Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In

Anything But Brandless

By 
Ethan Chernofsky
February 18, 2020
Anything But Brandless
SHARE
Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
Key Takeaways

Offline Matters, So Does Brand

Two interesting news items about DTC related brands are important to take note of. Last week, Fourpost, a retail concept aiming to give a home to DTC brands, announced it would be closing shop. Then, less than a week later, Brandless told employees that they were shutting down as well.

Why does this matter? Because it reinforces two critical points that are defining the next wave of retail. First, DTC companies don’t need a generic offline landing spot. They are finding the ideal path on their own, often through a small number of retail partners or an owned retail presence. Second, brand matters so unbelievably much in retail. 

DTC Continues Its Offline Expansion

Everlane, Warby Parker, Casper, and many others are leading the wave of online-only brands deciding to become anything but. Why is it happening? Because it’s incredibly difficult to build a big, profitable, online-only company in retail. But also because the early returns for DTC offline success are promising.

Beyond Rent the Runway-type partnerships with Nordstrom, which are likely to give these brands a better sense of their offline potential, DTC brands with offline presences are already seeing the impact.

Looking at visits to Warby Parker locations nationwide shows a brand seeing more visits year-over-year in each month of 2019. This included an end-of-year spike in December 2019 that brought visits 27.1% above the baseline for the period from January 2018 through January 2020. While some of this is buoyed by new stores, it is an impressive trajectory that matches the success of other product-oriented companies like Lululemon and Nike.

Looking at an Everlane location in New York City shows a similar path, with traffic on an obvious upward trend for the specific location over the last two years. The site saw traffic rise 55% above the baseline for weekly traffic four times in 2019 when analyzing the period from January 2018 through January 2020. This was something it didn’t achieve once in the year prior.

Trending to Brand

This is something significant to watch because of the similarity between these brands and retail titans like Nike and Lululemon. Brand matters now, more than ever. This is why Levi’s is expanding its store presence while wholesale numbers decline, or an increasing number of brands are investing more in expanding and enhancing their owned offline presence.

Brandless, Fourpost and even one-stop-shop retailers like Kmart and Sears are all struggling from the lack of brand identity. Whether it be Target or Walmart serving as examples for how big-box retail ‘brands’ can be built or other retail players pushing to evolve their identity, the trend is clearly being seen. 

What should we expect? More DTC and product-oriented retailers are going to increase their offline presence and more big-box retailers are going to place bigger bets on moves to solidify their distinct identity in a market that is making this a more critical aspect.

Learn how downtown regions across US cities are measuring up with our free tools.
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.

Related Topics

Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
SHARE
Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week
Subscribe to the newsletter
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Recent Publications

