Direct to consumer or DTC was hot as a firecracker a few years ago, as brands like Allbirds and Warby Parker flew high by bypassing the retail channel. Now the tide seems to be turning as several of these marquee DTC brands have stumbled. CNBC contributor Alex Kantrowitz helps us break it down in our MCM CommerceChat podcast.
Embattled retailer Kohl’s has engaged with 20+ solicited and unsolicited potential acquirers in the past couple months, through its advisor Goldman Sachs, with some being given access to a data room and management and invited to submit offers, the company said in an SEC filing. Last month it rejected two takeover bids.
Amazon continues to expand its ecommerce service offerings through acquisition, the latest example being Veeqo, a UK-based startup that provides inventory and order fulfillment tools for sellers on a variety of platforms including Shopify and eBay in addition to Amazon. The deal closed in November but was just revealed.
Marketplaces are no longer just for deep-pocket companies. With headless commerce and API-driven marketplaces, and platforms like Salesforce, Adobe and Shopify, retailers looking to layer in a marketplace to sell 1P/3P products have never had it easier. Hear from two who made it happen, and what the journey looked like.
Bed Bath & Beyond is being urged by activist investor and co-founder of Chewy.com Ryan Cohen to revamp its strategy and explore various strategic alternatives, including spinning off the Buybuy Baby chain or selling the entire company, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Amazon revealed its plans to close all 68 of its bookstores, pop-ups and shops selling items like toys and home goods in the United States and the United Kingdom, the retail and ecommerce giant told Reuters, to concentrate more on its grocery business and a coming department store concept.
Sports apparel retailer Foot Locker continues to be hampered in its results by the ongoing shift of major supplier Nike to a direct-to-consumer model, with Foot Locker reporting on its shifting revenue mix during its fourth quarter earnings report. The sneaker giant remains its largest supplier, but at a smaller scale.
Macy’s has decided against a spinoff of its more profitable ecommerce business, after a review by its board determined the risk for the business and its customer base was too high and that the company was stronger as a combined physical and digital operation. The company is also pausing a store closure plan initiated in 2019.
Reminiscent of “The Matrix,” the metaverse is a fully immersive virtual world where people can interact and engage in gaming, concerts or live sports. Facebook rebranded to Meta, and brands from Victoria’s Secret to Gucci, to Louis Vuitton are staking a claim. Are we there yet? We explore this topic with Nexla CEO Saket Saurabh.
In ecommerce, we formerly used revenue, market share and similar metrics to gauge success. But if customer experience is going to be the touchstone of success, customer lifetime value (CLV), or the amount a brand can expect from any given customer over time, should be our guiding principle.