Daily LInks
1. How Shein Became the Chinese Apparel Maker American Teens Love: Shein’s large number of third-party suppliers has made competition especially fierce, with some suppliers having to lower their prices to win orders. Still, the brand has won over factories with its punctual monthly payments and large volume of orders. – Read More on the WSJ
2. Chinese Shoppers Complain Bagging a Hermès Was Never Harder: Due to border closures forcing Chinese shoppers to get their handbag fixes at home rather than abroad — where value added taxes are lower — has thrown supply and demand out of balance. “There are too many rich people in China who cannot go abroad for their shopping sprees.” – Read More on Sixth Tone
3. The sneakers they’re wearing? They bought them from a Facebook post: Brands from Burberry to H&M have signed up social media stars to get their followers to shop from stories or posts by asking them to “swipe up to purchase.” The social commerce industry is expected to balloon to $50 billion from $36 billion in annual sales by 2023 in the United States. – Read More on SCMP
4. ‘Black Widow’ lawsuit challenges new distribution strategies, streaming profits: Scarlett Johansson claims that Disney breached her contract with the studio for the Marvel film by releasing it on the Disney+ streaming service at the same time as its theatrical debut, although her contract had stipulated an exclusive theatrical release for “Black Widow” and included significant payouts to the actor that were tied to the box office performance of the film. – Read More on S&P Global
5. How shapewear brands are trying to reinvent themselves: Shapewear companies, such as Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS brand, are rebranding toward inclusivity and casualness. In recent months, the shapewear category has gotten a boost as consumers head outside of their homes again. – Read More on Modern Retail
6. Retailers in tough position after CDC’s updated mask guidance: Walmart and Target’s mask stance is likely a bellwether for the broader retail industry, says Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail. “They’re almost like competitive trendsetters in a way.” – Read More on Morning Brew