New Member Brief: The Great Disconnect
Welcome to Wednesday, futurists.
As the retail and eCom sector head into BFCM season, software businesses are hard at work trying to stay relevant and top-of-mind for next year’s planning.
Some, like Fermát Commerce, are launching bougie merch as an owned label. Perplexity dropped a new capsule collection. And, curiously, Yotpo is crowdsourcing influencer spiffs.
Experiential marketing, and UGC, is the new normal for software organizations. Staying relevant requires more brand marketing, which often sparks industry debate. “I wonder what Fermat’s investors about the merch launch,” quipped Ben Kruger on X. As we wrote back in July on Yotpo’s turnaround, entitled 136 Days, stunt marketing comes with its own baggage (even if that bag isn’t as lovely as the FRMT leather bag, which retails for $300). It’s not difficult to stand out from the crowd, but it can often come at the expense of creating intra-industry hand-wringing and deliberation.
Disclosure: I received a FRMT box, and created an unboxing video. I didn’t ask for the box, and I was not asked to post content; that said, the software vendor ecosystem-to-influencer pipeline is as strong as its ever been, and flooding a timeline with a drop can be as memorable—and cheaper—than a booth at the major trades like Shoptalk or NRF’s Big Show.
Happy merch szn to all who celebrate.
— Phillip
P.S. Powerful brands don’t sell products—they sell myths. Brain Lange gives us a primer on Aristotilian forms, and how cultural and generational brands are in search of a new ‘form’—to become mythopoeic. Continue reading on Insiders.
Member Briefing: Numbers Don't Add Up to Feelings
In a year where the S&P 500 has hit 76 record highs, and unemployment sits at a 55-year low, Americans feel worse about their financial situation than during the 2008 recession. This isn’t about numbers – it's about the psychology of loss, a base reset, and the emotions of mathematical memory.
Amy Silino brings the latest Member Brief, exclusive to Future Commerce Plus members.
Despite the Odds. Roblox stock soared ahead of trading hours as the company exceeded forecasts across the board: in both revenue and user growth. Monthly active users on Roblox are growing by as much as 57% in regions like India, and revenue is tracking to 22% year-over-year growth. Roblox is currently embroiled in a battle with activist short-seller Hindenburg Research. Roblox’s CFO Mike Guthrie will depart the organization after six years, but will stay on in the transition.
Not So Fast. The FTC is giving a speeding ticket to Lyft, accusing the brand of misleading drivers through vague incentives. Uber’s rival have agreed to a civil settlement to the tune of $2.1M in penalties for its misstated ‘earnings guarantee’ program.
Bucketmania Continues. The collectible bucket trend marches on. The release of Moana 2 will see a series of collectibles—including a vessel for your nachos and cheese—and exclusive Funko editions. In total Regal Cinemas will release as many as 8 discrete pieces of collectible merchandise for sale in tandem with the film.
You Are What You Eat. That’s why American football players look like giant Uncrustables?
NFL players reportedly consume 80,000 Uncrustables annually. Meanwhile, the LA Lakers just signed Poppi as the team’s official soda.
🎧Poppi CMO Andy Judd joined us on the podcast to talk about their “big media marketing strategy” on last season’s Step by Step finale. It’s worth a listen. Listen now.
Is It a Vibe or a Mood? With new app, Aesthetic, you can buy the item and finally know for sure. The AI-powered app “identifies clothes based on style cues,” acting as a type of “Shazam for clothes.” The app was borne out of Westbrook Media—the commerce ventures arm of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett—which has been developing drops and eCommerce tech since the pandemic.
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