The Outsights: November 6, 2023
MrBeast might be the new Walt Disney, Shopify’s marketplace is now available on the web, and Victoria’s Secret is bringing sexiness back.
Hello, and welcome to the very first issue of The Outsights—Nebulab’s bi-weekly collection of the best reads, listens, and products from the world of retail, eCommerce, and DTC.
This is always an interesting time of the year in this industry. Everyone we talk to is knee-deep in BFCM and holiday season execution but also trying to finalize their plans for 2024. Whatever you’re up to, we hope things aren’t too crazy, and that this email will give you a much-needed excuse to catch your breath.
Let’s get started!
Thought provokers
MrBeast, Walt Disney, and the promise of the pay-off. The Future Commerce team draws an interesting parallel between MrBeast and Walt Disney, reflecting on the economics of launching, scaling, and sustaining a content-led brand.
🔒 DTC and hope. That (relatively) small brands might one day capitalize on their audiences through proprietary retail media networks is something we theorized a couple of years back. It looks like the future is finally here.
Goings-on
Shopify’s marketplace expands to the web. “Marketplace” is probably a bit too generous as a definition for the Shop app. That said, it's worth noting how Shopify is trying to turn into a customer acquisition channel for SMBs (see the latest issue of The Thought for a deeper reflection).
More startups are launching multi-brand marketplaces to drive holiday sales. Brand marketplaces work when they’re a win-win-win proposition for the “host,” the “guest,” and the consumer. (In the past, we discussed partnerships and marketplaces on The Thought.)
Victoria’s Secret drops feminist makeover after sales slump. This reminded us of Unilever’s CEO’s recent statements about brand purpose. As a brand, you can’t just shove your mission down the consumer’s throat—especially if you spent decades building a different kind of legacy.
That’s it for today!
If you have any interesting reads, listens, or tools we should check out, you can email us at [email protected].
See you in two weeks! 👋
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