January 2012
5 posts
“I love fashion. That’s why I do it. No one is forcing me to do this. And...”
– Marc Jacobs, A Man for All Seasons, Vogue. Jan 2012
WatchMore on Freitag. This is their “How To” use their Leland shopping bag. I think I’m in love with this bag. And the gator. More: http://www.freitag.ch/Fundamentals/Messengers-Classic/LASSIE/pi/F75
November 2011
1 post
WatchSorry to self indulge but I love this! Created by Kimbolt.
October 2011
2 posts
Interview Part I: Cricket Discusses Consumerism
Jason Shoup’s interview with Cricket Vauthier was featured on Pluggio.com and ran September 8-9, 2011.
Interviewer’s Note: We have a special interview with Cricket of ReallyCricket- in two parts! The first part is a discussion of consumerism, what it means, and why it’s important to understand how it impacts society and culture. Tomorrow we will run Part 2, which focuses on social...
September 2011
2 posts
August 2011
1 post
“…she could not resist a bargain, that she bought things without needing...”
– Emile Zola, The Ladies Paradise, 1883.
April 2011
1 post
December 2010
4 posts
“The answer is yes — to any reasonable request.”
– On subjectivity. Store slogan for Abt Electronics, Glenview, IL. Since 1936. http://nyti.ms/gMy890
Conspicuous Consumption, Social Emulation and the... →
Interesting article on the application of Thorstein Veblen’s theories, particularly social emulation, to the current levels of consumption. via @jsenft
October 2010
3 posts
5 tags
Frontline Precipice
Consumer threshold can apply to many aspects of a product, service or behavior of any given company. Establishing and maintaining consumer confidence in a brand is paramount to its reception and viability. Companies who execute this well enjoy a high consumer threshold, those who make missteps have to endure a low consumer threshold. PR, Marketing, Advertising, CRM and CSR departments exist...
1 tag
“The genius of a great salesperson is having the ability to recognize the...”
– Stanley Marcus, Minding the Store.
September 2010
10 posts
6 tags
WatchFits.Me offers a robot that can replicate 2000 body styles and is positioned to revolutionize online shopping by offering virtual fitting rooms. Launched in June, Estonia based robots have increased sales 300% and reduced returns 28%. Hello, Amazon? http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662372/fitsmes-shape-shifting-robot-lets-you-try-on-clothes-online-video
Business Advice from Richard Branson
Great article by Ann Handley, of Marketing Profs on Richard Branson. An exerpt:
On the foundation of a brand
Branson believes that “outstanding brands are built around great people who deliver consistently great customer service every day.” Ultimately, a brand is only as good as the products behind it. A business’s top priority is to get its products right, and then wrap a great brand...
“The industry itself has to value what it has. It has to value the hands that...”
– Yeohlee Teng on keeping offices and retail store on W. 38th St. NYC near the factories. NYT: http://nyti.ms/biZW2o
12 tags
L2's Digital IQ Index for Specialty Retail
REI, IKEA, Threadless, Coach, A|X Armani Exchange, Sephora and Urban Outfitters qualify for Digital genius in L2’s Digital IQ Index: Specialty Retail, released today. L2 ranks 81 retailers and breaks out by category as well. ”The Social are Smarter”, “Social Media is Maturing”, and “The Onset of V-Commerce” are just three of the topics explored....
3 tags
WatchPhysics & Marketing
Dan Cobley a marketing director at Google recently spoke at TED, July 2010, and drew interesting parallels between marketing and Newton’s Law, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and the second law of thermodynamics respectively. He applied acceleration equals force over mass, (Newton’s Law) to the concept of brand management. Essentially, his premise is...
4 tags
Deeper Cuts - More Within: Consumer Space
Renown architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said of the antique temples, Roman basilicas and medieval cathedrals, “Architecture is always the will of an age conceived as space, nothing else.” Taking this a step further, contemporary architect and author, Paul Goldberger follows, saying, architecture defines who we are and who we want to be, with often the most average structures revealing the most...
“…’Big Society’ - the big idea that acted as a platform for the new...”
