Sophie Pham

Listening to and learning from our global customers has helped us successfully return A&F Co. to growth! Read more from Forbes about some of the tactics we've implemented and the playbook that keeps us moving forward. 🔗

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If Amazon, Instagram, and Zara had a threesome, SHEIN would be their twisted love child. And with $30B in sales, customers really do love it. SHEIN is the fast fashion brand blowing up your TikTok. I’m talking hyper-fast fashion. These guys make H&M look like a lunchtime lineup at the DMV. Let me tell you about them. 1/ How it started The year is 2008. Chris Xu is an entrepreneur in Nanjing, China. He launches a business marketing wedding dresses online. A few years in he flips to a fast fashion model and changes the name to SHEIN. He’s now selling clothing for everyone at goofy low prices. It’s mobile first with zero physical locations. And he’s ridiculously good at it. The company grows rapidly and by 2017, revenues top $1B. But how is SHEIN pulling this off? 2/ The playbook The company leverages all the tools of modern retail to run an insanely efficient business. For starters, they use search trends and social data to rapidly deploy new products. We’re talking 1000’s of new pieces daily. But they’re not manufacturing all this stuff. SHEIN is promoting it to gauge interest. And they make the merchandise in small batches. If a piece sells out, they make a lot more of it. Plus they do it at blazing speeds using a hefty network of suppliers. After all, they don’t need to worry about getting products onto shelves. They just post thumb-stopping pics and wait for the clicks. And how do people find these products? SHEIN’s pretty good at getting the word out. 3/ Marketing hustle Influencer marketing is at the core. The company DM’s lots of creators across social. And they offer an all-you-can-wear clothing buffet. In return, you just need to show SHEIN some Insta-love. And when you open the SHEIN app, you’ll get a blast of real time marketing. Flash sales, BOGO's, and absurd discounts. Want a pair of earrings? You’ll find them for $2. Too much? Wait a hot minute and you’ll get a random “60% off for the next 60 seconds.” This is next-level impulse buying. And the savings are real. 4/ My take If you were writing a movie about a modern retailer, SHEIN would be the main character. They’ve merged algorithms, gamification, and real time culture to create a dopamine-packed shopping bonanza. The space is getting more crowded of course. But SHEIN still takes the brunt of critics. People love to throw shade at the brand while clicking 'Buy Now' on the product. Either way, the business seems to be working. In 2023, SHEIN was the most downloaded shopping app in the world. And with a $66B valuation, it's the poster child of a retail renaissance. #brand #marketing #growth P.S. Enjoy this? Then you’ll love my newsletter. See why 100 people subscribe daily. Join now at https://jondavids.com

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🎄 The holiday shopping season is starting early!🎄 With Walmart, Target, and Best Buy launching their holiday deals ahead of schedule, retailers are bracing for an extended rush this year. As sales ramp up, the real challenge is ensuring store operations and staffing can keep pace with unpredictable foot traffic. Strategic labor placement is 🔑—having the right staff in the right place at the right time can make or break the customer experience during these peak periods. Leveraging data to understand traffic flows and adapt quickly can give retailers the edge they need to thrive. 💡 Retail leaders: How are you managing staffing and store operations for this busy season? Are you aligning your labor strategy with real-time traffic trends? I’d love to hear your approach! #Retail #HolidaySeason #Operations #RetailStrategy #LaborOptimization

