Successful retail partnerships create value beyond what either brand could achieve alone.

“One plus one makes three is the ideal situation, where both parties bring something to the table that the customer values and as a result, both businesses and brands benefit,” said Brian Berger, founder and CEO of Mack Weldon, on a recent episode of “Behind the Numbers.”

Warby Parker's recent mini-store launch in five Target locations exemplifies this approach.

"It's a big win for Target to lean on the cool factor from Warby Parker," said our analyst Suzy Davidkhanian.

• For Warby Parker, Target offers expanded reach and brick-and-mortar presence without the investment of standalone stores.
• Meanwhile, Target gains association with a trendy brand that could potentially boost its customer appeal.

Davidkhanian cautioned that amid current market conditions, the partnership's long-term success remains to be seen. Critical to any partnership is alignment between consumer bases, brand visions, and mission statements.

Start with the right building blocks

Successful partnerships begin by identifying specific business goals, like increasing sales, acquiring new customers, building brand awareness, or establishing credibility in adjacent categories.

"When we're looking at our marketing calendar, we're thinking about those things," said Berger. "For example, we have a new product launch happening in Q1. It's a performance underwear style. We're thinking about that product launch and how we can amplify it beyond just our own owned marketing channels."

This strategic thinking led Mack Weldon to partner with Mile High Run Club, leveraging their athletes and instructors as influencers to authentically showcase the performance aspects of their products.

Partner audience quality trumps quantity

When evaluating potential partners, brands should prioritize audience composition over size.

"The size of the audience of the partner doesn't necessarily matter as much if you have the right alignment," Davidkhanian said. "If you are looking to target a niche group, you don't necessarily need to have the biggest audience, you need to have the right audience."

Brands shouldn't get discouraged if they can't immediately secure partnerships with industry giants.

• "You could spend your entire life chasing the big holy grail of a partner and it may never come just because they're trying to do the same thing, punch above their weight," said Berger.
• Instead, he recommends gaining experience through multiple smaller partnerships to build credibility with larger potential partners.

Long-term partnerships vs. one-off collaborations

Sustainable long-term partnerships require fundamentals that deliver ongoing value to both parties without constant maintenance.

• Berger cited Mack Weldon's long-standing relationship with Equinox Fitness as an example.
• "That partnership served their needs, served our needs, and was rooted in something that was fundamental to how they operate. They have buyers that go out and figure out the merchandising strategy for the stores. We're a part of that."

For short-term collaborations, brands can create buzz through unexpected but logical pairings, like Corona's partnership with a swimwear brand for a limited-edition collection celebrating the beer brand's beach identity or Tecovas' cowboy boot collaboration with Chili's.

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This article was prepared with the assistance of generative AI tools to support content organization, summarization, and drafting. All AI-generated contributions have been reviewed, fact-checked, and verified for accuracy and originality by EMARKETER editors. Any recommendations reflect EMARKETER’s research and human judgment.

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