Coach Sales Drop 44 Pct Following Viral TikTok Video

Demand for Coach products slumped by 44 percent overnight after reports emerged that the handbag maker was destroying unsold merchandise.

Just 24 hours after a TikTok video revealed the company’s policy, online searches for the Coach handbags fell by 49 percent, according to global fashion marketplace Lovethesales.com, which tracks demand and sales data from more than 10 million shoppers across 1,000 retailers. The company’s sales fell by another 21 percent before they began stabilizing by Thursday.

The decline in sales marked an end to the company’s continued growth streak this year, which was being driven by the launch of new products such as Pillow Tabby bag, FashionUnited reported.

Coach is far from the only brand that has seen a drop in sales after reports exposed a lack of commitment to sustainability. Brands such as Burberry, Cartier and Piaget have all faced backlash for destroying merchandise. That being said, Coach is drawing even more ire from critics since it makes claims about embracing sustainable practices and even offers a product repair program. The company was also reportedly ranked as one of the most sustainable brands in the U.S. by Barron’s in 2020.

“Don’t ditch it, repair it,” the company’s website says.

“It’s another small thing we can do to keep bags out of landfill and reduce our impact on the environment.”

Since the revelation, Coach has reversed its policies and ceased destroying damaged and unsaleable goods. However, it remains to be seen whether consumers will deem the brand’s effort enough to undo the damage.

“It is unclear whether this will do permanent damage to the brand,” Rebecca Deuchar of Lovethesales.com told FashionUnited. “It could go either way. It depends on what Coach does to take responsibility for their actions and what they do to try and rectify the issue.”

Coach Says It Has Stopped Destroying Merchandise After Viral TikTok Revelation

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on October 19, 2021.