Visual Search Set to Make World of Imagery Instantly Shopable - BoF - The Business of Fashion. LONDON, United Kingdom — From a perfect biker jacket that scrolls into view on Instagram to a striking floral printed top spotted in the street, the kind of visual inspiration that generates purchasing intent for fashion items is literally everywhere. But the consumer journey from inspiration to transaction — identifying, locating and ultimately buying the item of interest — has traditionally been fragmented and full of friction. Now, visual search technology, leveraging sophisticated algorithms originally developed for security applications, promises to radically shorten the path from inspiration to transaction, allowing anyone with a smartphone to immediately identify and purchase the products they encounter — online, or in the physical world. In recent years, a range of start-ups, including ASAP54, Snap Fashion, Slyce and Style-Eyes, have tapped the promise of visual search to launch “Shazam for fashion” apps.
But so far no single service dominates the space. BoF: How does it work? Mannequins Tell People What They Are Wearing via Mobile App. If you want to get dolled up, who better to give you advice than the store mannequin? Three shops in the UK are trialing a system in which store dummies send messages to people via their mobile devices. While they haven’t quite gotten the hang of Grindr yet, they will be sending customers alerts with details of what they are wearing.
These could include the prices of their clothes and accessories, links to the items on the retailer’s website, as well as where they can be found in-store. The mannequins will be wearing this season’s latest accessory, the VMBeacon. Created by technology and design company Iconeme, the beacons sense when a shopper with an enabled smartphone app is within a 50m radius both inside and outside the store. It transmits an automatic alert to the customer, which is programmed by the retailer and sent via a secure web portal. Mannequins must be earning a lot of overtime because they send messages twenty four hours a day, even when the store is closed. Iconeme. Shoppers Save Time, Money With Customisation - BoF - The Business of Fashion. NEW YORK, United States — Technology may finally be solving the thorny problem of buying clothing online – that you cannot try things on. Through scanners and data mining, consumers are now able to get a custom fit, saving them time and money because they do not have to order multiple items and return what doesn’t fit.
The majority of these new systems do not cost a thing for the buyer to use. They are more about recommending a more exact sizing and style than if the customer tries to pick an item on their own. Given that the average woman has $550 worth of unused clothing in her closet, according to a recent survey by VoucherCloud.net, a retail coupon site, shoppers could use a little help paring down their purchases to things they actually like and will wear. One virtual try-on system is made by FaceCake, based near Los Angeles. Called Swivel HD, it works with Microsoft’s Kinect 2 to project clothing onto users as though they are looking in a mirror. Charlotte O'Malley. My dissertation explores how online social media can be used by fashion retailers to create and progress relationships with consumers in order to obtain brand loyalty.
The possibilities of technology within a branding context is something that I have long been passionate about. The process of this dissertation has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of an area that has become increasingly significant to fashion marketers. Abstract: In recent years online social networking has made significant changes to the way in which society communicates.
This has had huge implications for fashion retailers as they rush to adopt this potentially powerful marketing tool. The subject is investigated through an extensive study of relevant literature and the implementation of practical research. The research findings indicate that loyalty can be created in this context, through the creation or a presence that caters to the consumer’s customer service, brand building and value creation needs.
16356.pdf. Can You Trust the Editorial Integrity of Personal Style Blogs? A Closer Look at How Bloggers Make Money - Fashionista. Once the provenance of earnest fashion fans on the fringes of the industry, blogs have evolved into legitimate media sources and, more importantly, big moneymakers. Just look at today's WWD story highlighting "hot fashion bloggers" like Bryan Boy and Susie Bubble. The feature goes on to detail how each notable blogger makes their money, how many monthly page views their sites get, and presents an important question: "Bloggers sitting front row have become commonplace—as have partnerships with leading brands and fashion houses that often blur the nature of what they do: Reportage and criticism or marketing and promotion?
" Whether it's by partnering with brands, styling shoots, receiving payment (or free product) for writing posts or getting commission on the sale of items they post about, some bloggers are seriously cashing in on their influence. Of course, there's nothing wrong with making money. For some bloggers the answer is fuzzy. Creative UK: Overview of the digital transformation of the UK creative economy - Bain Report. Despite the lengthy recession and, until recently, slow economic recovery, the UK is experiencing a wave of business creation, higher than in any other major economy in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
A major cause is the expansion of self-employment, as professionals are now able to work much more flexibly, often from home. Of the 1.8 million net new jobs created since 2010, 1.1 million come from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This has contributed to the UK’s unemployment rate falling to 7.2%, comparing very favourably with other developed nations. At the centre of the UK’s digital transformation lie the creative industries.
