What does Outlet mean: the abbreviation of Outlet

Outlet, in English, is OUTLETS. Its original English meaning is "export, outlet, outlet". In retail business, it specifically refers to a shopping mall composed of stores selling out-of-season, off-shelf, and discontinued products of famous brands, so it is also called a "brand direct sales shopping mall."

Outlets were first born in the United States and have a history of nearly a hundred years.

Outlets were originally "factory direct sales stores" that specialized in handling factory surplus goods. Later, they gradually gathered together to form a large Outlets shopping mall similar to Shopping Mall, and gradually developed into an independent retail format.

OUTLETS has three magic weapons to attract customers:

1. World-famous brands - a collection of world-famous or well-known brands, pure brands and high quality;

2 , Unimaginably low prices - generally sold at prices as low as 10-40% off, high quality and low price, consumers flock to them;

3. Convenient and comfortable atmosphere - far away from the urban area, convenient transportation, The cargo yard is simple and comfortable.

It is recognized by the industry that outlets are a retail business format founded by American Mr. Harold Alfond. Alfond served as chairman of the American Shoe Group for 25 years. In the 1960s, he was inspired by the price increases and sales of FD products in footwear (including off-season goods and genuine out-of-season products), and he planned to build a shoe factory in his Dexter Footwear Company in the town of Skowhegan, Maine. An outlet store was officially opened around 1970.

From the creation to the evolution of outlets, the distinctive feature of outlets as a retail format and business model is that it is a retail format not created by retailers.

As a retail format and business model, outlets are not a trademark or brand, and do not belong to any organization or person. As a member of the outlet industry, the author has encountered people asking for many years and even to this day: "Can I call it an outlet? Don't I need authorization from the outlet headquarters? Do outlets need to apply for approval?" Ridiculous problems do not appear in other retail formats.

The reason for this is that institutions and people with ulterior motives have been confusing the public with the "original theory of outlets", including what requires foreign outlet authorization and what is a Chinese outlet. The national team, claiming to be a Chinese outlet company, advocating "outlet authenticity", etc. are all lies and rhetoric. Any enterprise or company can develop an outlet retail format and business model.

The development history of outlets is that it started in the United States around 1970; entered Europe in 1978; entered Asia and settled in Japan in 1995; and landed in China in 2002.

As for the "three magic weapons" of outlets, it should be said that it is the "three magic weapons of traditional outlets". After entering China in the 20s, Chinese outlets have continued to develop and innovate, business logic, and business. Content and business models are constantly being redefined.