Female Gen-Z Opps: Fabletics continues retail expansion amid significant spend increase

Female-oriented clothing (primarily) e-retailer Fabletics.com is continuing to open up to new operations possibilities; its leaders expect to open 24 new brick-and-mortars in the US in 2021. This latest of its expansion efforts will bring the brand's total US retail presence to 74 locations. New store openings in 2021 will be in NC, TX (two locations), AL, MD, MI, KS, VA (three), CO, OR, AZ, CA (three), MA and IA.

Many stores will introduce new shopping experience, a brand new, interactive "Legging Finder" tool. This services, featured on touch screens in stores, let consumers answer quizzes to learn which legging styles are best for them.

Additionally, new stores will include connected fitness boutiques via an ongoing partnership with at-home rowing machine company Hydrow.

Since the beginning of 2021, Pathmatics reports that Fabletics has allocated roughly $8.7m toward digital ads, double the roughly $4.4m it allocated within the same 2020 timeframe. The brand's estimated full-year 2020 spend increased to $25m by more than 3x from that of $7.1m in 2019. It has earned around 1.3b digital impressions YTD via Instagram (58%), Facebook (21%), desktop video (16%) and desktop display (4%) ads.

According to Magellan, Fabletics has aired 25 podcast ads within the past 12 months.

The brand's sharply growing digital ad spend and reliance on Instagram and Facebook advertising show that its traditionally female target audience skews strongly toward Gen-Z right now. I've also noticed Hulu ads for Fabletics. Per Kantar, the brand additionally invests in local broadcast. It holds planning conversations in Q2 and buying conversations in Q1. I also suggest sellers offer localized ad spend in the aforementioned markets into which Fabletics is expanding its retail operations. As you can tell in the video above, the brand additionally invests in influencer partnerships with celebrities such as actress Madelaine Petsch.

Agency & martech readers - We have not heard of any roster shifts since Fabletics hired several marketing leaders a year ago, so you may still have a shot; considering how long it's been since these appointments, though, I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. The brand seems to have an in-house creative team and work with Ocean Media on media.