– Mark Choueke, “Big Society Already Exists, Its Called Social Media“
August 2010
49 posts
3 tags
Zappos: Selling Service
A recent article in the Harvard Business Review featured Zappos CEO Tony Hseih. At a glance, Zappos grew from zero in 1999 to $1 billion in gross sales by 2008 and sold ownership in 2009 to Amazon. Since, they have expanded into apparel, cosmetics, and housewares and were listed two years in a row in Fortune’s ”Best Companies to Work For” accompanied by an applicant...
IBM's Virtual Mirror with Bar Code Scan... →
Nordstrom's Transparent Inventory, This Changes...
Nordstrom has raised the bar. Their new site design is interactive and provides a communication page to view and showcase their products. It is a sleek and modern interface that all but dares the consumer not to participate, connect, follow and share. The most impressive component of Nordstrom’s site is what’s under the hood, however. A customer searching for an item has the option...
“Our primary objective is to create a place that people will love. We’ve...”
– Apple SVP Retail, Ron Johnson
Apple's Gold Standard in Retail Stores
Apple SVP Retail, Ron Johnson waxes Apple poetic (philosophy) with respect to their retail stores. The implementation of a gold standard experience where customers could interact with products while surrounded by Apple innovation. He discusses the primary objective of the stores is to offer a platform for product interaction, with sales taking a backseat. ”Staff are trained to look in...
MIT's Glass Infrastructure and the Future of...
Elegant and brilliant, MIT’s glass infrastructure illustrates the potentials in interactive media within a retail sector. Participants are given pocket portfolio chips the size of a credit card that enables interface with the touchscreen. Selections are stored on the chip as well as displayed on the screen. More than one person may interface on the same screen at the same time....
4 tags
Eat, Pray, Love...Love , Travel, Sell
Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest sequel to her now bestselling book and currently showing movie, Eat, Pray, Love, is her actual life. She and her husband, José Nunez, a.k.a Felipe in the novel , own and operate Two Buttons, a store in Frenchtown, NJ, specializing in trinkets from Southeast Asia. Gilbert and Nunes opened the store from the proceeds from the movie rights to her book. Two...
6 tags
“Regardless of economic conditions, there will always be a guy who will be...”
– Mickey Drexler, CEO J. Crew
3 tags
J. Crew Mens Division Flying (with Wingmen)
Third party collaborations in Mens paying off off J. Crew. They have 40 partnerships en totale, 27 of which were initiated by Frank Muytjens, head of men’s design for J.Crew, who took over the division in 2008. The mens division represents less than half of J.Crew’s overall sales which picked up a nice $24.3m first quarter 2010 over last year. Soaring with its fastest growth...
4 tags
Simple Joins Natural and Organic
Simplicity is a hot trend in food marketing. Think Haagen-Daz’s Five, Pillsbury’s Simply Cookies (and Simply Biscuits) Heinz’ Simply Heinz to mention just a few. Brands promoting “no high fructose corn syrup” skirt the margins of this category. Therefore it would follow that unprocessed foods, produce for example, would be the simplest of simple. Insert “go...
5 tags
2 tags
Real People, Real Fashion: Chicisimo
One to watch, this is the wave of online fashion. Its realism is what makes it alluring and effective. At 7000 followers and 4000 friends, no sponsors…RT @SouthsideAdguy: Ok great site I just stumbled upon… Fashion from real people… CHICISIMO. Love it.http://bit.ly/GnNQA
5 tags
Mango : A Cooler, Faster JCPenney?
Barcelona based Mango was debuted by JCPenney this week as its turbo drive toward securing the fashion-seeking 20-something customer. Popular in Europe, Mango generated $1.82 billion in sales for 2009. Little known in the US, Mango joins City Streets, a junior line as the latest in Penney’s pursuit of fast fashion lines. Mango will refresh every other week in stores that carry the line,...
2 tags
The Science of Jeans
75 years and 60,000 full-body scans, Levi’s answer: Curve ID http://bit.ly/9NzhUN #retail
2 tags
The Black Velvet Circus Line
What the name promises, the line delivers. Aus Berlin. http://bit.ly/dBpWwt via@th_retail
4 tags
“Our groups are moving toward fewer logos, more discreet luxury. It’s a...”
– Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of PPR, which owns Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci.