Here Are 7 Online Retailers Going Brick-and-Mortar
While e-commerce is hot, it's not beating up brick-and-mortar quite yet, as online sales only amounted to 7.2% of Q2 2015’s total retail sales, the US Department of Commerce reports. To get a leg up on the competition, popular e-commerce retailers took to opening up brick-and-mortar stores to help accelerate sales. Here are seven of them.
Upscale men’s retailer Bonobos opened its series of Guideshops in 2013—but they're not normal stores. In this showroom-styled store, men are given the same customer service attention as in a retail store and then go online to buy made-to-order apparel. Bonobos plans to have 20 Guideshops open by the end of the year.
Boutique glasses retailer Warby Parker opened a 2.5k SF flagship store in New York City’s trendy Soho area in 2103. Now it has showrooms and stores across the nation. Just recently, Warby Parker partnered with department store chain Nordstrom to host a monthly pop-up shop.
Jewelry startup BaubleBar produced a 200% sales growth during 2014, prompting it to open retail stores. Because of its popularity in the tri-state area, long Island’s Roosevelt Field Mall—one of the nation's largest shopping centers—will house the first 1.2k SF store. The trendy retailer’s jewelry can already be found in Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Anthropologie.
Athleta started as an online athletic wear brand in 1999—selling to Gap in 2008 for $150M—before opening its flagship store in San Francisco in 2011. Athleta reached its 2014 goal of opening 100 stores, which also feature free fitness classes, fit styling appointments and complimentary hemming.
Quickly building a big name in the beauty industry—earning a $485M valuation along the way—the subscription box service opened its first brick-and-mortar shop last July in downtown Manhattan. The store acts as an extension of the Birchbox online experience by allowing customers to customize their boxes and explore new products. Using a similar strategic approach, Birchbox continues to host pop-up shops across the nation.
The fashion retailer launced in 2010 with a personalized shopping experience, which has raised $254M to date. In 2013, JustFab brought its online retail to brick-and-mortar with a 3k SF California flagship store. JustFab announced the launch as an attempt to connect customers with the products by allowing them to try on curated collections, and introduced VIP pricing for members.
Rent the Runway rents out designer dresses at affordable prices through its e-commerce platform. Gaining popularity quickly, it opened its flagship in Manhattan’s Flatiron District in August 2014. At the store, customers can peruse the rotating stock of over 850 products and book appointments with personal shoppers. There are five stores in major cities.
