Not so fab, Kmart
What's in a name? When it comes to plus-size, maybe not enough. As
the clothing category becomes more popular—it generated more
than $21 billion in sales last year, according to market research
firm NPD Group Inc.—some retailers are grappling with what to
call it, faced with consumer complaints that "plus-size" is dusty
terminology that makes the category sound more like an afterthought
than a trendy offering. Some retailers, like Modcloth, have done
away with the term altogether and integrated larger sizes into
their regular collections. Now Kmart is taking a different tack by
renaming its plus-size department "Fabulously-sized. Not
surprisingly, the social media backlash has been swift, with many
shoppers calling the new term "mocking" and "embarrassing."
Kmart defends its choice. "When we reached out to our members on
social media, they told us we needed to have a better assortment of
extended sizing and that we should we call it something different,"
explains a Kmart spokeswoman. Older shoppers polled "love this
whole mantra of Fabulously Sized," she adds.
Report: Amazon gaining on Walmart
As if we needed more evidence of Amazon's dominance, a new report
offers this telling stat: Sixty percent of U.S. adults have made a
purchase via Amazon in the past three months, according to new
findings from market researcher Packaged Facts. The report cites
the more than 80 million U.S. adults who are members of the
company's Amazon Prime subscription service, but also references
how Amazon is reaching people in other ways, like the "tens of
millions of adults claiming to have an Amazon Visa card and a similar number
having its store-only card." Then there are the the 20 million
users of Echo and Alexa and the 19 million people shopping at of
Amazon's Subscribe & Save section. "Walmart maintains its place
as the purchase destination of choice, but Amazon is breathing down
its neck," the report concludes. The chart below shows the
percentage of U.S. adults 18 years and older who have made a
purchase at the specified retailer in the past four weeks.
(Amazon's data show's purchases within the last three months.)
Amazon vs. Major Retailers:
Purchasers, 2014 vs. 2017
Walmart |
28.5% |
31.0% |
9% |
Amazon |
24.1% |
29.0% |
21% |
Target |
17.8% |
17.0% |
-4% |
Best Buy |
15.9% |
13.9% |
-13% |
Costco Wholesale |
9.2% |
12.3% |
35% |
Sam's Club |
8.9% |
9.0% |
2% |
Macy's |
7.7% |
6.4% |
-17% |
Another celeb enters food biz
Jennifer Garner is bringing her star power to the organic family
food industry, joining Once Upon a Farm as a co-founder and chief
brand officer. And John Foraker, who just left his role leading
Annie's this summer, is also part of the team at the organic food
startup. Once Upon a Farm is small for now, with only cold-pressed
organic baby food and applesauce. But it has plans for nationwide
availability in 2018 and aspirations of entering other categories.
Once Upon a Farm was started by Cassandra Curtis and Ari Raz in
2015, but Garner and Foraker both get co-founder status. Foraker,
who led Annie's for a while when it was on its own and for a few
years after it was sold to General Mills, is in
charge of strategy and vision.
Lifeway milks PBS personalty
Kefir maker Lifeway is relying on a friend of the brand and its own
team for its next big push. Mark Bazer, who hosts a PBS show in
Chicago, isn't a household name. Then again, in most households
neither is Lifeway, which saw sales rise 4.5% to $123.9 million
last year. Bazer stars as a slightly quirky Lifeway-obsessed guy in
the brand's latest campaign, which is now on cable and should be
seen during "Good Morning America" next month. Lifeway opted to do
the work on its own after working with the Distillery Project on ads last year,
including ones featuring soccer star Carli Lloyd. This year's
marketing spending should be in line with spending of about $3
million last year, says VP of Communications Derek Miller. The
company has been an underwriter of Bazer's "The Interview Show" on
Chicago's WTTW.
Would You Buy This?