E-COMM

Prime Day’s in session

Amazon Prime Day is certainly, definitely, surely a few weeks away. But the exact date? TBD. 

Also TBD: promotion plans from big-name retailers (we asked). 

Fret not, Type A readers—they’re in the works. Since Prime Day’s debut, retailers have hitched their markdown wagons to Amazon’s with rival offers of their own. The discount bonanza, which pulled in more than $10 billion last year by some estimates, is an essential part of the shopping calendar.

• When Covid-induced delays pushed Prime Day from July to October last year, more than 350 retailers held Prime Day-adjacent promotions, RetailMeNot shopping and trends expert Sara Skirboll told Retail Brew.
• That was a 17+% increase from 2019. 

A new month isn't going to change that. In some ways, it's an improvement. 

Save the date(s)

This year, Prime Day will come mere weeks after Memorial Day and its mattress sales. But that’s not too close for comfort. It “gives brands a second crack at things,” Mike Black, CMO of e-commerce growth platform Profitero, told Retail Brew—one that they need. 

• Many nonessential retailers haven’t fully bounced back from last year’s store closures, and still need to slough off any leftover inventory, Black said. This calendar configuration sets up a one-two punch. 

Prime Day’s return to summer presents another familiar opportunity, Black and Skirboll told us: It can go back to being the unofficial kickoff to back-to-school season like in days of yore (July 2019). 

With in-person learning largely expected to return in fall 2021, the timing is A+. Families, equipped with more certainty, are ready to stock up on supplies their kids didn't need for Zoom Elementary. 

• Summer spending will be amplified by an appetite to recreate "fun back-to-school shopping experiences," Katherine Cullen, senior director of industry and consumer insights at the National Retail Federation, told us. That stretches from kids needing new clothes to college students redecorating their dorms, she said. 

Extra credit: Many brands weren’t fans of the October date anyway. In a survey of its retail clients, RetailMeNot reported 66% were negatively affected by Prime Day 2020’s late start. 

Not that they have much of a choice. 

When Amazon bends the shopping calendar to its will, rival retailers can’t help but follow. But this year, they’re likely happy to.—HL

STORES

Google’s new ground game

Even Google needs space: The tech titan will open its first retail store in NYC this summer, following in the footsteps of competitors like Apple, Samsung, and Amazon. 

Why? Google has a bevy of products—both online and off—but no space to meet people IRL. Making a move into brick and mortar is smart, Richard Kestenbaum, cofounder and partner at Triangle Capital, told Retail Brew. It’s important to reach customers wherever possible, including in person, he said...especially post-pandemic.

But to succeed…It’s all about the “cool factor.” That’s what’s worked so well for Apple, Kestenbaum told us. 

• “Yes, [Apple] sells products, but people go, in large measure, because it’s fun to go. And when they go, they have their fun, but they also wind up buying things.”

Google’s got to be on the search for a fun experience that draws people in. Right now, all we know is that the store will sell things like Pixel phones and Fitbits, and showcase how Google's products and services work together. 

Cautionary tale: Microsoft apparently couldn’t cut it in the “cool” crowd and shut down its stores last year to invest more heavily in e-comm.—KM

SPONSORED BY SAILTHRU

Opening Emails Just Got...Exciting???

Because when retailers hit up our inbox with an email that’s outside of the box, we can’t resist opening it. 

And considering today’s consumers delete more than half of marketing messages without even opening them, it's more important than ever to cut through the email clutter. That’s where Sailthru’s guide, Enhance Your Email Personalization: 6 Best Practices for Standing Out in the Inbox in 2021, comes in. 

Based on the exhaustive research behind Sailthru and Liveclicker’s fourth annual Retail Personalization Index, their guide outlines the strategies, tips, and trends you can use to grow revenue and become globally competitive.

You’ll learn how leading retail brands are using email personalization to set themselves apart, featuring use cases from Thrive Market, TechStyle Fashion Group, Ulta, Target, Best Buy, and more. 

Download the guide here.

POLICY

Thanks for masking

To mask or not to mask? Retailers are again asking the question.

Ever since the CDC said fully vaccinated people can congregate in large groups—indoors or outdoors—without masks, businesses have been forced to take a stand on their policy. 

Mask on: Gap is playing it safe. On Friday it said unvaccinated customers should—and all employees must—wear masks in their stores, which include Athleta, Banana Republic, and Old Navy. 

• Gap noticeably didn't specify whether vaccinated customers can forgo masks. 
• Ulta Beauty is keeping its mask policy in place for employees and shoppers.  

Mask off: Several large retailers and grocers have lifted mask requirements for fully vaccinated customers. A short list: Costco, Publix, Starbucks, Target, Trader Joe’s, and Walmart. 

• Add Simon Property Group, the country’s largest mall operator, as of this weekend, in locales without restrictions. 

The hard part...centers on enforcement. Businesses keeping mask mandates don’t want to put customers at risk and employees in the position of playing “vaccination police,” as United Food and Commercial Workers International President Marc Perrone puts it. Plus, there are local and state laws to consider. 

All of which leaves us in a familiar pandemic position: uncertain. 

Keep scrolling to see where Retail Brew readers fall on the issue.—KM

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING…

• MatchesFashion joined the 15 Percent Pledge. 
• Inditex is exiting Venezuela.
• Converse denied it copied shoe designs from an internship candidate’s application.
• Foot Locker will shutter most Footaction stores. 

HOT TOPIC

Retailers’ Q1 earnings, which kicked off last week, showed that shoppers are finally returning to stores and spending $$.

• Walmart, Target, The Home Depot, and Macy’s all reported strong numbers, thanks to continued growth in e-commerce and consumers making larger purchases. 
• It wasn’t just the big players, either: Shoe Carnival posted its strongest quarter ever, (yes, including pre-pandemic), thanks to its loyalty program and in-store growth. 

Survey says: Despite these impressive figures, analysts expect a leveling off at some point. When do you think retail sales will cool down? Cast your vote here. 

Let’s revisit: Last week, we asked how retailers should approach their masking policies, given the CDC’s new guidance. The results were evenly split, with roughly a third each saying they should lift all restrictions (34.6%), follow local/state law (32.3%), or keep them in place (30.8%). 

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail longreads.

“We made too much.” Last year, shoppers cleared out hand sanitizer shelves in seconds. This year, there’s enough Purell to fill 100+ Olympic swimming pools. How do retailers offload the extra inventory? (Insider)

Who’s No. 1?  Shein, a Chinese fast fashion retailer, surpassed Amazon as the most-downloaded commerce app in the US. Competitors, take note of Shein’s tech features—and prices. (Modern Retail)

Extreme Makeover: Store edition. Take a sweeping tour of the in-store changes Covid-19 hath wrought. (The Goods)

JOBS

Bigwig gigs don’t grow on trees. If you’re a high-level exec, looking for job opportunities in the usual places probably won’t cut it. That’s why we partnered with ExecThread, the platform with confidential jobs for people who’ve graduated beyond job boards. Today’s featured postings: 

• VP of Marketing at a large home decor chain
• Chief Commercial Officer at a leading online marketplace for luxury goods
• Director of E-commerce Sales at a leading durable home goods manufacturer

Check out all the super cool jobs here. 

ICYMI

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

• Panera, IHOP to debut new restaurant concepts
• Intimates brand Cuup dives into swimwear
• Under Armour raises hourly wage to $15