CHAPTER FRIDAY | BECAUSE TODAY IS THE DAY. 7 tips on landing a fashion PR job Today we’re guiding you through the fashion PR-field, telling you how to land and be successful in a fashion pr job. And we’re handing over the CHAPTER FRIDAY mic (ok, keyboard…) to powergirl Kristen Sticker, who is in charge of international public relations and social media at Forever 21. With a jaw-droppingly cool job description and equally packed schedule (she opened stores in Brazil and China this month, is off to Mexico soon and was in Amsterdam this weekend) we want to know her tips on how to get there.
HOW TO MAKE IT IN FASHION PR1. INTERN, INTER, INTERN We really can’t stress the value of internships enough. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Bright Light (@BrightLightPR) | Twitter. 13 Retail Companies Using Data to Revolutionize Online & Offline Shopping Experiences. The digital revolution has accelerated global change in multiple industries especially finance, healthcare, entertainment, sports and retail. For retail and consumer goods companies in particular, while the challenges may be daunting, the revenue and growth opportunities are too big to ignore.
Customers now expect to be able to shop 24x7, discover and buy products on multiple online and offline channels, look for ideas and inspiration on brands’ social media channels, increasingly shop on mobile devices and demand more customized experiences when they walk into a store. Now, more than ever before, retail brands need to become more customer-centric and analytically driven. According to a report by McKinsey & Company, despite the e-commerce boom, brick-and-mortar stores will still account for approximately 85% of U.S. retail sales in 2025. Using Customer Data to Personalize Experiences & Drive Loyalty 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Five Small Retail POS Systems with CRM Features. Larger corporations have been practicing customer relationship management (CRM) for years by using databases and CRM software in their service departments. Small retailers, on the other hand, often hesitate to license a separate, stand-alone system for relationship management in addition to the point-of-sale (POS) and inventory systems they already pay for.
They see CRM as a luxury, and you can’t really blame them. But does this mean small retailers are confined to old-fashioned, manual relationship management – i.e. trying to remember “regulars,” keeping sales records that aren’t customer specific, etc.? Absolutely not. Consider a few benefits of CRM for small retail stores: Understanding your customer base: CRM data and basic analytics can distinguish between VIP and casual customers, helping you make important decisions about discounts, pricing levels, and rewards. Here are five retail POS systems with integrated CRM functions that are appropriate for small retailers: Shopkeep ChainDrive. Millennials Shopping Habits Retail Trends. This week, AdAge reported the surprising results of a survey revealing that Walmart is the favorite retailer among millennials age 24 and under, and the second-favorite (after Target) of millennials age 25-34. These results have inspired head-scratching from media outlets (ourselves included) as well as Walmart's top brass — the retailer's CMO admitted that the results "shock[ed] a lot of people, including inside the company.
" What happened to the popular conception of under-35s as niche-brand-loving, ethical-shopping tastemakers? Whither the hip-consuming millennial? The Walmart survey isn't our only inkling that we may have gotten millennials wrong. Armchair analysts posit that the solution to Gap's sales slump is to install a more visionary, Jenna Lyons-like leader, or to chase trends like Zara does. But really, there's no evidence that millennials don't want wallet-friendly tees and jeans — it's just that increasingly, they're buying those items at Old Navy or Uniqlo instead of Gap.
Multi-dimensional storytelling: Brands should follow Hunter's lead and design sensory retail experiences. Checkland Kindleysides’ Kate Shepherd takes a look at multi-dimensional brand storytelling through the retail environment. When online retailing emerged in the 90s, many predicted we would soon no longer wish to shop in stores at all. Today a very different future is taking shape. Physical retailing is flourishing and, according to eMarketer, 87 per cent of everything bought in the UK is purchased in-store. Even Generation Z places high value on personal interaction. Although the digital world is all they have ever known, research by Innovation Group suggests they crave real, physical experiences as much as those who have gone before, with 67 per cent stating they would rather shop in stores than online.
The future of retail is a fusion of digital and physical, with bricks and mortar and online stores learning from each other and brands playing to the inherent strengths of each, creating a virtuous circle whereby all brand communications and experiences support one another. Don’t just look – smell, feel, and hear art. Tate’s new way of experiencing paintings | Art and design. At first glance, Francis Bacon’s 1945 Figure in a Landscape seems a dismal character – a grey and imposing body crouched forward on an isolated bench. But don the proffered pair of headphones and a remarkable transformation takes place. Illuminated by lights, the form is transported into a new context as bustling sounds of the city bounce forth, the clanging of construction evoking the impression of furious activity, the laughter of children indicating a vibrant park.
A deep, smoky scent rises from chocolates placed in front of the painting. The scene becomes intensified as a bitter, burnt rush engulfs the mouth, the gritty texture of the chocolate reinforcing the harshness of the city, with orange adding sweetness and warmth. Suddenly the figure stands out as a weary yet sinister soul in a lively, frenetic world. It’s not the only attempt to augment artwork – the National Gallery is currently pairing audio interpretations with paintings in its Soundscapes exhibition. Turn on to Melbourne's multisensory concept store Dust as you step down into SIBLING's stunning space.
Architects SIBLING have created a special space for Melbourne concept store Dust. Photo: Peter Bennetts Dust, unlike most commercial fit-outs, wasn't under pressure to open in a matter of weeks. Rather, the owners and architects spent a good 12 months discussing concepts for the basement store on the corner of Russell and Little Collins streets. The wait has certainly been worth it, with the architects, SIBLING, delivering "one out of the box". Formerly Chiodo, a menswear store for more than two decades, Dust announces its arrival with a graphic fluorescent installation that literally pulls those passing by down the steps and into the store. Advertisement Based on a multisensory concept that includes all the five senses from smell to touch, Dust is a unisex store that includes everything from designer T-shirts, sweatshirts, perfume and bespoke clothing to vinyl records (Dust's fashion designer, Adam Wood, formerly worked with Nasir Mazhar in London).
The Power of Touch. When Nicolae Ceaușescu came to power, in the mid-nineteen-sixties, Romania saw the proliferation of leagăne—literally, “cradles,” otherwise known as institutional homes for the very young. Ceaușescu wanted to increase Romania’s industrial output, and he thought that that required a larger population. In 1966, he enacted Decree 770, which restricted contraceptives, banned almost all abortions for women who hadn’t had at least four children, and instituted a thirty-per-cent income tax on childless men and women who were over the age of twenty-five. In the span of a single year, the birth rate rose by thirteen per cent and the infant population nearly doubled. But even that wasn’t enough: in 1985, the dictator raised the minimum number of children to five and the age of the women covered by the decree from forty to forty-five.
The result was one of the saddest natural experiments in modern psychology. Few people outside Romania initially knew about the leagăne. Sensory Sculpture Installations : Gratitude by Ernesto Neto. Gratitude by Ernesto Neto is yet another thought-provoking installation from this popular artist, which has completed his latest work for the Aspen Art Museum. The work asks people to take notice of their various senses, using different mediums to provoke these human functions.
From a distance the installation looks like a large umbrella with large strings hanging down from underneath, but each section has a certain meaning with an intended function. Since each part of the installation is meant to be interactive, visitors are able to touch the artwork, which is usually the opposite of what is allowed at most museums. Hopefully people will walk away from the artwork with more awareness about their own senses, and how everything works in tandem with one another.
Gratitude by Ernesto Neto is on until September of 2014. Ready to Influence Millennials? What You Need to Know. Think you know millennials? This renowned trendspotter shares what you need to know about seducing these influential and finicky shoppers. Marian Salzman, ceo of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America, and Euro RSCG Life PR is credited with popularizing pop-culture buzzwords from “singleton” to “metrosexual.”
