Bloomingdale’s is just one of the retailers and brands trying to capitalize on the Barbie buzz. It has a pop-up featuring exclusive Barbie-inspired clothing and accessories, along with a life-size Barbie box for shoppers to pose for.
Bloomingdales
NEW YORK CITY — In the middle of Manhattan, shoppers can step into a life-sized Barbie box, pose with a bright pink slide, and view earrings, dresses, and candles inspired by the iconic plastic doll.
The pop-up shop at Bloomingdale’s flagship store is just one example of how retailers are trying to capitalize on the buzz ahead of Friday release of “Barbie” from Warner Bros.
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Over 100 brands, including Bloomingdale’s, from Kohl, Crocs And Holehave licensing agreements or other deals with toy maker Mattel to sell Barbie-themed fashion, beauty, accessories and more. Many of those items cater to adults who want to channel childhood memories by slipping on bright pink heels or lounging on a float that looks like it came from a Barbie dream house.
Bloomingdale’s has an exclusive collection of Barbie-inspired women’s clothing and accessories for its private label Aqua. It also hopes to attract shoppers with Barbie-themed storefronts on Lexington Ave., special events, and free hair styling.
Shopkeepers hope to dispel the summer doldrums and inflation blues with a splash of bright pink. The Barbie merchandise, which came out months ago leading up to the movie, shows how retailers have had to work harder and get creative to grab shoppers’ attention and convince them to pay full price. Companies including Bloomingdale’s parent company Macy’schain store Goal and coach parent Tapestry have warned of weaker sales of discretionary merchandise and expensive items in the US as consumers pay more for groceries and spend more on services such as dining out and travel.
In addition, millions of Americans face another expense this fall: Student loan payments will resume after a pandemic-related hiatus of more than three years.
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Aldo Chief Brand and Product Officer Daianara Grullon Amalfitano said some sparkle and bright pink could take shoppers out of a practical, budget-minded mindset.
“This Barbie Aldo collaboration is one where that rational thinking might just go out the window and you’re like, ‘Ah, this makes me so happy. So good. I gotta have it,'” she said.
About half of Aldo’s Barbie collection sold out in the first week. The company said it is working to restock for the limited edition collection, which includes 19 items from crossbody bags to pumps.
About half of Aldo’s 317 North American stores carry the line, along with the website. Aldo products are also available at select Macy’s stores and on Macy’s website.
Aldo has a collection of Barbie shoes and handbags. Some items, such as the Barbie platform sandals, sold out in 24 hours, the company said.
aldo
Macy’s upmarket department store, Bloomingdale’s, carries the Barbie the Movie x Aqua line in nine stores and online, and mixed with merchandise from other brands. So far, the Barbie merchandise is selling “incredibly well” and appealing to customers across generations, said Frank Berman, the department store’s chief marketing officer.
Berman said the retailer deliberately included items in different price ranges in the Barbie-inspired collection, from a $24 pink candle to rose gold heart stud earrings for $8,350.
“We have a few things that are a bit over the top, but it’s curated so everyone can have a piece of it,” he said.
Many items in Gap’s Barbie collection are sold out. They include a pair of adult rectangular hot pink sunglasses and a t-shirt with Ken in big pink capital letters, both $39.95.
Gap has sold out some of its popular Barbie items, including rectangular pink sunglasses. The pink denim jacket is also performing very well in stores and on the website.
Hole
Barbie to the rescue?
Barbie shouldn’t just shock a sluggish checkout in 2023. The buzz could also boost spending on non-essential items that have fallen following a surge in Covid spending.
Retailers will likely need to continue to offer unique and trendy merchandise to ensure shoppers want more than they need as they prepare for the all-important holiday season.
According to market researcher Circana, the merged company formerly known as The NPD Group and IRI, sales of discretionary general merchandise fell 4% in dollar terms in June compared to the same period a year ago. Unit sales in the category fell 9% over that period.
