Valentine's Day is just around the corner ? so too then is a jump in lingerie sales, right? Not necessarily, Assia Benmedjdoub discovers.
Leather sofas, ice cold beer and plasma television screens. They're not the sorts of things one would normally associate with naughty knickers. But just two weeks out from Christmas, one London department store ignored the urge to tinsel and parked these three grunters in its intimate apparel section.
And so, The Lingerie Buying Academy for Men was launched.
Set inside the John Lewis flagship store in Oxford Street, the "academy" was to guide hapless men through the perils of buying undergarments for their partners. The 2007 instalment proved so successful, it ran again last year.
But wait, Christmas? Surely the retailer would've chosen to debut over the more romantic Valentine's Day? Not so, say key Australian lingerie providers.
"Whilst Valentine's Day is important, it is actually quite small in terms of annual sales," explains Simon Pallister, managing director zodee.com.au. "We do see a spike in sales at that time of the year, but as this corresponds with the height of summer when we sell swimwear, the amount attributable to Valentine's Day is actually minimal."
The store carries in excess of 80 intimate apparel brands ranging from the luxurious Willow and Le Mystere collections to basics from Lovable and Nearly Nude. According to online measurement firm Hitwise, it was the tenth most visited fashion website in Australia during December 2008 and the third most visited lingerie provider.
Thus Pallister says, while special marketing campaigns do run on the website over Valentine's Day, there are other peak periods throughout the year.
"Only a very small portion of our marketing budget is invested in Valentines Day as much of it is concentrated on growth," Pallister adds. "Valentine's Day buyers tend to be men, who probably won't be repeat customers throughout the year."
The same approach goes for retail and wholesale powerhouse Gazal, which creates and distributes 11 intimate apparel brands under its umbrella. These include Calvin Klein, Lovable, Davenport, Crystelle, Hold me Tight, Fine From and AngelWings. Underwear group brand marketing manager Dianne Taylor says lingerie sales are not specific to one season.
"Valentine's Day is obviously a key retail date but we only see a small peak in sales out the door for intimates. If it falls on a Saturday however, we find the sales increase slightly. It must give men more time to shop!"
Premium brands such as Calvin Klein tend to perform stronger than other labels on the day, with sexier collections timed for its lingerie and sleepwear collections. Labels with value-added items suited to gift giving also perform well.
"We don't allocate funds specifically for this time but we are definitely more visible," Taylor says of the marketing budget, adding many consumer magazines feature lingerie stories during this period. "We focus more on our product launches which are often timed around the day."
This year it will be the launch of Lovable Luxe ? a premium take on the basics brand currently available on the market. Gazal will promote the new range across titles In Style, Grazia and Cosmopolitan in February, along with point of sale campaigns and online at www.lovable.com.au. The last notable campaign, featuring brand ambassador Jennifer Hawkins and a cheeky 'Horny?' tagline, generated over $500, 000 worth of PR in Australia and New Zealand.
Competitor brand Berlei is also preparing to launch a new initiative in the lead up to Valentine's Day. Divisional manager Sally Berkeley says consumers can expect a sexier offer to hit shelves in February.
"Given our offer is more around great fitting everyday bras, with only a recent move into special occasion and co-ordinated intimates, this will be the first season we've specifically designed our range drops for a more sexy offer during the Valentine's Day delivery period."
The hero item will be the Opera contour bra and bikini brief set, priced at $49.95 and $19.95 respectively. The half cup bra features intricate lace details designed to "enhance the décolletage" while the fine cotton gusset brief also includes stretch lacing on the sides.
But is the big day all about big product offerings? Not for smaller, upmarket players such as Sydney's Dirty Pretty Things. Boutique owner Melissa Gallagher says while Valentine's Day only contributes 15 per cent in overall revenue for the year, it encourages greater traffic flow through the store and is thus an "integral" part of its marketing campaign. Even more so than Christmas.
"I start my planning in the September prior to Valentine's Day," Gallagher says, adding some 20 to 30 per cent of her marketing budget is dedicated to the day. "This is when ordering of stock begins and from there, I can create our theme based on the season's colours and looks. The final touches are then made in January to allow for any delays."
Gallagher has organised two salon shows to be held in the lead up to Valentine's Day this year. The first is aimed at teaching its female customers "the classic strip tease" and the second is a pin-up photo shoot session. A further 10 per cent discount will be offered to consumers attending the show and "a few treats" for couples shopping on the day.
"We have a cross promotion with a local florist to organise flowers and can arrange for both to be delivered. We've used both our website and [social networking tool] Facebook to advertise, emails to our database and a few strategically placed flyers."
The boutique stocks an exclusive selection of international and domestic lingerie brands including Madame V, Roberta Glass, Chantal Thomas, Willow and Buttress & Satch.