Nau No More, But Green Retailing Ideas Remain
It is with much sadness that I report on the passing of the earth-friendly outdoor/fitness wear retailer, Nau. Just a year ago I posted about their pledge to give back a whopping 5% of sales to charitable organizations (and to let the customers choose those!), their realization that storytelling is key to their attempt at whatever “sustainable marketing” might look like, and their commitment to smaller size stores, including an innovative “ship to you” option.
In an update in the July issue of Fast Company, Ian Yolles, Nau’s VP of Marketing, attributes their failure to “A complete absence of liquidity and skittishness about the retail environment.”
Certainly, retailing is in a tough way right now, but I recommend that even the strongest players in that realm consider some of the ideas Nau tested. If marketing to women is your focus, a cause marketing element, storytelling and sincere efforts at leaving a smaller carbon footprint should already be integrated into your strategy.
Let’s see which established retailer will most quickly and wisely leverage those elements of Nau’s inspired approach.
