The Retail Apocalypse
Ask any woman if she is willing to buy clothing from unknown brands. The answer is no! Each brand is different and every woman’s body is very different. Every piece of clothing has to be tried on. Every piece. For example, most womens jeans manufacturers sell 3 styles: curvy, extra curvy, and straight. Plus sizes exist for women with large bust and small waist. Women’s bodies are on a continuum and it’s trial and error to find the brands that work for you. Trying to do this by mail order is a recipe for disaster, it will cause 80pct return rates. The demise of brick and mortar retail clothing is a myth, it will never happen.
“A record-breaking 6,700 stores shuttered across the country, with chains like Macy’s, Sears, J.C. Penney, and Kmart closing hundreds of locations. Payless Shoe Source, Gymboree, RadioShack, Rue 21, Wet Seal, and American Apparel were also victims of the so-called “retail apocalypse,” each either filing for bankruptcy or massively restructuring due to poor sales.
However, what slowly became clear as 2017 unfolded was that the end may have been somewhat exaggerated. Retail instead appears to be going through excruciating growing pains, much like an awkward teenager trying to figure out his identity in a complex world.
“Brick and mortar isn’t dead,” says Marshal Cohen, retail analyst at NPD Group. “That’s a big misconception. It’s just going through a major evolution.””
