WGSN senior catwalks editor Sue Evans believes ‘communication’ is the buzzword for 2012. That and speed.
“Aurora in the UK is offering 90 minute delivery times in certain areas and they are planning on rolling this out to a wider area,” Evans said. “It’s a battle ground out there in terms of delivery times.”
The regional roll-out of Aurora followed a successful three-month pilot in London where 91 per cent of orders were delivered in under 90 minutes. The fastest fulfillment was in just 16 minutes.
Online Australian fashion apparel newcomer, The Iconic, is not too far behind Aurora after it launched it’s three hour delivery time on all purchases within the Sydney metropolitan area in November.
Despite this example, most of Evans’ great retail models in her seminar were those based in the UK or America.
She went on to discuss the power of social networking and said it should not be underestimated as more an more retailers were using Facebook as a tool.
She said by giving Facebook fans exclusive peaks at new collections or opportunities to buy first, helps build a good rapport with the customers.
One Sydney-based shop that is embracing social networking is St Frock fashion boutique.
Head buyer Sandradee Makejev said as well as having the shop and attending regular markets, Facebook provides the ideal environment for them to interact daily with customers.
They have nearly 7,000 fans on their Facebook page and upload photos of new stock each day.
Below the image they invite customers to copy and paste a short order form, email it in, and they then post the item overnight.
“Our Facebook is the most important tool in our business giving customers up to the minute information - it’s a fantastic tool in helping generate sales and ties everything we do together,” Makejev said.
Evans said ‘convenience’ was becoming a dominating factor for customers and that more and more stores, such as French Connection and Zara, were jumping on the m-commerce bandwagon, by allowing people to browse their products on Facebook and mobiles.
“You can not afford not to be wired up,” Evans said.
As well as exploiting technology Evans said sustainability is becoming increasingly important to customers.
She used outdoor apparel retailer Patagonia as an example as the company now encourages customers to send back their products for recycling and also offers to repair items.
In visual merchandising, she advised retailers to add features in the retail environment that will interest the customers and get them to stay longer.
A good example of this is pop-up store and Melbourne fashion label, Where Lovers Lie. The brand teamed up with the Amber Theatre to combine the mediums of music and fashion.
They created an interactive musical fabric, on a mannequin, controlled by smart textiles and positioned it in the centre of the shop.
The organisers said the aim was to help change customers from passive browsers into active creators of new, exciting and memorable retail experiences. To capture customers’ attention in the lead up to Christmas, a selection of Calvin Klein stores in Sydney and Melbourne also focused on sounds to attract customers.
The brand used a specially commissioned sound installation, by experimental performance artist Lizzi Bougatsos, in collaboration with Art Production Fund, as the focus of its annual holiday window displays. The seasonal song could be heard from speakers within the windows.
“It’s about creating that instant impact for customers as there is so much choice out there and it’s important to help curate their choice,” Evans said.
Evans said she was also a big fan of ‘twin styling’, involving mannequins dressed the same – an anesthetic adopted by Zara and Louis Vuitton.
She said many retailers were adapting the white box store layout by incorporating wood to create a ‘warmer’ and more inviting feeling. Evans also promoted the surrealism aspect of in-store retail and advised retailers to harness their artistic license by distorting perspectives and experimenting with ‘extraordinary’ ideas.
Twin styling: Louis Vuitton.
