Brands are competing for last-minute shoppers with shipping deals, omnichannel services
Hi, and welcome to Glossy’s Weekly Recap, where Glossy editor-in-chief Jill Manoff breaks down a big industry conversation and highlights five of the latest must-read Glossy stories. Sign up here to get Glossy’s daily, in-depth coverage on the businesses of beauty and fashion in your inbox every weekday morning.
In the week before Christmas, several brands and retailers announced the compelling offer of free overnight shipping — some, with a spending threshold.
As promoted in multiple customer emails, Chanel offered overnight shipping for orders placed from December 17 to December 19 at 3 p.m. EST to guarantee items’ Christmas arrival.
Skims, meanwhile, offered free express shipping on orders over $250 placed from December 18 to December 19 at noon ET.
And on Friday, the contemporary fashion brand PatBo offered free next-day shipping on orders over $800, according to a customer email.
Several others went a more affordable route by reminding customers that their stores are open for last-minute gift shopping. Lululemon called its store pickup service “ your last-minute gift hero” in a customer email. L.L. Bean’s email subject line on Sunday stated, “Still need a gift? Our stores are stocked.” And in an email, H&M reminded customers that they could “find last-minute gifts in stores.”
Absorbing shipping costs while still making a profit is a challenge many brands are aiming to solve to stay competitive. And during the last holiday shopping days, free expedited shipping may be just the offer to win shoppers’ gifting dollars.
Providing such shipping deals may not be an option for brands and retailers next year, however, according to Ricky Choi, CEO and co-founder of 3PL company Outerspace. Starting in 2025, USPS will raise Shipping Services prices by approximately 3.2% for Priority Mail service and Priority Mail Express service, 3.9% for USPS Ground Advantage, and 9.2% for Parcel Select. Brands that continue to offer free shipping will do so by layering the associated cost into the cost of goods, Choi said.
Catch up on the week’s 5 most-read beauty and fashion stories below.
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In mid-October, Value Retail kicked off the rolling opening of its first stateside experiential retail destination, Belmont Park Village, on Long Island. The Village houses the first U.S. off-price boutiques of luxury brands including Thom Browne, Vivienne Westwood, Aquazzura and Missoni. In July, L Catterton, the private equity firm backed by LVMH, acquired a 42% stake in Value Retail for $1.94 billion.
Branded resale tech company Trove has had a busy 2024. In May, Terry Boyle took over as CEO, and in August, Trove acquired its competitor, Recurate. Last month, Trove rolled out a new feature with Patagonia, one of its earliest clients, called the Resale Plugin. It allows brands to seamlessly slot in secondhand options alongside new products on their e-commerce stores.
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