Pier 1, Dress Barn’s E-Commerce Experiment Works Wonders

Need to Know 

• Pier 1 and Dress Barn, relaunched to exist online-only, cited successful sales over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend with a 30% increase in conversions.  
• The brands were recently revived by retail incubator Retail Ecommerce Ventures, which help struggling brands find success in the online space.
• Brands can thank the pandemic for massive online sales this year; Cyber Monday was the biggest US e-commerce sales day ever.

Analysis 

While many businesses are struggling to stay afloat amid the pandemic, Pier 1 and Dress Barn can credit the pandemic’s push to e-commerce for a resurgence in sales. 

E-commerce incubator Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV) relaunched Pier 1 and Dress Barn earlier this year by shifting the brand to operate exclusively online. Since the relaunch, REV has shared strong sales for both brands over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, citing a 30% increase in conversions.  

Home fragrances and holiday decorations were Pier 1’s top items, while Dress Barn saw success from promoting loungewear, sweaters, and face masks.  

“This was the inaugural Black Friday/Cyber Monday for Pier 1 and Dressbarn as Internet-first companies,” noted Tai Lopez, executive chairman and co-founder of REV. “The results are a window into today’s consumers, who are adapting to change but still showing strong affinity for long-popular offerings from both brands.”

REV purchased the rights to Pier 1’s intellectual property, digital assets, and data in July of this year and relaunched online at the end of October. REV has also supported the brand with renewed marketing and digital strategies. 

The retail incubator also helped Dress Barn’s online evolution with an improved social media presence. The brand’s Instagram and Facebook pages featured live-streamed style tips leading up to Black Friday weekend. Similarly, Pier 1 reconnected with fans and influencers on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #pier1ofakind. 

REV has relaunched several popular consumer brands into online-only stores. Just last month, Radio Shack relaunched online after its second bankruptcy in five years. 

It’s not surprising that these well-known brands are finding renewed success online. This year’s Cyber Monday was the biggest US e-commerce day ever, with retailers nationwide earning $10.84 billion in Cyber Monday sales alone.