She was named PRWeek’s 2011 PR Professional of the Year, and sat down with us to share her thoughts on the next generation of shoppers. A recent article in Forbes says, “Big retail is running scared of the millennial generation.” Do you agree there’s reason for concern? Welcome to a generation that believes everything in life has a sense of urgency and where immediate means immediate. They want mass customization without any challenge to their personal privacy, and they want and believe in radical transparency. At the same time, they represent the biggest, most influential generation since baby boomers.
How is that different from previous generations’ shopping habits? I believe so. Ready to Influence Millennials? What You Need to Know. Mixed Messages. When in New York, in December, take advantage of 50-degree temperatures. That’s the gist of what we learned this year at the Retail Design Collective. We also reminded ourselves that black clothing is a good thing to wear when everyone else is more fashionable than you. On the mannequin front, everywhere we went we saw the usual abstracts and egg heads (those abstracts with eyelashes are fun, aren’t they?) , with new options as the metallic influence moves from the runway to mainstream. We also caught a glimpse of something a bit edgier than textured trends – you might call it a combination texture, and it’s one step past mixed media.
In fact, these forms and figures use combinations of paint, vinyl, burlap and even silver leaf to create these new looks. Like the athletic mannequins we saw in spades last year (these continue to be adopted by retailers), some of these styles are on the bleeding edge. “We put a lot of bodies in our stores that need to be dressed fashionably. The Power of Touch. You're in a crowded subway car on a Tuesday morning, or perhaps on a city bus. Still-sleepy commuters, lulled by vibrations, remain hushed, yet silently broadcast their thoughts. A toddler in his stroller looks warily at his fellow passengers, brows stitched with concern. He turns to Mom for reassurance, reaching out a small hand. She quietly takes it, squeezes, and releases.
He relaxes, smiles, turns away—then back to Mom. She takes his hand again: squeeze and release. A twenty-something in a skirt and blazer sits stiffly, a leather-bound portfolio on her lap. A couple propped against a pole shares messages of affection; she rubs his arms with her hands, he nuzzles his face in her hair. A middle-aged woman, squished into a corner, assuredly bumps the young man beside her with some elbow and hip. But touch they did—it was, after all, for science.
Indeed, we appear to be wired to interpret the touch of our fellow humans. Learning the Language of Touch "We were very surprised. 5 Surprising Ways Men and Women Sense Things Differently. Photo: Getty Images Though it sounds like something you’d give some serious feminist side-eye, studies suggest that women really do seem to be the more “sensitive” gender. That is, they tend to taste, smell, hear, see colors, and feel textures more accurately than men—even though, in most cases, researchers aren’t sure exactly why, says Marcia Pelchat, PhD, a sensory scientist who studies taste and smell at the Monell Chemical Sciences Center in Philadelphia.
Some theories: Gender differences in the senses may have a biological basis, Pelchat says, but there may also be a societal and psychological component, as well. “Women are more likely to do the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning—they worry about whether a rag smells like mildew or if food’s gone bad,” she explains. “So they may actually have more experience with odors and flavors, and that may increase their sensitivity or their ability to process these things.” RELATED: 13 Surprising Facts About Testosterone Sight Touch Hearing Smell. 5 Senses and 5 Reasons You Need to Use Them in Your Store. The smell of coffee. The lingering scent of a candle. The bad perfume someone who just entered your store is wearing… Good or bad, scents are memorable. And the same way you remember scents, your customers do, as well. To help maximize your selling experiences through sense, consider how sight, touch, sound, smell and taste all impact your store… and how they can either enhance, hurt or leave no impression at all to your customers.
Sight: Product alone doesn’t always do the trick in making a memorable, visually appealing experience to customers (sorry, hate to break this to you). Touch: If you have a brick and mortar store, you know first hand how important “touch” is when it comes to customers. Sound: Whether it’s the sound of birds chirping coming through from an open storefront door or the sounds of customers discussing what they want to buy, what consumers hear makes an impression. Smell: Aroma shapes the experience of homes, holidays, experiences and stores.
