Looks like 2012 will be a great year for Geminis, Olympic Games enthusiasts, and for the ones who do not believe in the Mayan prophecy. And for fashion eCommerce, too.
eMarketing recently reported some very good news, when it comes to fashion eCommerce, claiming that ‘apparel and accessories category—a product type for which shoppers’ desire to touch, feel and try on items before making a purchase was long seen as a deterrent to online sales—is now climbing faster than any other ecommerce product segment.’ ‘eMarketer expects US retail ecommerce sales to reach $224.2 billion this year, up 15% from 2011, as online sales continue to record strong growth despite a slowing penetration rate for US online shoppers and buyers that in 2011 topped 80%. (Note: These figures exclude travel and ticket purchases, but include sales made on mobile devices and tablets.)
The apparel and accessories category will lead ecommerce sales growth throughout the forecast period, with sales gains of 20% predicted for this year.'
Greatly improved online sales platforms, and better and clearer purchasing policies gave a powerful boost to the whole thing; as stressed by eMarketer principal analyst Jeffrey Grau, 'Apparel has become an online success due largely to easy and free returns, innovative visualization tools and the presence of customer reviews.'
How can retailers and brands make things even more interesting? We believe they should include the following features in their armoury.
The "social" factor.
Fashism is doing a great job, adding the “social” to the eShopping experience; via the website and mobile app, users submit their looks, receiving feedback and advices from the community. Example: Jenny is commenting on Emma’s outfit “lovely, you should get a yellow belt to make it perfect ;)”, Ruth, Carla and Nargis agree, therefore Jenny decides to buy the item (the yellow belt) directly from the website, or from Fashism’s Facebook page and iPhone app. Today, the Android app is being launched, as well.
(Mashable) ‘Fashism co-founder and CEO Brooke Moreland says the move into retail was inspired by the community itself. Of the hundreds of thousands of comments left on users’ outfits, many include recommendations to add a single accessory. Quirky pieces of jewelry and scarves, as well as nail decals, also tend to attract the most votes, she says. So Fashism decided to begin offering those items for purchase directly.’
Since Fashism’s target customers are fashion-conscious teenage aficionados, most accessories are priced in the $12 to $15 range. Nothing costs more than $30. The website is now planning new collections and low-priced designer collaborations, to give more choice to a community of around 200,000 unique visitors per month.
The "badass" factor.
according to Mashable, ‘Although it was only founded in 2007 and focuses solely on ecommerce, Gilt Groupe ranks in the top 50 Internet retailers’; ‘Gilt Groupe has even broken the record for highest grossing revenue in Silicon Alley history’ continues the article. After raising $138 million last year, the flash sale website grew and came up with an online culinary magazine (Gilt Taste), and the relaunch of Gilt Home. Gilt also introduced its full-price men’s retail site, Park & Bond.
And here, Ladies and Gentleman, enters the man, the legend, Mr. Coolness Made Man, el señor Nickelson Wooster, which became fashion advisor to Gilt Man in 2011.
From Gilt’s website'Prior to joining Gilt Groupe, Wooster served as the Men's Fashion Director at Neiman Marcus, overseeing the merchandising teams and setting trend direction for Neiman Marcus Stores, Neiman Marcus Direct and Bergdorf Goodman. Before his time with Neiman Marcus, Wooster worked with several brands including Splendid/Ella Moss, John Bartlett, Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's New York. During his career, he established the Wooster Consultancy, a consulting business focusing on design, product development, merchandising, sales and business development building relationships with brands including Thom Browne, MAC Cosmetics, Chaiken Clothing, ABS by Allen Schwartz, Vieux Carre, David Kahn Jeans and The Collection.'
Now, that is some impressive CV, but is that it? No. Here is why:
(CultureMap Houston) 'When it comes to the men’s fashion industry, few individuals are as highly regarded as Nick Wooster (who hates the term “fashion industry,” by the way).
Photographs of Wooster outside of fashion shows in New York, Milan and Paris became a fixture on dozens of street style blogs. His unique personal style — accurately described by many as simply “badass” — earned him a significant reputation outside of the inner circle of menswear professionals.'
Try to look for the man on Tumblr, for instance, and you will see his name related to virtually every post hashtagged #menswear. Moreover, when you have a Tumblr blog dedicated to you - http://fuckyeahnickwooster.tumblr.com/ - that means you are the man.
In a few words then – a far-sighted company + a selection of lifestyle-related features to be included in the website + a legend worshipped by the indie / underground scene hired as a fashion advisor = winning eCommerce.
The "Wham!" factor.
There is no need to explain, once again, why video should be included in almost any brand’s arsenal; the question is more “how” then “why”.
Two recent examples showed that video, when used in a smart, funny and social way, can be very beneficial to sales; brands that show their human face and sense of humour - as we already stressed elsewhere – are the ones who ride the wave the proper way.
Remember Marc Jacobs’ Christmas videos? If you don’t, you have missed something utterly hilarious. Here’s one of them. For more, see http://www.youtube.com/user/MarcJacobs.
You might say now that Marc Jacobs is, somehow, an outsider. True, but their example has been followed by more “serious” brands and companies. The once who think that the editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris is just a stone-faced, serious and soulless man-eater should see her singing and dancing her heart out in a tribute to one of the cheesiest songs ever: Emmanuelle Alt’s version of Wham!’s "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is funny, witty and cool. And 370k views is some serious number.
London Web Agency Appnova – keep following us on Twitter @appnova and “like” us on Facebook for useful news and tasteful digressions about geeky stuff.