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Here are the most common Questions I get about TikTok Shop 👇 👇 What's a TikTok Shop? 🤔 (this is my ode to Forky asks a question - bonus parent points if you get my reference hahah) jk jk The social commerce movement in North America is in its amoeba stage – we're just getting started... (I mean... I'm not just getting started but you get it... hahah) Here are a few of my favourite + most asked Q&As I get from Brands from 1 million to 10 billion: Q: Should big, well-known brands be on TikTok Shop? A: Absolutely. Big brands not only bring credibility to the platform, but they also benefit from TikTok Shop's rapid growth by reaching a new, highly engaged audience in a direct way. TikTok's algo LOVES great engaging content, which means this is the time to get on and FINALLY experiment. Also... you'll have the early-mover advantage, lower ad costs compared to more saturated platforms, and the ability to experiment with social commerce features ahead of competitors. (because you know how crucial that will be!) Q: What’s the best way to start? A: Start by focusing on one hero SKU. Use existing creative assets and engage micro-influencers who are enthusiastic about your brand. It's all about maximizing impact with what you already have. Q: How important is live shopping for TikTok Shop success? A: Live shopping is huge on TikTok Shop. Think of it as the QVC for Gen Z and Millennials. Going live can create real-time urgency, boost engagement, and drive immediate sales. If you’re not going live, you’re missing out on a key growth driver. Q: What’s the role of ads in TikTok Shop success? A: Ads are crucial. We initially scale through ad-driven sales before focusing heavily on affiliate growth. Ads give you the initial proof of concept that affiliates and influencers can latch onto to amplify results. Q: How do you handle outreach to creators on TikTok Shop? A: It's all about the pitch. Be clear about what’s in it for them—earnings potential, free product, or exclusive perks. Tools like automated outreach bots help us scale this process, but personal touches still make a big difference in standing out. Q: What's the best ad structure for TikTok Shop campaigns? A: Start with ad set budget optimization (ABO) with each creative running separately. This allows you to see what’s working in real time and double down. Once you identify winners, move them into a scaling campaign. Q: Can high-ticket items sell on TikTok Shop (think $350+)? A: Right now, TikTok Shop is tricky for high AOV items. Instead, use TikTok to drive traffic directly to Amazon. 🛒 TikTok shoppers want a seamless checkout, and Amazon delivers that. Wait for YouTube shopping! Also... I'm seeing success as high as $150 AOV - so you can push it. Worst case... go to Fast moss or Kalodata to see what the data says! The biggest takeaway: early movers in social commerce have a massive opportunity. The opportunity is now. What other questions do you have about TikTok Shop?

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You have a fine reputation...now if only sales kept up. If consumer sentiment has anything to do with it, Nike and Kohl's should have a happy holiday. The retailers topped the list among consumers for athletic footwear and department stores. While Nike topped the list for Gen Z, millennials, Gen X and boomers, Kohl's was the top choice among Gen Z and boomers, while millennials chose Nordstrom and Gen X chose Macy’s. What does that all mean? From a brand and reputation perspective, Nike and Kohl's have a lot to be happy about. The efforts by both companies have helped them to stay in the good graces of consumers. Financially speaking, however, that's a different story. Nike and Kohl's had lousy sales quarters along with sliding stock prices. Innovation, variety and product selection matter more. Consumer sentiment, brand rankings and other reputation lists are great, but at the end of the retail day, you still have to deliver the goods. That's where Nike, Kohl's and the retail industry in general find themselves. Good favor lasts only so long, but they buy you some time to fix the problems. The online vs in-store conundrum puts the focus on inventory. It wasn't too long ago when brick-and-mortar retailers were expected to disappear due to the ecommerce and the online shopping onslaught. But that didn't happen because retailers such as Kohl's, Macy's, Target and Walmart among others embraced technology to enhance the customer experience by combining the convenience of online shopping with the accessibility of the physical shopping experience. Consumers have also developed a preference for actually being able to touch and hold items that online-only stores can't provide. Of course, what you see online isn't always what you get in stores. We love inventory...just not too much of it. That places even greater importance on inventory management and knowing what customers want. For Nike, Kohl's and other retailers, the holy grail remains: forecasting which inventory to put where so consumers can find what they’re looking for in stores. Figure that out, and perhaps sales will keep up with consumer sentiment https://cnb.cx/3BUYhHY #nike #kohls #retail #consumers #reputation #brand #publicrelations #inventory #inventorymanagement #supplychain #holidays

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I always joke about how I learned Social Media Management and Community Management, simply from being chronically online as a teenager and into my college years. When I talk to other people in the industry whether social media or gaming-specific, about how I can stay aligned with internet culture, my answer is always the same: listen, analyze, and deconstruct. Platforms change. Algorithms change. Demographics change. You know what doesn't change? Understanding and seeing the trends when you listen.

