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Next month, ragtrader.com.au will partner with Channel Advisor to launch an exclusive marketing report supporting our industry. As a teaser, we look at how our resilient fashion leaders are connecting with customers at this critical time. 

Witchery embraces UGC, clocks 100 images in 12 days

Witchery remained connected to its customers with its #WitcheryAtHome social program, revealing a spike in user generated content.

The initiative inspired followers to share content featuring Witchery garments, with $100 gift cards up for grabs.

Within 12 days of launching the competition, over 100 images were shared with the unique hashtag – making that eight photos shared per day.

Witchery marketing and campaign manager Sara Veneris said it was important for the business to shift its communications.

“Witchery is 24/7 style, dressing the modern-day woman for every facet of her life.

“During these uncertain times and as we adapt our lifestyles to the confinement of our homes, we hope to bring Witchery and our customers together in the best way we know how.

“Through inspiring stay-at-home style. #WitcheryAtHome encourages our followers to inspire each other through fashion, with an added competition element that hopes to surprise and delight the most creative responses,” she said.

Lorna Jane utilises IGTV to connect

To motivate and encourage followers to live its slogan – Move, Nourish, Believe – during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lorna Jane launched an IGTV wellness series.

At home workouts, recipe ideas and even indoor plant care have been some of the videos uploaded to the business’ Instagram TV stream.

In just three weeks of the program, the collection of videos has amassed over 30,400 views.

Lorna Jane founder Lorna Jane Clarkson said choosing the IGTV channel meant that the brand’s followers could access the content when it suits them.

“As an Australian business, we understand the importance of supporting our fellow Australians (and other Australian businesses) during this difficult time.

"We need to support our community in more ways than ever to ensure we come back stronger than before.

“We have chosen to use the IGTV function because it’s more convenient for our community; it’s always available to her, to share, to use again when the time is right, rather than a live or story that’s only available for a limited time.”

Humanity touches Hush Puppies customers

Hush Puppies’ Practice Optimism campaign reached over one million people in three weeks, an 83% increase on the prior period.

Engagement levels have also seen an increase, jumping up 46%.

Hush Puppies GM Charlene Perera said conscious content is a priority for the footwear retailer in Australia.

“Utilising our social channels has been key to remaining connected with our audience and providing them with inspiring content to help them get through this time.

“It’s really humanised us as a brand to be able to talk to consumers on this level in this new environment that we are all in together,” Perera said.

As part of the campaign, Hush Puppies Australia donated 100 pairs of slippers to The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

“The initiative really was simple,” Perera said. “It was to say thanks to a very small portion of those incredible health care workers that are putting themselves at risk and working day and night to keep us safe as a nation.”

#AtHomeWithSpell generates millions of impressions

Spell & The Gypsy Collective co-founder Elizabeth Abegg has fulfilled a lifelong dream to start Spell TV – albeit via social media.

Instagram Live series #AtHomeWithSpell has been one of the brand’s most successful campaigns to date, offering consumers a range of videos from styling to meditation.

From Spell’s top nine posts of 2020, four have been produced at home or accompanied by similar messaging.

Posts promoting or celebrating the brand’s At Home series have a combined total of 2.5 million impressions. Across the 13 episodes Spell has aired, over 250,000 views were achieved live.

Spell marketing manager Mel Carerro said it was important for the brand to switch up its content.

“We have pivoted our content to be as relevant as possible during this time, and we can see that is resonating from an engagement perspective. We wanted to pull together a way to entertain, engage, educate and wrap our community with warmth and support during this hard time, and we are doing it by inviting friends of the brand to share their skills or just even chat to us in front of our audience.”

Boohoo pushes basics categories, attracts 130% sales spike

Boohoo Australia has successfully pivoted to cater for consumers working remotely.

Country manager Madeline George said the eCommerce giant has seen a 94% spike in loungewear sales and 130% increase on athleisure year on year, with influencer strategies geared to promoting home life.

“Usually at this time of year we’d be pushing festival and new season, however with the current circumstances we’ve had to flip our trading on its head and think about what the customer is looking for right now,” she said.

“We are very fortunate in that these categories are always on for us, so we had the stock there ready to go, it was just about re-shooting this for our homepage and then utilising our influencer network (globally) to get this seeded out. It’s amazing how quickly you can adapt and move when needed.”

Influencer strategies have been agile and changed their focus to be on producing IGTV, Live and feed content, as well as TikTok clips.

Asos replaces models with influencers

Australian influencers Ebony Boadu and Jono Friend are part of a new merchandising push by eCommerce giant Asos.

The UK etailer has commenced replacing model images on-site with images of its global influencer network Asos Insiders.

Asos international PR manager Lauren Hardinges said the change reflects the power of influencers and digital relationships, as the current retail landscape changes amid COVID-19.

“We are going to be using ASOS Insiders more and more in future as we know our customers like hanging out with them on our social channels.”

In 2019, Asos’s first plus-size influencer Felicity Hayward increased curve sales by 800% when enlisted to model on product pages.

Even micro influencers such as Dennis Glandz, who was first recruited with 7,000 followers on Instagram, matched conversions pound for pound week on week.

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