Continuing our chronological (for the most part) look at the year in retail through the lens of our own reporting, this is what happened in Q2, when we explored the beauty industry, the highly coveted (and targeted) Gen Z demo, and QSRs. Want to go right to the quarter of your choice? Be our guest:
April
📆 Our theme of the month: The business of beauty
The beauty industry is kind of like a microcosm of retail’s biggest trends, and a sector that’s making inroads with tech. So, naturally, we were all over it, especially in April.
🗞️ Grabbing the headlines:
- A primer on how the pandemic has changed the beauty biz
- How growing a beard went from a rejection of grooming to a grooming bonanza
- Instant-delivery companies have their sights set on beauty
- Inside Sephora’s Accelerate program
❤️ Your favorite:
📖 Well worth the read:
- Retail Brew’s Erin Cabrey checked in with an Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned DTC service that claims to be Latin America’s largest alcohol and bev delivery platform. (How Anheuser-Busch InBev found rapid-delivery success in Brazil with Zé Delivery)
🦜 Quote of the month:
- “We’re at the Honda Insight and Prius stage of resale…The Prius was an ugly car. And the Honda Insight was an ugly car. But people who bought them were early adopters.”—ThredUp CEO James Reinhart (ThredUp CEO James Reinhart says that when it comes to the environment and retail strategy, secondhand clothing is the perfect fit)
🎗️ Remember this:
- Demand for brick-and-mortar space was on the rise, Katishi Maake reported in April. So, where should retailers open up shop? Some said the answer may be mixed-use space. (Why brick-and-mortar retail should consider moving into mixed-use developments)
May
📆 Our theme of the month: The summer of Gen Z
Gen Z is retail’s (and just about everyone else’s) big focus, so we examined their spending habits in the context of the start of the summer selling season.
🗞️ Grabbing the headlines:
- Gen Z in five charts
- In the Gen Z trend cycle, hair-care brands work to balance virality and longevity
- What retail gets right—and wrong—about Gen Z, according to a Gen Z investor
- How Chipotle is experimenting with BeReal, Gen Z’s new favorite social platform
❤️ One of your favorites:
📖 Well worth the read:
- “Just as Presidents’ Day has become known for car sales, Memorial Day is especially popular for mattress sales. There are many reasons why and, unlike beds, we don’t have to make them up,” wrote Andrew Adam Newman. (Why is Memorial Day so big for mattress sales?)
🦜 Quote of the month:
- “China still remains to be and will always be the world’s factory. I think [brands have] constantly leveraged China, probably beyond where it needs to be.”—Sean Maharaj, managing director in the logistics practice at AArete (Lockdowns in China mean more supply-chain challenges for retailers)
June
📆 Our theme of the month: QSR
Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know
Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.
We wouldn’t be covering retail if we weren’t covering QSRs, so we dedicated a month to digging just a little deeper.
🗞️ Grabbing the headlines:
- A quick look at QSRs in their early years: in photos
- 21 terms to sound like a restaurant insider
- How McDonald’s plans to diversify its franchisee pool
- Sweetgreen wants to challenge (and reward) its customers with a new loyalty offering
❤️ Your favorite:
📖 Well worth the read:
- “In a world where $1 pizza now costs more than a buck, Miss A is working to ensure its $1 cosmetics business doesn’t meet the same fate,” wrote Erin Cabrey. (How Miss A has made $1 beauty a multimillion-dollar biz, even amid inflation)
🦜 Quote of the month:
- “Everything we make has to come back and be recycled.”—Stacy Flynn, co-founder and CEO of Evrnu (Four experts on what excites them about the evolution of sustainable materials)
🎗️ Remember this:
- Jeena Sharma checked in with DTC menswear brand True Classic to find out how it’s gone from $0 to $150 million in revenue in just a few years. (How DTC menswear brand True Classic is built to grow)