Dive Brief:
- Online retailer Zulily partnered with TV personality and hair stylist Jonathan Van Ness (“Queer Eye”) on a limited-edition, holiday-themed product called the Slay Button, according to details shared with sister publication Marketing Dive.
- The Slay Button is designed to help reduce stress and empower moms amid the chaos of the holiday shopping season. The button, which can be purchased online, plays a series of empowering affirmations voiced by Van Ness.
- The launch is backed by research finding that 86% of moms are the primary planner for the holidays in their families. The effort sees Zulily getting a jump on the season and arrives during a critical time for the retailer, which former owner Qurate Retail Group sold to private equity firm Regent in May.
Dive Insight:
Zulily wants to deliver positive affirmations to busy moms this holiday season with the launch of the Slay Button, a lighthearted, slang-inspired novelty product billed as the first of its kind. With many no stranger to the chaos of the season, the product could strike a chord: According to data cited in the release, 61% of moms estimate they spend over 75 hours on holiday tasks, meaning that added encouragement is likely welcomed.
“Moms are often responsible for making the holidays special for everyone, yet so much of their work goes unseen,” said Zulily Chief Marketing Officer Denise Jaeschke in the release. “We recognize the mental load feels heavier during the holiday season and wanted to offer words of encouragement to ensure moms feel appreciated for all that they do.”
With the help of Van Ness, the Slay Button will deliver five different empowering affirmations to moms reminding them that they’re “slaying the holiday season,” while dually urging them to celebrate themselves. The Slay Button is available online while supplies last and is retailing for $16.99. Van Ness has often been enlisted for playful marketing stunts, having in the past teamed with brands including PepsiCo’s SodaStream, Hotels.com, Smirnoff and carsharing platform Getaround.
Attempting to curb the stress of holiday shoppers this season could help the company grow brand loyalty during a critical time for business. In May, Zulily’s former owner, Qurate Retail Group, sold the Zulily e-commerce unit to Los Angeles-based global investment firm Regent following a rough stretch of business that saw the retailer regularly posting the largest declines and losses in revenue within Qurate’s brand portfolio. Paired with financial struggles — which included an operating loss of $43 million in the first quarter alone — the retailer in March laid off an undisclosed number of people on its corporate teams.
However, the holidays could provide opportunity for a comeback, especially as consumers continue to grapple with the impacts of inflation. While consumers this year plan to spend an average of $1,652, a total that surpasses prepandemic levels for the first time, 54% plan to add items to a wish list or online shopping cart to hold out for deals, up from 48% in 2022, according to Deloitte’s 2023 Holiday Retail Survey. Additionally, online-only retailers and mass merchants are the most preferred shopping formats for 2023 at 63% and 53%, respectively. In release details, Zulily bills itself as being “on a mission to revolutionize discount shopping,” touting year-round budget-friendly options and a focus on markdowns.
