Most brands experience a moment when a launch that seemed brilliant in concept fails to resonate with customers, and this month it was Skims' turn.
The company introduced its $148 Accessories Advent Calendar as part of its Holiday Shop collection on Oct. 29. Chaos ensured as users began to share their underwhelming hair ties, scrunchies, bobby pins, and other accessories online. The unboxing videos racked up between 47.7 million and 65 million views in less than 48 hours. Commenters described the box as a "scam," and one said it included "basically everything that falls between my car seats."
In response, Skims addressed the complaints as the videos were trending.
The first unboxing video aired on Nov. 5 and by Sunday, Nov. 8, Skims had responded to customers who purchased a calendar. "We understand the product did not meet customers' expectations, and we are truly sorry,"the email read. "We want every customer to be happy with what they receive, and we fell short this time."
Skims advised their customers that they could return the calendar for a full refund and would waive return shipping, or they could keep it and receive a store credit for the original purchase amount.
When the email began circulating online, outlets like TODAY, Page Six and USA Today shared that Skims had "personally contacted every customer who purchased the calendar."
Why was the Skims response effective?
The response was accountable. "We fell short this time" isn’t a hedge and lacks the "sorry you feel that way" tucked inside most corporate apologies.
The response ignored its fine print. The calendar's contents were transparent, and consumers knew what they would receive before they bought it. One social media user quoted by TODAY argued that buyers who ignored the description share some of the responsibility. Skims held a technically correct argument but didn’t lean on it in its apology. Brands that hedge often win the argument about disclosure and lose the customer. An apology that blames the customer isn't sincere.
The response removed friction. Return shipping was waived, and customers who wanted to keep the calendar could receive store credit instead of a refund. Every step a brand adds between 'we apologize' and 'here is your money' costs goodwill."
The response put the customer first. The Skims statement followed the emails, signaling to customers that they were the priority audience.
The response was fast. PR professionals love to say that a brand has an hour to respond, and for a tweet, that statement may be true. For a refund program, an hour buys a statement and little else, because someone has to approve a budget, draft the email, and set up the return process.
Why is the timing of a public apology critical?
A public apology is a permanent record. Profound's 2026 AEO guide for CMOs found that the median time from publication to first AI citation is 6.8 days and that half of the most cited content is under 13 weeks old. A generous response in week one gives LLMs something positive to repeat in week three.
What should a brand do when a launch falls flat?
Here is some practical advice built on decades of crisis comms experience:
Monitor online conversations. Track unboxings and comments because the first warning of a problem rarely comes from a reporter.
Be honest."We fell short" lands better than "we hear you," a phrase customers interpret as stalling.
Bring solutions, not excuses. A refund, a credit, or a replacement are all potential solutions, as long as they don’t burden the customer.
Notify customers first. Make it right with your customers, and then tell the media
Connect the apology to next steps. Skims promised that feedback "will shape how we approach future releases," and now it has to show its work.
Approve a crisis response before the launch. Retail brands with high-profile holiday drops should have a comms plan signed off in advance
What’s next for Skims?
The statement Skims gave TODAY said the calendar didn't meet expectations "for some," which is a softer line than the email's "we fell short." The brand would do well to keep its public language consistent. As of Cosmopolitan's Monday report, Kim Kardashian hadn’t weighed in herself, so the founder's perspective is missing from the story.
That said, Skims showed that a product miss doesn't have to become a brand crisis. It requires a sincere apology, a quick fix, and an order of operations that puts customers first.
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