The first Vogue Online Shopping Night (VOSN) has emerged a success, with thousands logging on after dark to browse and buy from over 100 brands and shopping sites.
The event, hosted by Vogue Australia and Vogue.com.au in an effort to fuel flagging consumer sentiment, took place on June 8 from 5-11pm AEST and recent figures have identified it as the biggest online shopping event in Australia to date.
Brands and shopping sites from across the country, offering discounts, gifts with purchase, competitions, bespoke collections and free shipping for “one night night only”, drew 35,000 unique browsers to Vogue Australia's official site, as well as an additional 6,000 fans who signed up to the magazine's Facebook page over the course of the campaign. The Vogue Online Shopping Night was also the third top trending topic on Twitter in Australia throughout the night.
A raft of local designers, including Lisa Ho, Kirrily Johnston, Sass & Bide, Wheels & Doll Baby, Bec &Bridge, Therese Rawsthorne, Ginger & Smart and Joe Farage, also joined the Vogue team between 5-11pm to encourage readers to shop with a constant flow of Tweets, posts and interviews recommending their top buys of the night. Radio personality Ruby Rose also signed on for George Jensen, along with Lovable brand ambassador Jennifer Hawkins, who provided advice on behalf of the lingerie label.
Zara Curtis, commercial director at News Magazines said the event was a coup for the fashion tome, but also a step in the right direction for Australia's ailing retail sector.
“By tapping into Vogue’s vast audience and community of supporters, our advertisers were able to drive sales in a highly engaging way. Many advertising partners enjoyed record daily online sales as a result of VOSN. We also had phenomenal feedback from our e-retailers, and are now looking at making VOSN a regular online event that supports Australian designers and retailers by prompting consumers to purchase,” she said.
Gail Elliott, co-founder and creator of local label Little Joe Woman, also backed the event, and said the activity boosted her online sales beyond the scheduled timeslot.
“I felt the VOSN event was such a good idea and a valuable way to help shoppers connect to various designers’ online stores,” she said.
“We had online sales coming in from Wednesday evening until early the next morning, not just within Australia but from our customers in the UK who also took advantage of the discounts on offer. We received more online sales in one day than we ever have, so I definitely feel our brand benefited from Vogue’s Online Shopping Night, and look forward to the next one.”