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Here’s what retail brands do wrong with personal client books (and how to avoid the same mistakes) 👇 1️⃣ They don’t have them. A client book is how your store teams organize their top customers. Without one, you leave repeat business up to chance. So if your associates don't already have one, it’s time to start. 2️⃣ They add every customer. The focus should be on quality (high-value customers) over quantity (adding just anybody). If 20% of your customers account for 80% of your sales, those are the ones who belong in your client book. 3️⃣ There’s no clear process. What’s worse than not having a client book? Having a messy, ineffective one. You need clear processes and procedures to guide associates to use client books effectively. Want more in-depth tips? Check out the full video on how to manage personal client books 🔽

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💼 A Career in Retail – Materialistic and Altruistic? I’ve built a career in retail. But if you look closely at my LinkedIn profile, you’ll see I spent a year working at the United Way in Mexico. Growing up, I had two passions: shopping and learning about other countries. I always thought shopping was my hobby, international development work would be my career. After a year in an international non-profit, I quickly realized the for-profit world is my place so I went to business school and found a path in retail. I’ve always thought about how to align my career, centered on buying and selling things people want but don’t necessarily need (materialistic), with my deep desire to make the world a better place (altruistic). Early in my career, I hoped the joy of finding a deal or the perfect score shopping might just make someone’s day and they might go out and do good in the world. As a people leader, I now find this balance by thinking about how I create jobs and livelihoods for my employees, suppliers, and others. There is doing good in that. 📰 A recent opinion piece The Business of Fashion , “Why Retailers Must Help Rebuild Society,” https://lnkd.in/eZNnksQA resonated deeply with me. It explores the intertwined nature of retail and society and offers thought-provoking insights for all retailers and a call to action for retail leaders. As someone who thrives on transformation, I particularly appreciated the parting thoughts: “The future of competitive advantage is a mindset. One based on the clear-eyed recognition that we, as an industry, have reached a critical fork in the road, where there is more risk in adhering to the status quo than there is in rethinking it entirely.” Big questions with meaningful impact. In the meantime, I’ve found a way to combine materialism and altruism on a small scale by volunteering as a cashier at Timeless Treasures Thrift Shop as part of my work with the National Charity League, Inc. Los Angeles (pictured here).

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ILIA Beauty has no idea that I just made their most successful TikTok in the past 6 months. 1.3 million views, 40K+ likes, and all completely organic. Over the weekend, I filmed a quick, playful TikTok featuring my dog, Happy Boy, known for his hilariously long eyelashes. In the video, he grabbed Ilia’s Limitless Lash Mascara off the table and held it in his mouth. What started as an impromptu, funny moment turned into a viral hit. Here’s what this reminded me about creating successful social content: 🐶 Trends Are Quick, Relevance Is Quicker: Social media trends come and go fast. Brands need a trend-savvy content creator who can jump in real-time and create content that hits while it’s hot. 🐶 Unexpected and Cute Wins: Viral content often thrives on the unexpected. In this case, my dog’s lashes and the casual product placement of the mascara sparked conversations and laughs without forcing a sales pitch. 🐶 Lean Into Your Unique Angle: The standout element? My dog’s eyelashes. Love them or debate them, they got people talking and sharing. Engaging content doesn’t need unanimous praise—it needs attention. If your brand needs fresh, engaging social content, reach out—I’d love to chat and see how I can help. #SocialMedia #ContentCreation #BeautyIndustry

