E-COMMERCE

Anna Kim

With the exception of the pandemic-disrupted 2021, this is the first time since Amazon’s inaugural Prime Day in 2015 that merchants don’t have a July Prime Day to anchor their summer sales strategies. Amazon moved the event to June this year, leaving a gap in the peak summer retail calendar.

Amazon’s June Prime Day, which ran from June 23 to June 26, delivered deeper discounts to people across categories. Shoppers showed up and spent $26.4 billion in consolidated e-commerce sales in the US, data from Adobe showed.

The sales momentum built with Prime Day is expected to spill over into July, experts told Retail Brew. Some brands are seeing a 10%–15% dip in July, but that’s to be expected after a sales event as big as Prime Day.

As for July deals, they’re largely off the table, and the usual post-Prime Day lull is setting in. Brands have already shifted focus to back-to-school season and Q4 prep to lock in final shipments, wrap up FBA inventory forecasts, and set ad budgets.

Keep reading here.—VC

      

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MARKETING

Brunt

It’s boom times for the workwear market globally, with the segment valued at $19 billion and expected to grow to $28 billion by 2033. If Carhartt, Dickies, or Strauss come to mind that would make sense, especially if you’ve taken at least one stroll around Williamsburg in the past year.

One brand, Brunt Workwear, has used authenticity to ride the workwear wave to $300 million in annual sales. Revenue Brew spoke with company executives about how it cultivated such a distinct brand, staying authentic amidst trend cycles, and getting the product just right.

Keep reading here on Revenue Brew.—BS

      

COMMUNITY

Jay Amburkar

On Wednesdays, we wear pink spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Jay Amburkar is SVP and market director of retail, CPG, travel and transportation at tech consultancy Thoughtworks.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I’m essentially a translator between the future and the present. I help global retailers and brands keep up with customers whose expectations and behaviors are changing much faster than the legacy systems they’re built on. Think of it this way: The modern shopper is living in 2026, but many of the world’s biggest supply chains and data architectures are still stuck in 2015. My job at Thoughtworks is to help those brands close that gap, ensuring their technology isn’t just reactive, but a proactive innovation engine that can pivot as quickly as the people it serves.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? LinkedIn does a great job showing the conferences, the events, the strategy sessions, but it doesn’t show the “quiet” work. I religiously block time on my calendar every week to do absolutely nothing: no phone, no books, no podcasts. In a role that demands constant input and problem-solving, I’ve found that the richest thought happens when you give your brain the space to wander.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Building out retail media networks (RMNs) for some of the world’s largest retailers has been an incredible journey.

Keep reading here.—EC

      

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swapping skus

Today’s top retail reads.

Cashing in chips: Salty snack maker Utz brands is going private in a $2.9 billion deal with European snacking giant Intersnack Group GmbH. (Bloomberg)

Close the dupe: Beauty duping has reached a new level, with some brands now selling exact formulas of prestige beauty products at a lower price. (Business of Fashion)

In this economy?: A new survey found that more Americans have reported shoplifting compared to previous years, amid continued inflation. (CBS News)

Salomon

Learn what Steve Doolan had to say about the importance of physical retail, and building brand awareness in the US.