It seems like Nordstrom was telling the truth when they insisted that their decision to ditch Ivanka Trump's fashion line was business, not personal — or political.
According to analysis by Slice Intelligence, Ivanka Trump's products experienced a 26 percent drop in online sales in January 2017 compared to the same month last year. At Nordstrom, her line of goods fell by 63 percent in the fourth quarter compared to that same period in the previous fiscal year. She also saw declines in sales from online retailers Zappos.com and Amazon.com that were similarly troubling (43 percent and 31 percent, respectively).
It wasn't all bad news for Ivanka Trump merchandise's online sales, as it did grow from last year at a few retailers' online shops: Macy's (30 percent) and Bloomingdales (9 percent). But even that growth was less than the rate from the first half of 2016.
It's unclear how much of Ivanka Trump's sales occur online. And there is the caveat that most retail sales still occur on-site — for instance, only 21 percent of Nordstrom's total sales are online)
But despite Trump's claims Wednesday that "my daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by Nordstrom," the retailers are making business decisions. Maybe they're trying to buy more goods made in America.
.@KellyannePolls @IvankaTrump Made In China just like her father. pic.twitter.com/slIkTsCIR7
— Nicole (@MzDivah67) February 9, 2017
It remains to be seen how the White House's sales pitches are going to work for Ivanka's merchandise. But for Nordstrom, it wasn't bad: Despite (or perhaps because of) Trump's Wednesday tweet, Nordstrom stock gained 4 percent.
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