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🎉 October just witnessed the biggest shopping event ever! The question is- Did you get your slice of the pie? With top-selling categories like Premium Skincare, Apple Electronics, and Kids' Toys driving record sales, participating sellers saw an average of 41% increase in sales on Day 1 alone compared to October PBDD 2023. Although the final numbers are yet to be released, this is an impressive boost and hints that eCommerce brands have massive potential for BFCM this year! With that said, do you have your BFCM strategy for Amazon in place yet? Here's how you can capitalize on this growth for the 2024 Amazon holiday buying season: ✅ Run Test PPC Campaigns: Experiment with different pay-per-click campaigns and double down on the keywords that drive the most conversions. If you aren't already, you should be running a low-bid catch-all campaign! ✅ Leverage Brand-Tailored Promotions: Create personalized promotions for retargeting campaigns to reach potential customers who have shown interest in your products.  ✅ Utilize Lightning Deals: Take advantage of lightning deals and other BFCM-specific promotions Amazon offers. ✅ Tap into the Creator Connections Program: Collaborate with creators to drive traffic and increase the buyer's likelihood to convert. ✅ Add videos to your listings: Buyers don't like to read, they want to be shown. Add simple, instructional, feature-driven videos to your listings to improve conversion rate. This October event is a strong prediction of the sales potential BFCM holds. The countdown is on- Only 50 Days until Black Friday. Are you prepared? #Amazon #AmazonAds #ecommerce

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PSA to celebrity managers/talent agencies: No one is craving another streetwear brand to put your talent behind. Your brands don't need to start and end at basic apparel and beauty. That oversized T-Shirt with your name behind it isn't special anymore.

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Considering my early career history, the retail🛍️experience always stays forefront. “Experiential retail is critical for relevance in the future.” Check out the insight into Target's continued efforts to attract retail 🏬guests in a way that is complementary to and distinctively different from its online sales efforts. I appreciate Christina Hennington's framing of the intersecting balance of convenience and discovery within the change required to maintain and grow traffic and value at the retail. When time⌛ is our most valuable asset and when everything can show up tomorrow, the time spent becomes the currency within the value equation. Is it worth it for me to go? #peoplefirst https://lnkd.in/e5WYicGH

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There is one celebrity brand I would be dumping money into if they were public At +$400M per year, they are poised for a multi-billion dollar acquisition.. That brand is Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty Surprisingly, their revenue growth is low on the list of what makes this brand so attractive. Instead there are three core aspects fueling this beauty juggernaut: 1. Defining “Entry-Level Prestige” → Rare Beauty does an incredible job of balancing the the fine line between luxury and accessible. → What they have created allows the “aspirational” slice of the market to indulge in something that feels luxe without completely breaking the bank. 2. Authenticity → So much of the brand has been built on Selena’s authentic and transparent relationship with her fans → She sees herself as a “best friend” rather than the revered and worshipped stars like Beyonce or Taylor Swift → She’s the most followed woman on social media—despite taking regular breaks (for sometimes years at a time) → This translate to a legion of fans that support her, just for being her honest, open self—and they’re willing to pay to express that support 3. Growing Beyond Selena → Too much reliance on a celeb founder is often the death knell of these brands → Inability to start to define your products, appeal, and place in the market outside of the celebrity personality is all too common Not with Rare Beauty They have one of the fastest Influencer adoption rates of any company… Meaning, influencers are jumping at the chance to review and promote the brand—just because the product and market fit is so good Selena and the team at Rare Beauty have truly tapped into Gen Z’ers and the authentic experience they look for in the brands they purchase from. All of their values are clearly reflected in how Rare Beauty conducts business With a product and audience fit like this, it’s so surprise that they’re entertaining acquisition offers or an IPO… BONUS: If you want me to send you full swipe file of Rare Beauty emails (+95 of them) comment “RARE” below and I’ll DM it to you!

