BoF's Year in Fashion | Retail Looking for Rebirth

How to Survive the Future of Retail View on Web Add to contacts New reader? Subscribe YEAR IN FASHION THE UPFRONT The Business of Fashion will be taking a break between 24 December 2020 and 3 January 2021. In the meantime, explore our analysis from an unparalleled year for the global fashion industry. We wish you a happy holiday season and a great start to 2021. Dear BoF Community,  After a harrowing year for retail, major changes are afoot. Dozens of retailers filed for bankruptcy in 2020, resulting in the closure of an estimated 25,000 stores. But amid the wreckage, the industry has been forced to adapt. For mall retailers, this means investing more in e-commerce as online shopping continues to make a bigger share of total sales, and some shopping centres close. In wholesale, brands and stores are feeling out a new status quo, as traditional department stores decline and a fierce battle for online spending takes shape, particularly among rival luxury marketplaces. Shopping habits have irrevocably changed. As consumers work from home indefinitely, they demand entertainment at their fingertips, a seamless shopping experience both online to off, and perpetual newness from their favorite brands. The road ahead will be tough. But those that emerge on the other side will be stronger, leaner and a delight to experience.  Cathaleen Chen, Senior Editorial Associate Retail Prophet How to Survive the Future of Retail BY Doug Stephens Covid-19 is a once-in-a-century event that will eradicate many retail species and accelerate the growth and evolution of 'apex predators' like Amazon, Alibaba, Walmart and JD.com. Only the fittest will survive. Intelligence Is This the End of Wholesale, or the Beginning of Something Better? BY Chantal Fernandez Department stores are cancelling orders and delaying payments, pushing designers to breaking point and calling into question a system that has been challenged for years. Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 JOIN Intelligence The New Rules for Going Direct-to-Consumer BY Chavie Lieber With increased competition and costs mounting, the playbook for selling products direct is changing. Here's how to do it in 2020. Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 JOIN Intelligence Is This the End of the American Mall as We Know It? BY Cathaleen Chen Too many stores are chasing a customer who no longer exists. As the pandemic wipes out these retailers, the malls they occupy will also become obsolete. Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 JOIN News & Analysis COS: From 'High Street Céline' to Stagnation BY Sarah Kent H&M's upmarket sister brand was once a proof point for the Swedish group's ambitions to diversify away from its core fast-fashion business. But COS executives have struggled to keep pace with a shifting market while managing a troubled internal culture. Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 JOIN Retail Prophet On the Frontlines of Retail There Are No Heroes, Only Victims BY Doug Stephens Most retail workers are woefully underpaid, stripped of rights and treated as interchangeable parts in a global retail machine, writes Doug Stephens of Retail Prophet. Sponsored feature Retail Reborn Episode 1: How Trauma Transforms the Consumer Psyche BY BoF Studio In Episode 1 of BoF's new podcast series, Doug Stephens and social psychologist Sheldon Solomon PhD examine the impact of collective traumas like Covid-19 on consumer behaviour. BoF Professional VOICES 2020: Retail in the Roaring '20s BY Cathaleen Chen Futurist Doug Stephens, Farfetch chief executive José Neves, investor David Bell and others discuss the future of retail and how the pandemic will shape this next era of commerce. Try BoF Professional for 30 days for $1/£1 JOIN Case Study Inside Nike's Radical Direct-to-Consumer Strategy — Download the Case Study BY Chantal Fernandez How did Nike's share price hit an all-time high in the middle of a pandemic? The American sportswear giant's success is rooted in a radical direct-to-consumer strategy built around content, community and customisation, and conceived for a post-internet world where brand connections are everything. Case Study Tapping Into the Future of Physical Retail — Download the Case Study BY Cathaleen Chen In the age of e-commerce, defining the role of the store is as daunting as ever. But a brick-and-mortar experience is vital to brand building. A store is still the most important touchpoint between consumer and product, and the right interaction could create a lifetime of loyalty. From Warby Parker's digital-to-physical evolution to Neiman Marcus Group's investments in customer service, BoF examines the importance of the store — and how it complements the online experience. BoF CAREERS - FEATURED JOBS   Executive Assistant FIGS      Santa Monica, United States   Flagships Retail Key Account Manager Puig UK   London, United Kingdom   FASHION SHOWS AND EVENTS PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Marine Serre   Paris, France View All Jobs Subscribe Were you forwarded this email? To subscribe to this newsletter, click below. Subscribe for Free Follow Us The Business of Fashion Sponsorship & Advertising About This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com Add to Address Book | Unsubscribe | Edit Newsletter Subscriptions The Business of Fashion Moray House - 6th Floor · 23-31 Great Titchfield St London W1W 7PA · United Kingdom