Chico’s is the first national apparel retailer to set a reopening date of May 4, but it won’t be business as usual. Contactless curbside pick up will be followed by shop-by-appointment services. Stores will provide hand sanitizer and masks to customers and rearrange stores to increase floor space and social distancing appropriate fitting rooms.
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Simon Property Group, the nation’s largest mall owner, has announced it will reopen 49 malls and outlet centers in 10 states in early May. Shoppers will be allowed to enter the malls and will be offered temperature checks, masks and sanitizing kits. Floor decals will indicate flow of traffic in one direction and reinforce social distancing, and food court seating will be limited. Playgrounds will remain closed.
The online retail giant amassed 4.06 billion unique visitors in March, which equaled more than eBay, Apple, Walmart, Samsung and Rakuten combined. The coronavirus pandemic accounts for the staggering number, as many people began staying home and turned to online shopping for basics in addition to their regular e-commerce habits, according to data gathered by Learnbonds.com.
Jeffrey Babener, an MLM attorney and fierce advocate of direct selling, died on March 18. For more than three decades, the principal attorney in the law firm Babener & Associates served as a marketing and legal advisor to many of the largest direct selling companies in the world, as well as wrote and lectured on the subject.
Global beauty powerhouse Mary Kay announced the closure of its businesses in both Australia and New Zealand. The decision was made due to decline in market conditions and wariness of future sustainability in both countries. Mary Kay’s salesforce will be able to return product until April 6, 2020.
Kristine F. Hughes, co-founder and board member of Nature’s Sunshine Products, passed away on Feb. 23 at the age of 81. For nearly 48 years, Hughes helped revolutionize the herbal and natural wellness industry and gave rise to the modern supplement industry.
Utah-based multi-level marketing company Nature’s Sunshine used cost-cutting measures and restructuring to successfully turn a profit in the fourth quarter with a revenue drop of 5.8 percent. The company’s annual financial results reported $91.7 million in sales in the fourth quarter compared to $97.4 million in 2018, but were still able to pull at $1 million profit. The fourth quarter results for 2018 showed a $2.2 million loss. Nature’s Sunshine closed out the year of 2019 with a $0.5 million loss, compared to $2.2 million in losses for the full year of 2018.
Two former field leaders at Arizona-based Isagenix filed a lawsuit against the company in Salt Lake County claiming their sales on Amazon of Isagenix products was sanctioned by another top field leader in conjunction with company executives. Isagenix founders Kathy and Jim Coover say the company plans to file a motion to dismiss the Utah lawsuit saying the compliance department is specifically tasked with thwarting Amazon sales.
Quantum Metric, a predictive retail analytics platform, has gathered data that shows U.S consumers have been abundantly driven online due to COVID-19. Studies suggest that the 52 percent growth spike in consumer spending occurred during the fifth-eighth weeks of 2020 (Jan. 27- Feb. 23), the exact time the virus began spreading outside of Asia. Additionally, online conversion rates grew by 8.8 percent during the same time period. However both of the spikes were reversed during the ninth week of the quarter, indicating a slowdown in consumer shopping apart from items that customers would likely stockpile (e.g.., toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and food products.)
The ability to buy almost anything via the internet has changed the brand and consumer relationship over the past few years. While most direct-to-consumer brands were created on the internet, many traditional brands are making the switch. A study shows that nearly 80 percent of consumers plan to make most purchasing decisions online by 2023.
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