Last week, Amazon, walmart, Target and others boosted sales by offering deeper discounts with Amazon Prime Day and other competitive promotions. Consumers spent $12.7 billion during the two-day online sales event in the US, a 6.1% year-over-year growth and a new all-time high, according to Adobe Analytics.
Barbie broke through as a popular search item last week. It jumped from 85th to 49th on the top brands list this Prime Day from last year, according to early data from Teller. The most popular Barbie item sold at the sales event was lead actress Margot Robbie’s “Barbie” collectible doll.
As Americans scramble for deals, Barbie is just one of the ways retailers are persuading them to look beyond the essentials.
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Oliver Chen, a retail analyst for Cowen, said brands have benefited from trends such as the shift to loose-fitting denim, the return to dressier and more tailored outfits for occasions and increased interest in innovative makeup and skincare products.
“Every brand loves novelty because novelty creates desire,” said Chen.
Barbie is “another floating life jacket” for retailers to grab onto, says Susan Fournier, a marketing professor and dean of Boston University’s business school. The brand has built-in recognition, nostalgia that resonates across generations, and ingrained free marketing because of the movie.
Unlike other movie-themed merchandise, Barbie is not just a logo that can be tacked onto T-shirts and backpacks, but an aesthetic that cuts through homewares, makeup and clothing, exuding an optimism that many shoppers crave, she said .
“We’re in a pretty messy world,” she said. “We’re in the post-Covid world, which has a lot of baggage. There’s a lot of fear. And then you get Barbie and it’s all pink. And I think there’s something really deep about a hunger for that.”
She said part of the brand’s strength comes from its complicated legacy. Barbie is closely associated with perfection, with her small waist, beautiful house and handsome boyfriend. But Barbie was also unmarried and became an astronaut before the first moon landing.
“There’s something culturally powerful about living in that contradictory space,” Fournier said.
At Bloomingdale’s pop-up store in New York City, shoppers can find an exclusive Barbie collection of clothing and accessories from house brand Aqua. The retailer’s website and nine stores carry the collection.
Bloomingdales
Chasing the Barbie bump and beyond
Other retailers have executed a similar playbook with branding inspired by pop culture.
TapestryOwned Coach has collaborated with beloved brands and celebrities, including Disney and comic strip Peanuts. It featured a collection of clothing and accessories inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat, the late New York artist who rose to fame in the 1980s for his edgy and graffiti-inspired designs. It recently launched a new collection featuring actress Kirsten Dunst.
Coach CEO Todd Kahn said the company chooses carefully which partnerships make sense. He said he enjoyed seeing other brands’ Barbie collaborations, but Coach decided not to partner.
“So often people use collaborations for a quick spike,” he said. “We’re interested in long-term sustainability. That’s why we’ve become very selective with our collaborations. We use them to bring a new audience to the table. And then we measure how sticky they are afterwards. It’s super important.”
For example, he said Coach’s Basquiat items attracted new and more engaged customers, bringing in about 10% more Gen Z and millennial customers than the main collections, and enticing them to pay some of Coach’s highest prices.
Some brands seem to be getting a Barbie bump, but it remains to be seen if those customers stick around.
Berman, Bloomingdale’s longtime Chief Marketing Officer, said the chain sees an increase in store and website traffic when there are collaborations. That’s why the company’s flagship “The Carousel” has a special pop-up space, which can also be shopped online.
The retailer has combined fashion, a well-known brand and a memorable experience many times before. It had a pop-up inspired by Netflix’s hit series, ‘Bridgerton’. Many years ago it had a “Moulin Rouge” themed pop-up complete with can-can dancers and a performance by the movie star, Nicole Kidman.
Aldo’s Amalfitano declined to share recent sales numbers or forecast for the year. But like other retailers, the footwear and accessories brand has felt the pullback in discretionary spending, she said.
She hopes the higher sales and shopper engagement will continue even as the Barbie merchandise runs out.
“That’s a burning question,” she said.
– CNBC’s Caitlin Freda and Courtney Reagan contributed to this report.