Get 3 brand & industry breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter
Five Below and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet: A Pre-Holiday Snapshot
Kroger: Getting into The Seasonal Swing 
Avison Young Launches Office Busyness Index Powered by Placer.ai to Provide Unmatched Insights on Office Utilization Across Major U.S. Markets
Off-Price Ahead of the 2024 Holiday Season
A Beautiful Season Ahead: Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply
Sportswear Ahead of the 2024 Holiday Season 
Placer 100 Index: October 2024 Recap 
Placer.ai Office Index: October 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: October 2024 Recap 
Halloween’s 2024 Retail & Dining Impact – Party City Carries the Season
Checking in With Department Stores: Nordstrom and Macy’s
Superstores and Wholesale Clubs Ahead of the Holidays
Home Depot and Lowe’s Heading Into the Holidays
Starbucks and Dutch Bros: Short Visits Lead the Way
Planet Fitness: Raising the Bar(bell)
Checking in With Full-Service Restaurants: First Watch, Chili’s, and Outback Steakhouse
RBI and Yum!: QSR Resilience in 2024
Boot Barn and DSW: Stepping Up Their Game
Target’s October Circle Week: A Data-Driven Snapshot
Chipotle, Shake Shack & Wingstop: Dining Success in Q3 2024
Playa Bowls and Tropical Smoothie Cafe: Berry Big Business
Cheesecake Factory & BJ’s Restaurants: Full-Service Success
Checking in on McDonald's and Wendy's 
Sprouts Farmers Market: A Specialty Grocer With a Traditional Twist
CAVA: The Craze Continues
Placer.ai Reaches $100M Annual Recurring Revenue
Catching Up With Carter's 
A Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse Showdown
Placer.ai Mall Index: September 2024 Recap – Labor Day Peaks and Holiday Season Predictions
Albertsons Q3 Check-In
Looking Ahead to the 2024 Holiday Season
Trader Joe's: Continuing to Thrive in 2024
Bowlero and AMF: A Ten-Pin Knockout
Recreational Retail: Store Performance in 2024
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – September 2024
A QSR and Fast-Casual Face-Off
Sam’s Club’s In-Store Retail Media Network Opportunity
The Rising Stars: Six Metro Areas Welcoming Young Professionals
Costco in 2024: A Deep Dive
Sherwin-Williams in 2024: Brighter Than a New Lick of Paint
Life Time and Orangetheory: Premium Fitness Flourishing
C-Stores: More Than A Pit Stop
Darden: Dining Dominance Undeterred 
Placer 100 Index for Retail and Dining: August 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: August 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: August 2024 Recap – Back-To-School In Full Swing
Auto Parts Retailers: The Traffic Continues
Pumpkin Spice Works its Magic Once Again
School Season Sparks Retail Growth
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – July & August 2024
Big Lots’ Big Rightsizing Move in Four Data Points
Fun Away From The Sun: Checking in With Eatertainment
Domestic Migration and Population Growth: Strong Currents Off The Carolina Coast
The Civic Impact of Summer Events
Retail Trends in College Towns: A Back-to-School Snapshot
Five Below and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet: Consumers Still on the Hunt for Discounts
Macy’s & Bloomingdale’s: Into 2024 and Beyond
Limited Time Only: The Trend Continues
Beauty in 2024: Many Ways to Win
Dollar General & Dollar Tree: Powering Ahead in Q2 2024
The Home Depot and Lowe's Foot Traffic Remodel in Q2 2024
Superstore Update: Summer Savings Spree
Placer.ai Mall Index: July 2024 Recap – From Fourth of July to Back-to-School
Placer.ai Office Index: July 2024 Recap
Summer Movie Madness: Blockbuster Films Boost Foot Traffic
Driving Success: Toyota in 2024
Denny’s and IHOP: An All-Day Breakfast Matchup
Warby Parker: Seeing Clearly Now
Planet Fitness at the 2024 Halfway Point
Serving Summer 2024: RBI and Yum! Brands Q2 Foot Traffic
Starbucks, Dutch Bros., Dunkin’: Finding Summer Success
Fast Food and Fast Casual Favorites, Plus CosMc’s Takeoff
Chipotle and Sweetgreen: Fast-Casual in Q2 2024
First Watch, Texas Roadhouse, and Applebee’s: An FSR Roundup
Albertsons Companies: H1 2024 Recap
Teaming Up For Success: Sports Stadium Sponsorships
Limited Time Offers: Price Wars Boost Visits
Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining: June 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: June 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: June 2024 Recap
Inside Out 2: The New Blockbuster Bringing Crowds Back to Theaters
Petco and PetSmart: A Head to Head
Frozen Delights: Exploring Ice Cream Chains Across America
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – June 2024
Barnes & Noble: Writing a New Story
Small Format Stores - Sprouting, Blooming, and Expanding
Retail and Dining on Father’s Day
Thrift Store Visit Scores
Charting Value Grocery’s Visit Growth
Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining: Introduction and May 2024 Recap
Digging Into Darden: Q2 2024 Update
2024 Retail and Dining Trends Update
TRU and avid: Midscale Hotels on the Rise 
Diving Into Kroger: A Strong Start to 2024
Placer.ai Mall Index: May 2024 Recap – Mall Visits on the Rebound
Placer.ai Office Index: May 2024 Recap
2024 Memorial Day Recap
Las Vegas: A Tourism and Migration Deep Dive
Eatertainment Chains: Full on Food, Fun, and Foot Traffic
The Promise of Luxury Apparel