Liz Claiborne Shuttering The Latest Example Of The De-Prioritization Of The Physical Store
Written by Evan SchumanFor a retail industry populated with execs who learned their trade in pure brick-and-mortar environments, the vertical is embracing mobile and abandoning physical stores at an impressive rate. (With the infrequent exception–such as Pier 1–proving the rule.) The latest proof point comes from the announcement Tuesday (July 20) that $3 billion Liz Claiborne is shuttering the stores that bear its name.
Closing doors is one thing. But when those doors have the corporate moniker on them, it hurts. The company is keeping open its outlet stores for other brands: Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand, Kate Spade and Kensie. Legitimate pragmatic reasons exist for the move—such as Liz Claiborne’s distribution deals with JCPenney and QVC, along with its annual losses. But the decision is yet more acceptance of today’s new mobile and virtual realities. Physical stores are merely one channel today–and they are often no longer the most important.
3 Comments | Read Liz Claiborne Shuttering The Latest Example Of The De-Prioritization Of The Physical Store
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July 23rd, 2010 at 5:37 pm
This is promising for the eCommerce world, and I wonder – what do these changes in shopping mean to our culture? Will consumers spend more when the opportunity to buy is at their fingertips?
July 23rd, 2010 at 7:03 pm
I agree – ecommerce will only grow larger. This calls for better tools for online product presentation so that buyers can have the same feeling of purchasing a real tangible product while seating in front of their computers or holding their smart phones.
July 26th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Indeed! And it also calls for quality online return policies so shoppers can feel secure after a purchase has been made, just in case something went wrong in the transaction.