry inventory and can ship products within 48 hours of ordering.

Big picture: E-commerce tools have helped companies like Alula create more niche marketplaces for segments like health and wellness, pet care, travel, and remote workers. 45,000+ of Shopify’s partners referred at least one merchant to the company in the past year. — KM   

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• HanesBrands hired a new CFO to lead its online sales overhaul.
• Publix now accepts SNAP benefits payments for Instacart orders.
• Amazon officially rescheduled Prime Day to June.
• Tiffany & Co. will sell men's engagement rings in a company first. 
• Petco is entering the livestream arena...with pet fashion shows.

SPONSORED BY BYZZER (POWERED BY NIELSENIQ)

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SWAPPING SKUS

A roundup of today's top retail longreads.

Making scents: Unilever released a new deodorant geared toward people with disabilities. Does the product design live up to its marketing? (Marketing Brew)

Out here: Don’t let Tractor Supply’s name fool you. The rural retailer’s ongoing sales gains aren’t fueled by farming equipment, but migrating millennials. (CNN Business)

Tap back: “People have asked me since I joined, ‘What on earth were you thinking,’ joining basically a boutique fitness business, and a retail business, in the midst of a pandemic?” That’s SoulCycle’s new CEO, Evelyn Webster, in a revealing conversation about her plans for the brand. (CNBC)

FRIEND OR FAUX?

We’ve lined up a mix of weird, hilarious, and innovative stories in this week’s edition. Can you spot the fake below? 

1. Victoria Beckham—aka Posh Spice—said she’d rather die than wear the pair of Crocs Justin Bieber sent her.
2. Billie Eilish is retailing a collection of wigs inspired by her various hair styles to promote her sophomore album release. 
3. A designer plans to release shoes that look like bare feet. 
4. A developer is using Home Depot materials to turn farm huts into apartments. 

Keep reading for the answer.

ICYMI

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

• Can a Post-Pandemic Market Rejuvenate Hat Sales?
• Roman Enters 4,600+ Walmart Stores
• Panera and Adobe Team Up for Curbside Tech

FRIEND OR FAUX? ANSWER

No, Billie Eilish is not releasing a wig line to promote her work.