"I'll have the usual"... Uber stock nudged higher in its 2nd week of trading as a public company. And it's up to something with its Uber Eats — sifting through the app's code, a “reverse-engineering specialist” noticed the food deliverer is stealthily working on a $9.99 monthly subscription, called "Uber Eats Pass". Rival DoorDash already has the feature, so Uber's fighting for your monthly taco commitment.
Gee thanks, just bought it... Brazil's Natura is buying 133-year-old Avon, popping its shares 23% last week — Combined, they'll be Earth's 4th biggest beauty brand, expected to bring in $10B in annual sales. Both sell goods door-to-door with an army of "consultants," and that "direct sales" business model may be safe from ecommerce disruption.
Spoiler alert... Online shopping hurt JCPenney, Kohl's, and Nordstrom last quarter. But Target is thriving through the retail-pocalypse. We noticed its 3-part strategy is working:
- Aggressive app downloads: Want the 24-pack of double-roll TP brought out to your car? That privilege is reserved for people ordering curbside pickup through Target's app.
- $99 same-day shipping club: Join it. Last year Target bought delivery startup Shipt. Now its $99/year club drops off your packages at home same-day.
- Embrace the disruptors: Direct-to-consumer brands like Casper (mattresses), Harry's (razors), and Quip (toothbrushes) pioneered business models that cut out the middleman (aka "retailers") by selling via their own websites. Now they sell via Target, too.