Subscription Commerce

Walmart is launching a new subscription service later this month called Walmart+ that closely resembles Amazon Prime, multiple sources told Recode last week. According to the sources, Walmart+ will cost $98 a year, and will include perks such as same-day delivery of groceries and general merchandise, discounts on fuel at Walmart gas stations, and early…

The slow death of brick-and-mortar retailers has been well documented and unexaggerated. A record-setting 102 million square feet of store space was closed in 2017, according to CoStar Group. Retailers promptly obliterated that record in 2018 by closing another 155 million square feet. However, not all retailers are going gently into the night. As consumer preference…

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has thrown every sector of retail into disarray, and businesses are struggling to adapt to the rapidly changing environment. Not only are consumer behaviors fundamentally shifting in light of the pandemic, but they're also prompting retailers to consider how their brand aligns to customer expectations, and how to translate this insight…

Retailers, take note: mobile consumers are now more willing to open their wallets for a subscription service than a one-time purchase, according to a yearlong analysis of 992 apps and over 349 billion mobile impressions. With the subscription economy’s rapid growth in recent years and even big tech players like Apple considering subscription models for…

Beauty products subscription service Birchbox plans to lay off 25 percent of its workforce to reduce costs. At least 44 employees will be affected in New York, out of a total workforce of 94, according to a notice filed with the state labor department. As part of the costs reduction plan, Birchbox also plans to move some…

Big brands are hungry for a piece of the e-commerce subscription pie, which is now worth $10 billion. As such, a number of big brands, including Nike and Walmart, are looking to get in on the e-commerce subscription business. However, a recent study conducted by Reach3 Insights found that big brands have a major disadvantage…

Millennials are poised to reign supreme in 2020, commanding 30 percent of the retail market share with purchasing power projected to reach $1.4 trillion. The flipside? Millennials own fewer possessions than ever before and have less incentive to buy things that require commitment, such as insurance protection or long-term contracts.  The trend signals a movement…

We’ve seen our fair share of shocking headlines recently: tenuous IPOs, the “retailpocalypse,” and a fickle market have served to reset the way we size up subscription businesses. Recurring revenue models have their pitfalls, and 2019 certainly taught the industry a few lessons. In 2020, retention is set to be a top priority for companies…

Clothing and accessories rental subscription service Rent the Runway has teamed with Marriott International’s W Hotels brand to launch a rental experience at four locations: W Aspen in Colorado, W South Beach in Florida, W Washington D.C., and W Hollywood in California. RTR Closet Concierge, which launched on Dec. 5, enables visitors to these hotels…

Isabelle Fesale, founder and CEO of The Izzy Box, tells the story behind the subscription box-based business dedicated to delivering customers products from minority-owned and women-owned businesses.