Mall retailer Hot Topic is going all out Avengers as the exclusive merchant for a new fashion line tied to Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron…
Retail
Target’s Pulitzer Problem
May 3, 2015
It seemed a major coup for mass merchant Target to have signed high- end designer Lilly Pulitzer for an exclusive fashion and home line. But it wasn’t all triumph for “Tar-jay” when the 250-piece Lilly Pulitzer collection launched April 19. Within hours (and in some stores, minutes), crazed customers had plucked the shelves clean. Online traffic was so great that…
Retail
Retail Notes
April 20, 2015
Retail news from Books-A-Million, Target Canda, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics…
E-commerce
New Channel for Chanel
April 20, 2015
Bowing to the inevitable, Chanel announced that it will begin engaging in e-commerce probably by the end of 2016. The move includes three of the Métier d’Art companies owned by Chanel’s Paraffection subsidiary, including…
PRINCESS POWER
“Cinderella” Tie-In Campaigns Targets Women of All Generations
March 2, 2015
Women apparently never outgrow the desire to feel like a princess.
At least that’s the message retailers JCPenney and Kohl’s are promoting as part of a multi- generational approach to tie-ins with Disney’s live-action “Cinderella,” which is due in theaters March 13…
Publishing
Time For Retail
February 16, 2015
Time Inc.’s fashion and beauty brands InStyle and Marie Claire are going to be spending a bit more time in the shops. JCPenney will open The Salon by InStyle in 15 test locations this summer, including flagship locations in Dallas and Los Angeles, before pursuing a nationwide rebranding of its 850 in-store salons next year…
Retailers
Target Stocks Kinky Toys
February 16, 2015
Mainstream retailers including Target and Amazon got in the mood for the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie’s Valentine’s weekend opening by stocking an unconventional variety of officially licensed merchandise tied to the sexually charged property. More power to them. If Americans buy lingerie at Costco, why not sex toys at Target? But…
OnLIne reTAIL TrenDs
Shopping By Phone: Men Do It More
January 5, 2015
Men (56%) are more likely than women (45%) to make the leap from browsing and researching purchases via smartphone to actually buying from the device, reports the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). The difference is even greater among…
Bundled Merch
Bundling Goods with Music
December 1, 2014
Garth Brooks’s GhostTunes music downloading service rolled out last month in tandem with release of Brooks’ “Man Against the Machine” album, his first in 13 years. The new service allows artists to bundle licensed merchandise, tickets, and the music itself, to order…