These span music, film, TV, books and the arts, but also include software, newspaper and magazine publishing, and advertising. The case studies in this report reveal the myriad trajectories that subsectors of the creative industries are experiencing. The creative industries are undoubtedly a driver of economic growth. Digital and Social Trends Seen at New York Fashion Week. Fashion Week used to be a ultra-exclusive event reserved for the fashion elite. The public had to wait for the print publications before they could see the coverage, images and commentary related to the year’s premier fashion event. However, with the arrival of the digital age, the fashion industry as a whole, and Fashion Week, has been democratized. Fashion bloggers now have front row seats at the the top shows, and fashion lovers around the country consume every moment of Fashion Week via live streaming, Twitter, blogs, Instagram, Vine, Pinterest and more.
The Fashion industry has a whole has always been on cutting edge of new technologies – with the top brands frequently becoming the firsts to embrace social and digital platforms and trends. In fact, many fashion brands were among the first to start using Instagram as a marketing platform (read “Instagram and the Fashion Industry”). Social Hubs, Hashtags and Curation at Fashion Week >>See it live Tresemme Cole Haan Rebecca Minkoff Tumblr.
Fashion 2.0 | Fashion PR in the Digital Age. YSL Tweet Denying Pilati Rumours | Source: Twitter LONDON, United Kingdom — Though they may have been slow off the mark — and indeed much slower than many of their clients might have liked — it is quickly dawning upon the fashion industry’s most respected public relations firms that their once cushy domain is being rapidly disrupted by digital media. Simply put, no longer is it enough for PR firms to court editors of monthly magazines for editorial coverage over long boozy lunches and manage guest lists for fashion shows and events. Today’s high-powered fashion publicists are coming down from their ivory towers to help clients manage the new, constantly changing paradigm of digital fashion communication, while continuing their focus on personal relationships, which, it turns out, are more important than ever before.
Reputation management in an always-on communication cycle The importance of rapid response reputation management cannot be overstated. Ms. What’s clear is that Mr. Was the Daisy Marc Jacobs Tweet Shop designed for Social Payment? « Social Payment Social Payment. Marc Jacobs Daisy Tweet Shop, Covent Garden. 08 August 2014 Lisa Niven THERE is no denying that Marc Jacobs knows his customer very well, and for his Daisy pop-up store - opening in Covent Garden next week - he's playing on that customer's love for social media by swapping treats based upon his range of Daisy fragrances for tweets. No money will exchange hands, instead tweets using the hashtag #MJDaisyChain will "buy" you samples of the designer's trio of Daisy fragrances - Daisy, Daisy Eau So Fresh and Daisy Dream - access to a Marc Jacobs nail bar, a photo booth (there's nothing that draws a queue like a photo booth) and a Vine booth.
The concept was first trialled in New York earlier this year and Jacobs has certainly thought of everything, from free coffee to free wi-fi - after all, going over your data limit would really taint the experience. Then of course there's the ultimate incentive to get involved - a Marc by Marc Jacobs handbag awarded to the best tweeter each day. Twitter Launches Buy Button With Burberry. 09 September 2014 Scarlett Kilcooley-O'Halloran TWITTER has launched its first foray into e-commerce by unveiling a new "buy now" button - and Burberry is one of the first big-name brands to sign up. The tool will allow users to store their bank details on Twitter's secure internal system so that when they come to a tweet that features a product that they like - for example Burberry's new shade of eyeshadow - they simply touch the button and said product wings its way to their billing address. The new facility has been built in collaboration with tech-development brands including Fancy, Gumroad, Music Today and Stripe, reports WWD, with Twitter initially testing the platform retailing limited-edition items from Eminem, Pharrell Williams, Demi Lovato, Soundgarden, Wiz Khalifa and Home Depot, as well as charities including GLAAD, Red and 9/11 Day.
Burberry will launch the tool immediately after its London Fashion Week show on September 15 with the nail polish colours used on the catwalk. 10 Reasons Why Kate Spade New York is the Queen of Digital Marketing. If you are a blogger (and we’ll assume you are since you’re here at The B Bar’s blog) — you’ve probably heard of kate spade new york (if you aren’t completely obsessed with it — as many of their fans are). I personally think that they are one of the best brands in the biz on social & digital media. They started early, they are innovative, and they know what they are doing. Why do I think so? Well, here’s 10 reasons for ya: ONE — Their website (above) goes beyond shopping. It’s designed in their brand personality. TWO — On their site, they direct you to their social media platforms. THREE — They come up with their own hashtag campaigns and get YOU involved with them … #YOUGOTTHIS FOUR — Speaking of Instagram, they participate in Instagram memes.
FIVE — They take you behind the scenes. SIX — Prefer video? SEVEN — They blog. EIGHT — They love their employees so much, they want you to know them too! NINE — They stay in brand character everywhere. Smart ladies over there. Up Close With Kate Spade Saturday's Digital Window Shops. The future of brick-and-mortar retail is fun, flashy and doesn't require a lot of storage space. At least that's the cue from Kate Spade Saturday, the design house's recently launched weekender line, which earlier this month unveiled four digitally enhanced "window shops" in lower Manhattan. The brand has rented out the plate glass fronts of four empty locations — 154 Spring Street, 7 West 18th Street, 175 Orchard Street and 30 Gansevoort Street — for one month ending July 7.
There, passersby can get a preview of merchandise from the new line, which for now is only sold online in the U.S. Next to the merchandise is a large touchscreen where users can browse sizes and colors, and place orders for free delivery anywhere in Manhattan, as well as parts of Brooklyn, within an hour. "We're redefining what it means to window-shop," says Healey Cypher, head of retail innovation at eBay, which partnered with Kate Spade Saturday on the initiative. Homepage image courtesy of eBay. Here Are the Top Ten Fashion Brands That Are Conquering the Digital Realm (Plus the Brands That Aren't and Should Be) - Fashionista. Fashion has been notoriously slow to take to the online world (particularly on the editorial side), but some brands are really getting it right.
A smart digital strategy can translate to brand awareness, and ultimately, lots of sales. L2‘s Digital IQ Index took this concept to the next level and released its third annual report card assessing brands’ “digital IQ.” The ratings they give range from Genius to Feeble. Digital strategy is often uneven, and this can hurt a brand. Per the report: "Although 94 percent of brands in the Index have a presence on Facebook, one in five brands still lacks e-commerce capability. " How annoying is it to try to buy something online, only to discover you actually have to leave your home? That kind of thing really matters to consumers these days. So who’s excelling online and who needs a lot of help? 1. Number one this year is Burberry, given a Genius rating. In second place is an upstart “newcomer,” Kate Spade. So which brands need help?
LIKEtoKNOW:IT. Content Meets Commerce: Promising New App Launches @ SXSW. SXSW has long been a breeding ground for new technology to be conceptualized, launched and discussed, and this year was no exception. On the very day of the Fashion Brain Bar, Mulu launched their app “The Latest”, which is one of the most sophisticated and seamless ways to bridge content and commerce to date. Below is an excerpt from our conversation with their founder, Amaryllis Fox: Q. As a publication, what’s the best way to integrate Mulu? What about as a brand? A. What about as a brand? Q: Often customers see a product mentioned they are interested in but aren’t ready to buy now.
A: But of course! Click here to download Mulu’s app The Latest. Mulu Launches Mobile Commerce App ‘The Latest,’ Which Is Like BuzzFeed For Shopping. Over the past several years, e-commerce startup Mulu has built a backend technology that allows publishers to instantly embed shoppable items in their web pages. But now the company is introducing a new mobile app called “The Latest,” which targets consumers by connecting them with products mentioned by their favorite publications and tastemakers.
When you sign up, the app asks you to select a few topics, allowing you to choose between categories like Style, Gadgets, Body, and Home. Doing so subscribes you to a feed of content from publications in each of those verticals: If you follow Gadgets, for instance, you’ll see content from Wired and Mashable; at Home you’ll see stuff from Apartment Therapy. What the app enables you to do is shop items that have been shared by those publications. So for instance, you can check out Wired’s article “Here’s The Gear We Couldn’t Live Without” and buy those gadgets directly from the app.
10 awesome fashion magazines layouts. DIY Magazines. Magazine Editorial on Pinterest. Smartphones Make Catwalks Instantly Shoppable - BoF - The Business of Fashion. Social-Media-is-taking-over-the-fashion-industry-600x475.jpg (JPEG Image, 600 × 475 pixels) "Technology is going to turn the entire fashion industry inside out" 5 Technology Trends Transforming the Fashion Industry | Fashion GPS. Screen-shot-2012-09-25-at-4.46.05-PM.png (PNG Image, 600 × 608 pixels)