Merchandising

Apple Watch Availability is Clarified
April 17, 2015

Apple's method of releasing products like the iPhone is straightforward: On the day of release, you buy the phone at a retail store or it's delivered if you ordered online. The process is a lot less clear for the Apple Watch. Apple first said in March that the Watch will be available starting April 24. Yet the company was vague about whether that meant the device, which starts at $350, would be as obtainable as iPhones have been on their first day in stores. Apple instead said the gadget would be available online or by reservation in retail stores.

Apple Responds to Concerns About Apple Watch Launch: Deliveries Could Arrive Sooner Than Estimated
April 15, 2015

Over the weekend, MacRumors reader Andrew Turko sent an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook sharing his thoughts on the launch of the Apple Watch and its limitation to online orders only, and he received a response from Apple's executive team that sheds some light on Apple's concern over its launch plans and the potential for Apple Watch devices to ship out ahead of their prospective shipping dates.

Victoria's Secret is Copying Zara's Strategy
April 10, 2015

Victoria's Secret is getting into fast fashion. The lingerie brand told analysts it is working on speeding up its design and restocking processes. "Basically almost all of our panties today are on some kind of speed program," CEO Sharen Turney said in a conference call. "And those speed programs allow us to read the business on a Monday and be back in stock in the stores within 15 to 25 days." The brand is also working to trim the time between when products are designed and when they hit stores.

Retail's Plus-Size Problem: Designing for Larger Sizes
April 9, 2015

It's a big market opportunity with growing sales potential, but retailers can't seem to figure it out. The plus-size apparel market generated $17.5 billion in sales between May 2013 and April 2014, up 5 percent from the year prior, according to market research firm The NPD Group. But that figure likely under-represents the true opportunity of the demographic given that the average American woman is a size 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Amazon Launches Home Services Marketplace
March 30, 2015

Amazon.com is launching a home services marketplace that will connect customers with electricians, plumbers and painters in a move to have its services tied to every product sold on its website. Amazon Home Services, which launches today, will allow customers to buy 700 services such as car maintenance, TV wall-mounting and house cleaning at up-front prices. The quality of the service will be backed with an Amazon guarantee, which the retailer uses to vouch for products sold by third-party sellers on its website.

GameStop Outlines Acquisition Plans in Push to Diversify
March 27, 2015

GameStop Corp., faced with a shrinking core business selling video games, is accelerating its effort to diversify by adding to its stores that offer AT&T Inc. wireless plans and acquiring other technology retail chains. The Grapevine, Texas-based company, which won court approval to take over 163 locations from bankrupt RadioShack Corp., is looking for acquisitions, Chief Operating Officer Tony Bartel said in an interview Thursday after reporting fourth-quarter results. The retailer is evolving into a holding company for a variety of store concepts, he said.

J.Crew's Mickey Drexler Offers Mea Culpa on ‘Lousy Year’ in Women's Clothing
March 19, 2015

J.Crew failed at women's fashion last year, the company's chief executive admitted on Wednesday. CEO Mickey Drexler provided a candid assessment of what he described as a "lousy year" for J.Crew's women's business in a rare appearance on a conference call with analysts, after overall sales at the brand remained stagnant at around $621 million. "Fashion is guaranteed never to always be right," said Drexler, a veteran retail merchant famed for steering apparel giant Gap through its rise in the 1990s. "That's the only guarantee in my many years of doing this."