“It was one of our most successful campaigns,” Chang said. But beyond its portfolio of top brands, the chain is recognized for its high-profile collaborations with influencers like Emma Chamberlain and Bryce Anderson, with whom it released a new gender-free collection as part of its summer campaign. “They were important things that our consumers expected of us and further cemented our relevance, which is why we continue to move up the charts.”Īmong PacSun’s bestselling brands are Vans, Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God Essentials, Champion, John Galt, Kendall + Kylie Jenner and Adidas, as well as its own labels. These things ranged from the mental health impact of being stuck at home and the bigger social issues like women’s empowerment and social injustice,” added Chang. “During COVID, obviously there were issues that really mattered to our community and team. Plus, PacSun created in the fall a Gen Z-targeted open forum through PacTalks - a biweekly Instagram Live series, moderated by experts and A-listers, like youth activist Naomi Wadler and actress Yara Shahidi, who discuss subjects like voting, social media stress relief, inclusivity and more. It pledged to contribute up to $250,000 to support nonprofits, with inaugural beneficiaries including Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation and the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up. It negotiated better rent deals with its landlords, received a new credit line to help cash flow, rebranded to draw in younger millennial and Gen Z consumers - and ultimately emerged from bankruptcy on firmer footing.Īs part of the program, the retailer partnered with a network of charitable organizations dedicated to mental health, diversity and equality. However, through a debt-for-equity agreement, PacSun was able to reorganize and close only about 20 of its then-590-plus units. At the time, the skate- and surf-inspired retailer struggled to position itself as a brand, as well as faced a heavy debt load and saw declining foot traffic at malls, where most of its shops were located. One such victim was PacSun, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2016. Long before the onset of COVID-19, apparel and footwear companies had to contend with the retail apocalypse, which led to a rash of bankruptcies across the country. “I think the difference for us is that we’ve shown up for the consumer in all different touch points, and we know a lot of that starts with social media.” Applying learnings from times of crises “A lot of brick-and-mortar retailers have looked to grow their e-commerce business over the last decade,” added the co-CEO. (PacSun did not provide specific financial numbers.) What’s more, Chang explained that the brand’s namesake app has seen “tremendous growth” in both the number of downloads and overall revenues as it continues to ramp up its omnichannel investments. (This week, PacSun hit a social media milestone with 1 million followers on TikTok.) Today, it boasts more than 2.5 million followers on Instagram, where it has launched a dedicated Instagram Shop, and over the course of a year, its TikTok channel has gained more than 680,000 followers and 10.2 million likes. PacSun has also been working to expand its social media presence.
“Even when stores reopened, our target consumer - teens and young adults - were one of the first groups to get back out there, and we also saw our stores outperform all expectations.” Getting social We doubled our business, and our e-commerce growth in 2020 outpaced expectations, but also outpaced the industry,” Chang said. “Our digital focus is still our best story. Overall, year-to-date sales are up 105% from the prior year period, and up 48% from the same timeframe two years ago. So far in 2021, online sales have surged a respective 65% and 170% from 20. While it maintains a fleet of roughly 340 stores today, the Los Angeles-based chain has seen greater success in e-commerce: Last month, PacSun announced that digital sales increased twofold in 2020 - now representing 50% of its total revenues. Here, Chang speaks about the retailer’s pandemic strategy, social media presence and key collaborations that are boosting its business in the COVID-19 era. How Pacsun CEO Brie Olson Learned to ‘Embrace the Beauty of Slowing Down’
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