Daily LInks
1. Chinese sellers on Amazon in hot demand by VCs and e-commerce roll-ups: Chinese merchants selling on Amazon are having a moment. The scruffy exporters are used to roaming about suburban factory areas and dealing with constant cash flow strain, but suddenly they find themselves having coffee with top Chinese VC firms and investment representatives from internet giants, who come with big checks to hunt down the next Shein. – Read More on TechCrunch
2. Amazon and Walmart dominate apparel sales, but are after more fashion clout: The retail giants compete across many categories, but apparel has become an area where both have sought to gain market share. The two retailers can drive more sales if they keep up with trends, along with selling socks and basic T-shirts. – Read More on CNBC
3. Luxury-Goods Results Should Be “Exceptional.” That’s the Bad News, Says HSBC. By the second half of the year, or early 2022, sales growth may fall and possibly margins too. “Across the board, we believe the sector might be a difficult one to invest more funds in as it shows signs of a normalization after a period of exuberant top-line growth and, likely, over-earning as the recent sales surge has not been accompanied by a similar quantum of spending.” – Read More on Barron’s
4. Luxury spending is booming: High-income consumer spending, which bounced back completely in March, is 11% over pre-pandemic levels currently, per The Washington Post. This discretionary spending propels economic recovery, although it’s likely to widen disparities post-pandemic. – Read More on Biz Journals
5. Gender neutral clothes are the next big thing in fashion: Stores have good reason to roll out such collections. A December 2020 survey by global marketing and consulting firm Wunderman Thompson of 1,000 US consumers aged 16-24, 70% of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that gender doesn’t define a person as much as it used to. – Read More on CNN
