Cutting Out The Middleman: Coach, Nike, Fenty And Others Are Bypassing Retailers

Shoppers didn’t need an invite to New York Fashion Week to feel like they had special access to the Coach brand. Instead, they could tune into the luxury leather goods label’s February fashion show on Instagram and Facebook, then head to Coach’s website to get first dibs on the Dreamer — a purse that, at the time, was available for a limited window. “It was the channel we utilized most to drive awareness of the Dreamer’s limited-time launch and availability,” Andrea Shaw Resnick, a spokeswoman for Coach’s parent company, Tapestry, said of social media platforms. “Social was able to drive a significant portion of that style’s revenue on Coach.com.” (Since then, Coach has brought the Dreamer bag back in preparation for a bigger launch later this year).At a time when traditional retailers are struggling to woo customers, Coach is one of several brands that are increasingly skipping department stores to sell their purses, sneakers and clothing straight to shoppers. Read more at CNBC.