In today’s top retail news, Athleta is jumping aboard the at-home wellness train, while Shopify touts the success of its new buy now, pay later (BNPL) feature. Also, Walmart is now licensing its technology to third-party merchants, and Mattel is seeing a spike in Barbie and Hot Wheels impulse purchases as shoppers return to stores.
Athleta Launches Wellness Platform To Grow Brand Loyalty
With consumers increasingly focused on health following a global pandemic, Athleta is launching a new health and wellness platform in a bid to increase loyalty as the athletic wear brand tries to double its value. AthletaWell, which will be a part of the Athleta website, will include Spaces, where members will have access to curated topics centered around wellness, and Guides, where leaders in female well-being provide their perspectives, as well as online and offline activities led by guides, partners and VIP guests.
Walmart To License Its Digital Tech
Walmart is extending a digital leg up to businesses and brands looking to enhance their online services by offering them some of the same technologies that the retail giant itself uses. The world’s largest retailer also teamed up with Adobe in a strategic collaboration to integrate Walmart’s Marketplace, eCommerce and in-store fulfillment and pickup technologies with Adobe Commerce, which offers solutions for merchants and brands. The partnership with Adobe Commerce gives retailers the chance to tap into Walmart’s cloud services and offer their shoppers easy pickup and delivery options.
Shopify And Its Merchants See Success With Shop Pay Installments Rollout
The use of Shopify’s Shop Pay Installments feature is seeing explosive growth just one month after it opened up to all U.S. merchants, with purchases made using the BNPL product tripling in the second quarter versus just three months prior. Shop Pay Installments is now automatically enabled for new merchants signing up for Shopify payments, and Shopify has self-serve onboarding available for existing merchants.
Barbie, Hot Wheels Boost Mattel Sales As Shoppers Return To Stores
Mattel is seeing strong growth in sales of both Barbie and Hot Wheels products as consumers return to in-person shopping, pushing the children’s entertainment company to a better-than-expected second quarter. Overall, Mattel sales reached over $1 billion, up 40 percent year over year, and CEO Ynon Kreiz said the company is “in the strongest position we have been in many years” as it focuses on drawing more value from its intellectual properties.
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