After analyzing 29 Public Ecom brands in 2023 and writing over 130 “Plays” for how we’d grow their biz if we acquired it, we decided to consolidate them to our 12 best of the year. These aren’t hacks or quick short-term wins, but long-term sustaining strategies any biz can use to find new growth areas to 2-10x their biz.
They may not be executable tomorrow, but they can be kept in your quiver and fired when ready.
Below, you’ll find examples of how real brands in the real world are running or could be running these strategies as inspiration for your biz! If you want to see the Financial P&Ls for these bizs, check out the Let’s Buy a Biz! Tracker here.
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The Play: Brands with subsidiaries in the same vertical can run the same playbook in the same market to two separate segments at the same time.
Putting the play into action: REVOLVE, Alpargatas (Havaianas & Rothy’s), and potentially FIGS offer the Affordable and the luxury option. [Think Levi’s -> Dockers].
Levi’s has successfully run this play for almost 50 years. When no one wanted to buy Khakis made by Levi’s, they launched Dockers. The different brands make it easier for customers to buy the product, which counterintuitively strengthens both brands.
REVOLVE also owns FWRD. Revolve is the more affordable wide appealing brand. FWRD is the luxury option.
If Revolve really wants to be the new Nordstrom, they’ll need a Revolve “Rack:” A separate shopping experience for what didn’t sell in-season. This is the tried-and-true physical retail, and especially department store, play. Build another storefront to move the products that weren’t a hit during the core buying season to protect the luxury brands’ identity.
Revolve is already 60% of the way to being the discount site, but 3 distinct brands would be better: