The pandemic compelled brands and retailers to launch many new categories, says a survey by Glossy and Modern Retail. The survey says 98 brand and retailer employees, 57.3 per cent of respondents said their employers launched new categories over the last year. Around 49.4 per cent respondents said their employers upgraded to an e-commerce platform while 27 per cent reported employers abandoning retail leases or locations and 19.1 per cent said their employers on-boarded a new 3 PL or logistic provider.

In the last 12 months, retailers launched many new categories in fashion and beauty segment such as Solid & Striped launched activewear and cosmetics brand Morphe forayed into skincare. Kohl’s launched an activewear line, which it expects will contribute 30 per cent to the company’s revenue in the next few years. DTC players like La Ligne and large textile manufacturers like Chargeurs forayed into facemasks.

Growth in these categories is likely get a boost with an increase in e-commerce and advertising spend over the next six months, as 67.3 per cent of them plan to increase investments in e-commerce while 61.2 per cent plan to boost advertising spends.