Westfield cashes in on What's What for summer
NATIONAL: Australian retail giant Westfield is expecting to draw some four million visits per week as a result of its spring/summer 2007 marketing strategy.
The What's What fashion campaign - first launched in autumn/winter 2006 and comprising of television commercials, fashion guides, in-store events, styling services, VIP shopping nights, tours and an interactive website - will see approximately 85 promotional shows take place across national centres from September.
Speaking at a Westfield breakfast seminar late last month, fashion category manager Rachel Wilson said due to the success of previous installments, What's What would remain as a long-term proposition.
Wilson said research conducted by Westfield revealed that 75 per cent of retailers believed the autumn/winter 2007 campaign significantly increased foot traffic at centres and that 90 per cent of consumers who attended in-store events would revisit the same event.
Wilson said the Fashion Hub - a live and interactive fashion show staged at Westfield centres nationally - proved to be one of the most popular initiatives with more scheduled to take place over summer. She said the show would visit nine Westfield centres throughout the country and for the first time, offer shoppers free 15 minute sessions with participating fashion advisers.
In addition to this, Wilson said the campaign's online component would also be revamped. The What's What website, which has drawn 425,000 unique visitors with an average dwell time of eight minutes since its launch, would feature a better-than-ever virtual fitting room where consumers could not only review seasonal products but seek advice from "cyber" fashion stylists. A new online poll would then give users the option of voting on the "hottest looks".
Westfield would not be drawn on the overall cost of the spring/summer campaign, but said the winter installment had seen an increase in turnover.
"Retailers [reported] selling out of items featured in the campaign from the [television commercials], season guide, whatswhat.com.au and the Fashion Hub. The campaign has evolved to provide greater facilitation to consumers online and in-centre with more style sessions, fashion hubs and more styling help now available than ever seen before in Australia," a spokeswoman said.
Westfield retailers include Witchery, Cue, Alannah Hill, Bardot, Autograph, Calibre, Canterbury and Connor.
By Assia Benmedjdoub