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As a GOOD AMERICAN customer, I can’t wait to experience the store. 👖As a former merchant, having a digital option to showcase styling, fit and product knowledge would have given me the confidence that my merchandising strategy was being executed in the store without having to physically be on location. 📺This is a great way to make sure teams are product obsessed with the constant graphics and that the visual merchandising / styling options are being showcased at the store. 🛍️To make sure this extension of digital is a success, Good American would need to keep the content fresh and consistent with real time inventory and reflective of the current product assortment. Sales associates would still need to be product obsessed but they would also need to show customers what is possible with the digital screens. The experience should augment and assist the sales associate and not be considered a replacement of staff. 🔹The excitement of finding a product on the screen, loving the look and being disappointed if the item or the size is not available could also drive customers away. GA would need to be on top of their inventory position and have a good handle of managing their inventory across all channels. 🗞️Check out more #BrainTrust comments on RetailWire: https://lnkd.in/eDJp--GF #retail #retailnews #goodamerican #cx #stores #merchandising #TRE #TopRetailExpert

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If you’ve been waiting for a sign to jump on to TikTok shop as either a brand or a creator – this is it. Here’s why TikTok Shop is a prime opportunity right now: 🌟 70% of all purchases made on TikTok are driven by affiliate content 🌟 Only 1 out of 10 brands set up on Meta are also on TikTok Shop 🌟 Top affiliates receive 80-100+ messages per day from brands wanting to promote their products 🌟 Gen Z is 3.2 times more likely to make a purchase on TikTok Shop than the general adult population If you’ve been contemplating integrating TikTok Shop into your brand or creator strategy, now is the time! #creatormarketing #tiktok #tiktokshop #influencermarketing

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Abercrombie & Fitch Co. stock is up over 400% in the last year, largely due to an incredible overhaul and improvement in their product selection. The Abercrombie you see today is not the same one you would have avoided in the mall 10 years ago! Now I know most of this growth is from improved style and selection but I think their CX experience plays a role in this too. I placed an order recently and the same items went on sale the next day for 20%. After seeing this, I wanted to see if I could get a refund or store credit for the difference. When I went to contact support, here are a few things I noticed that make it easier for their customers when wanting to reach out: 1. I made the purchase in-app so I went back in and found an entire section dedicated to Customer Service which had help articles + methods to contact 2. They make it easy to get in touch by offering Live Chat, Email, Phone or Whatsapp 3. Responsiveness - normally I'd opt for Live Chat but this time I decided to call and my call was answered in under a minute! In that one 5 minute call, I got a refund on the difference (which I ended up spending on more A&F items anyways!) and didn't need to go back and forth or get transferred to another agent. Summary - brands that make it easy for customers to reach out when things don't go as planned will always have an edge over brands that try to hide/avoid customer interactions. Service quality, reliability and consistency will outweigh even superior products at times.

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“According to Circana’s Omnibus survey from last August, 60% of K-12 parents reported that they typically make their back-to-school footwear purchases “close to the start of school.” Last year, footwear sales peaked during the first two weeks of August, just ahead of the peak school start weeks, according to Circana’s Retail Tracking data.” “Back-to-school season aside, Circana noted that parents have been prioritizing footwear purchases for their kids throughout the year. In the 12 months ending April 2024, year-over-year sales of footwear to be worn by kids and teens under 18-years-old grew by 7%, while sales of footwear for adults declined by 3%, according to Circana’s Consumer Tracking data. While sales for all wearers ages 7 and older increased, most of the growth came from sales for teens, who are primarily wearing adult shoe sizes.” “Last year, Circana found the percentage of footwear units sold on promotion from June through August returned to pre-pandemic 2019 levels. This came after two years of volatility: a dip in 2021 when supply was low and demand was high, followed by a sharp increase in 2023 when supply was more plentiful, but demand was slower.” “When asked what factor tends to influence their footwear purchases for kids and teens, just one-third of consumers cited promotions and discounts – behind quality, price, and child or teen requests, according to Circana’s Future of Footwear study.” - Zachary Russell

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