JCPenney’s Post

I have seen many BEFORE/AFTERS over the last 2 years. But my mind is still blown, every time. Hey Tommy Hilfiger! Did you know your customers are already getting more out of their Tommy favorites? MENDED is here to fix and fit them. Why are you not part of it? 🚫If you (or anyone reading this) don't want the following, please DO NOT keep your customer's items in play 🚨 🤝 stay in touch with your customers longer 💸 create a new on-brand touchpoint after sale 🚨 extend the lifetime of products in line with regulations 🎁 extend the loyalty as customers come back and buy again 📈 unlock data, data and more data Jokes aside, thanks to our MENDED customers for trusting us with their favorite items. P.s.: Nany Trivita Kusuma, Celine Hoes Hummel, Marcia Hexspoor van Dormolen I built you a Demostore, let's chat? #circular #repair #alterations #resale #regulations #righttorepair #CSRD PVH Corp.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. was the top performing retail stock on the S&P last year. That news came as a surprise to me because it wasn’t so long ago that consumers had turned against Abercrombie—and it’s history of exclusionary marketing. I spoke to top executives at the company as well as the retail analyst Kristen Classi-Zummo about Abercrombie’s transformation, which hinges on three clever moves. 👖Abercrombie now designs for the twenty- something, not the teen. It’s basically grown with the consumers who last remember the brand from high school. 👖Abercrombie is studying everything about the mid twenties lifestyle and designing everything from office blazers to dresses for special occasions to jeans. 👖 Mid twenties folks aren’t well served in the market. There’s super cheap fast fashion and then higher end brands that serves thirtysomethings like Everlane and Theory. Abercrombie wants to make high quality essentials at a reasonable price that fits the mid twenties budget.

New White Paper: Navigating Cross-Shop Scares 🛒💳 The cross-shop scaries are real, but Consumer Edge data can help companies figure out when to invest in combating cross-shop versus when the threat is just a fad. For instance, an apparel retailer specializing in enduring basics like Abercrombie & Fitch Co. may be concerned when it sees rising spend from its customers at brands like Temu, Forever21, Old Navy, H&M, and Gap. Abercrombie & Fitch shouldn’t worry. When Abercrombie shoppers visit Temu Forever 21, Old Navy, H&M, and Gap, they spend less than half of what they spend on average at Abercrombie. The lower average ticket implies that these other retailers are likely trade-down options for Abercrombie customers when their wallets are tighter and they’re looking to spend less on clothing. https://hubs.li/Q02F2X2p0 #consumerbehavior #crossshop #insights #corporates #research

This article took me back to high school, when I worked at The Gap! Every store would get the same playbook that determined what clothes were sold and how the store and merchandise should be laid out. I vividly remember stocking summer clothes in April, which makes sense for stores in California. But early spring in Seattle is still pretty chilly. I'm sure we would have sold more merchandise if we could have continued carrying sweaters and jeans rather than shorts in April, but we had zero flexibility. Flash forward (ahem) a few years, and now smart brands like Zara are betting big on data. Zara is putting data in the hands of store managers, giving them more control over their store’s inventory, displays and designs. Now, with access to in-store shopping data, store managers can see what’s working for them and merchandise appropriately, selling more based on the needs of the customers in their specific location. #data #retailtech #insights #datacollaboration

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has raised its full-year outlook for the third quarter in a row. CEO Fran Horowitz attributed the "strong" third-quarter performance to the Abercrombie & Fitch brand's "exceptional" 30% growth as well as "solid" August and September sales at Hollister Co. "At Hollister brands, we had a solid back-to-school season, delivering 11% net sales growth for the quarter as our assortment and brand evolution is resonating with our teen customer." To read the full story, click the link below. #fashion #fashionnews #retailnews

Gap Inc.’s new CEO was on the hunt for a hoodie. In March, he called one of his stores and got a recording, which reeled off the location and hours, but didn’t provide an option to connect with a human being. He called a second store, where an employee, who didn’t know the person on the other end was his boss, left him on hold. There wasn’t even music to help pass the time. The third store had the hoodie but not in his size. “Who doesn’t have a medium?” said Richard Dickson, who was hired as Gap’s chief executive in August, after joining its board in 2022. The company that once reigned over American casual fashion has bungled the fundamentals of retailing for years. Its profits have halved over the past two decades as sales have slid. Even if its stores were perfectly stocked, it’s still facing a crisis that has simmered for decades. Its Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta chains have been outmaneuvered on all sides, from discount stores like Target and fast-fashion brands like ZARA USA and SHEIN that offer trendier products at lower prices to rival specialty retailers like AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS INC. and lululemon that have wooed away shoppers with higher quality and better styles. All of which means Dickson must grapple with what might be the most fundamental question possible for a retail CEO: Why do his brands exist? 🔗 Read how Dickson is trying to make the clothing company cool again—one hoodie at a time: https://lnkd.in/eHGQ7kWE 

Retail Today / Retail Renaissance: The nine lives of Abercrombie, founded in 1892 from a outfitter of sporting goods, to hot teen brand, now focusing on a lifestyle brand. With over 750 stores internationally, producing $4 Billion in sales. Their primary customers are GenZ and millennials, pitting #value #quality #fashion #style #comfort vs #fastfashion. I have also attached an article on the growing wealth of #GenZ and #Millennials, over 80% over the last few years. Specialty Retail continues to find opportunities through branding, style, fashion, and comfort. #vuori #lululemon #retail #apparelindustry #abercrombie #retailtrends #retailstrategy #brandexperience #omnichannelretail #stores #shoppingexperience #specialtyretail #TopRetailExperts

I'm the only one left but I kinda wish Ron Johnson's reinvention of JCPenney had worked a decade+ ago. He came in strong backed by a board that wanted to change what JCP was. The goal? Become "America's favorite store." And they took some pretty awesome steps towards that. * Sales and coupons were gone. Pricing was just pricing. * All prices ended in .00 – no .99, .97, whatever. * Quality and style of goods were at least a half-step up from other mid-tier retailers. * Made a big splash in fashion and started putting trendier stuff in stores, but didn't go too hard on trends; menswear options were notably better and womenswear started to come around. * Added in smaller boutique-y brands that actually were boutique-y. Late in his term there, Creative Director Nick Wooster was asked what JCP needed to do to be successful and he said, "Make cute shit." “If we have compelling product, people will come into the store. I firmly believe that’s the job of merchants." He wasn't wrong. But. The product wasn't enough. Johnson did too much too soon and everything all at once. He famously did no real research of existing customers – pretty much disregarding them – and acted like JCP was a clean slate. It wasn't. Sales completely tanked. When they did, discounts came back almost immediately despite an atypical bravado from him and other leaders on the approach being right. That didn't work and Johnson was gone pretty quickly, replaced by his predecessor. JCPenney today soldiers on, but – to me – it's indistinguishable from any other mid-price retailer. Sales and coupons rule the day as they always have; the goods are fairly interchangeable with other stores: okay but unremarkable. Of course, Target and Walmart ended up nibbling away at the space JCP was aiming for, and the entire mid-tier is getting eaten from below. There were some excellent ideas in Johnson's JCP era. It's too bad they weren't executed well.

Abercrombie & Fitch's Recent Branding Transformation Each week, I delve into the branding changes of a fashion brand that has caught my eye. Today, I’m focusing on Abercrombie & Fitch's remarkable transformation. An article linked in the comments details how Abercrombie went from America’s most hated retailer in 2016 to a Gen Z favourite by 2019. This shift involved realigning its target customer and supply chain, aiming now at young professionals in their 20s rather than preppy teens. The brand has 'grown up' with its audience, showcasing sleek and sophisticated colour palettes and experimenting with interesting textures. Personally, Abercrombie brings back memories of trips to central London, where crowds queued for a photo with the topless model. It’s impressive to see such a heritage brand do a full 180, but can we ever fully move past its history and take the brand seriously? I rate the hustle and the transformation, but for me, it’s a no.  #BrandTransformation #FashionIndustry #GenZMarketing #RetailRevolution #BrandIdentity

In the business game, #branding is a major player. It's the trust-builder, identity creator, shaping how people perceive your company. To stay on top, you've got to be open to switching things up— this success emphasises #7 my secrets to building a billion-pound business: 'Evolution not Revolution'.   Abercrombie & Fitch Co., a prime example, has turned the tide. After dealing with years of bad press and negative associations, Abercrombie is now giving customers solid reasons to engage, shop, and stay. The result? They've hit their highest-ever fourth-quarter sales this year. With significant investments in their brands, people, and operations over several years, Abercrombie is a genuine rag-to-riches story, proving that a smart #brandingstrategy can make a real difference. Congratulations to the Abercrombie & Fitch team for their well-deserved success. Surviving over 130 years is no small feat. I'd encourage more businesses to take a cue from Abercrombie—because sometimes, a brand makeover is the trend that never goes out of style! 📰 Financial Times ✍ Roula Khalaf https://lnkd.in/efwbS2F2