Innovation in an age populated by tweets...

 

When it comes to this industry and new media, there’s no such thing as being fashionably late. In fact, it’s the early adopters who score big points when it comes to innovation in online marketing and communications.

And it was certainly a case of unfortunate timing for David Jones earlier this month. Just a day before the department store announced its autumn/winter 2010 collections could be streamed online – “You are now able to view exclusive footage of our Fashion Launch Parade,” a solemn e-newsletter read, some 24 hours after the last model had left the runway – another upmarket player was pushing on, several envelopes ahead.

Not content with simply streaming its runway show live on the internet, 154-year-old label Burberry decided it could go one better at London Fashion Week. Chief creative officer Christopher Bailey proclaimed it was to host “the first ever truly global fashion show” by installing 3D customised screening spaces across Tokyo, Paris, Dubai and New York. A kind of Avatar for the well-heeled.

The show itself would take place at the Chelsea College of Art in London and streamed live to VIP delegates at exclusive events across the four major cities. A live 2D steam would also be made available through live.burberry.com, along with behind-the-scenes reels, red carpet arrivals and backstage footage.

David Jones. Burberry. Am I comparing apples with oranges here?

Perhaps, but I found the timing poetic nonetheless. When global businesses from Bergdorf Goodman – which recently launched a ‘shoe salon’ iPhone application – and Selfridges, which is active across several key social media platforms – are investing in new enitiatives, our department stores still have their thumbs planted firmly in their mouths.

Neither David Jones nor Myer currently engage in significant online retailing. Both have scant social media presence and very little in the way of interactive content on their websites.

It could be a case of once bitten, twice shy.

David Jones lost tens of millions of dollars when it first dabbled in e-commerce in the early noughties. In fact, industry analysts speculated the disappointing performance of David Jones Online was one of the reasons former chief executive Peter Wilkson announced he would stand down in 2002. His replacement, Mark McInnes, exited the online sector just a year later.

But with almost half of online retail spend now headed overseas, Australian operators can hardly afford to ignore this arena. Technology and marketing research company Forrester Research forecasts that in 2012, Australians will spend $32 billion online. Most of this growth will come from fixed price products and brands consumers typically buy in bricks and mortar stores. You know, like the kind you purchase at David Jones or Myer.

Myer has upped its game slightly, with select autumn/winter 2010 products currently available for purchase online and some video and music content. Last August, McInness vowed David Jones would also drive growth over the coming years and appointed a head of digital marketing and e-tail business.

“We look to take advantage of our brand in all digital communication opportunities as they arise,” he said. “In addition, we will explore the expansion of e-tailing over a three to five year horizon based on a return on investment model, without incremental logistics and systems cost.”

And six months later, we have “exclusive footage of our Fashion Launch Parade”. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to these future developments...