Direct To Consumer (DTC)

On Nov. 16, the Mall of America will open the doors on a revolving collection of pop-up shops that will come and go throughout the year.   Branded as Debut, the 2,500-sq.-ft. space will be kicked off by an eclectic selection of nine brands including Askov Finlayson, West Elm Local, Woolrich, Pomegranate, and Laurel Way by Pam Mondale.  

Architectural firm P+R Architects (Perkowitz + Ruth Architects), based in Long Beach, California, has changed its name to Retail Design Collaborative.   

In addition to posting, liking and commenting on photos, Instagram users now can also purchase from their favorite brands.   Starting Tuesday, Nov. 1, the mobile-driven social site added shoppable tags on photos from 20 retail brands, including Kate Spade, Warby Parker and JackThreads, among others — a move that will enable consumers to learn more about the items they view within an Instagram post, and even make a purchase.   

The hits keep on coming for the embattled American Apparel Inc., which is reportedly on the brink of its second bankruptcy filing in less than two years.   

Under Armour has brought its “brand house” interactive store format to Boston, opening a location at the Prudential Center.   With nearly 19,000-sq.-ft. of retail space across two floors, the store delivers an immersive, engaging brand experience enhanced by state-of-the-art digital displays designed to both inform and inspire.   

Online growth — and along with it, online market share — continues to accelerate.   The trajectory is so strong that sales are on pace to hit $440 billion in 2017, a leap from $395 billion expected in 2016, according to “U.S. Online Sales Forecast: Omni-Channel Retailing Challenged by Its Success,” a report from FTI Consulting.   

Year-round e-commerce sales and discounting have dulled the impact of traditional Black Friday sales for many consumers.   These shoppers are so desensitized to “Black Friday hype” that nearly three in four respondents (73%) said they prefer to do their holiday shopping outside of the holiday season, during e-commerce sales, such as Amazon Prime Day. These preferences have influenced 47% of shoppers to skip Black Friday or Cyber Monday altogether this year, according to the second annual “JDA Consumer Survey.”

Brian Cornell,  chairman and CEO of Target Corp., and Mindy Grossman, CEO and director of HSN,  are among the headliners at  Shoptalk 2017, the nex-gen retail and e-commerce event.   Also on the bill: Devin Wenig, president and CEO of eBay.