Taste: Please Touch the Merchandise. This post is part of the HBR Forum, The Future of Retail. On a recent visit to a boutique bath shop, one of us became so overwhelmed by the intensity of the scent circulating through the store that he was forced to flee within seconds. It’s a reminder of how managers are often encouraged to help consumers connect with brands by amplifying the sensory qualities of products and retail spaces. Think of Singapore Airlines’ signature scent or the Intel jingle, which is one of the most recognizable sounds in the world. Such marketing efforts leverage the ability of sensation to create brand attachment and drive retail sales. In addition to the more common sensory marketing approaches that focus on sight, sound or smell, research has now begun to highlight the forgotten sense of touch. We tend to think about consumers using touch primarily because they have to — in order to examine packages and to fill shopping carts.
Consider several recent studies and their implications. 5 Senses and 5 Reasons You Need to Use Them in Your Store. The Devil Is in The Retail: The power of creating an immersive environment through the exploration of the senses | RPM's Hugh Robertson on marketing | Event blogs. Ways-Retailers-Manipulate-Your-Senses-Infographic. Ambience for the five senses - Inside Retail. Engage All Five Senses @ Retail | Lawn & Garden Retailer. Delighting the Five Senses in a Retail Store | ShopKeep. REI Created an Urban Oasis with its evrgrn Gear. Lexus Design Award 2015: A Journey of the Senses. Sensorium Exhibition: A Space Devoted to the Five Senses.
Seed : Sweet threads. Meet the boys leading Margiela’s gender revolution. These designers prove that fashion is bored of gender norms. 41 Interesting Facts about Human Emotions. 9 surprising facts about the sense of touch. Fashion news, advice and pictures | Fashion. That human touch that means so much: Exploring the tactile dimension of social life | Magazine issue 2/2013 - Issue 17 | In-Mind.
A Karen Touch Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, LLC - Facts on Touch INTERESTINGFACTS ON TOUCH: * Touch is the first sense to develop in humans, and may be the last to fade.* There are approximately 5 million touch receptors in our skin-- 3000 in a finger. Medical Assistant » Amazing Facts About Your Senses- Touch | Your DCTC News Source : Dakota County Technical College. Mademoiselle Privé: exhibition brings Coco Chanel to life | Fashion.
2015 Top 10 Store Design Trends | Visual Merchandising and Store Design. Touch and go. Natural Wonder. Trend watch | Visual Merchandising and Store Design. Color Coded. Materials. Gerlinde Gruber - Packaging Design Vienna. Dual Land - FABERHAMA. THE FUNDAMENTAL GROUP architecture. TREND HUNTER - #1 in Trends, Trend Reports, Fashion Trends, Tech, Design. Technology Trends and Gadgets. Open office work pods are inspired by treehouses. V-Commerce Is Poised To Shake Up The Retail Industry. The Future of Retail is the End of Wholesale | Opinion, Op Ed. Experiential Retail: How Retailers Win Customers and Influence Millennials | CBRE | UCR | CBRE | UCR. 2015 Top 10 Store Design Trends | Visual Merchandising and Store Design. Seven Must-Know Digital Trends for Retail in 2015.
Login to Mintel Reports - Mintel Group Ltd. Home. 12 Retail Trends and Predictions 2015 | 12 retail trends and predictions to watch for. Retail 2015 | Retail Week Guides. What's Next - Top Trends in Retail, shopping & leisure. 10 Examples of VR-Powered Online Retail. Top 50 Retail Concepts in September. Vend POS System | Best Point of Sale System for Retailers.
12 Retail Trends and Predictions 2015 | 12 retail trends and predictions to watch for. Forbes Welcome. 2015 Retail Trends. Key trends for retail technology in 2015: the rise of hyper-personalisation | World Of Tech News. The Future of Retail: 10 Trends of Tomorrow | Planet Retail. What does 2015 hold for retail? – webchat roundup | Media Network. 6 Futuristic Retail Displays That Will Change Your Idea of 'E-Commerce'