Fashion in Social MediaJESSICA CARRIGAN, JULIO CAMPOS, REBECCA FOX & KIRAN RAM

OVERVIEW

How social media can benefit the fashion market and increase business income by connecting high cost fashion trends to lower cost main markets, thus increasing the size of the target market

How social media can bring awareness of new trends in fashion, new type of fashion show, on-line exclusivity, first rights to purchase items after show

How new technologies can help fashion conscious individuals connect to items they have seen and want to own

Trends and statistics related to use of social media in fashion

Effects of Fashion on the Individual

Helps determine self identity

Self expression

Helps relay a mood

Canvass for displaying interests, opinions, logos brand names

Send a message

Creating Identity

Consider the popular TLC show What Not to Wear

This show is geared towards giving the average women a fashion makeover in order to match her fashion with her personality

Helps find and define her identity

Fashion helps to obtain optimal identity performance in the workplace and in society

Offers fashion tips to help dress different body shapes while wearing clothes that best define you as a person

Identity can be expressed through fashion!

Technology is everywhere in Fashion

Employment research

Trend Research

Reports

Videos, Podcasts, Blog postings

Trend, concept and mood boards

Client presentations

Technology is everywhere in Fashion

Technical Specification sheets

Costing and Markup Sheets

Store Layout and Design

Product Development and Merchandising Database Applications

Virtual Fashion Design and Merchandising

Social Media used in Fashion: Trends

Fashion icons- active users of social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr create a platform for exposure of clothing by fashion designers

Live social streams during live streams of runway shows- many designers are adding social media streams to live stream shows to allow others to view the opinions of others

Fashion Apps- can be downloaded to a computer or mobile device to allow one to follow favourite designers, express favourite styles and help find different styles i.e. Lyst (create your own store) Polyvore (internet-based trendboard), VisualRetailing (visual merchandising and retail execution applications)

New York Fashion Week Trends

One study from eBay Deals looked into data from five social networks during NYFW and found more people are using social media for wardrobe advice, inspiration and the latest trends. Top fashion accounts live tweeted from the shows and two brands, Badgley Mischka and Bergdorf Goodman, co-previewed their collections exclusively on Pinterest.

Fashion-related tweets doubled from last year's events

Professional photographers made use of Instagram.

Fashionistas can keep track of events and viral moments through a live feed that curates tweets and pictures from attendees.

Social Media On the Rise: Tweeting Revenue

There has been an astounding 357 % increase in sales from social traffic compared to last year.

91% of e-commerce retailers saw a lift in their SEO rank thanks to social referrals.

Over the period of Jan.- June 2013, social traffic to e-commerce sites has created a revenue increase of 17.8 %

30% of Twitter users begin thinking and tweeting about holiday shopping before October

65% percent of consumers use social media to find the perfect gift for people.

Did you know?

Four in 10 social media users have purchased an item in-store or online after sharing or “liking” on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Social media drives about equal proportions of online and in-store purchases.

Half of social media-driven purchasing happens within 1 week of sharing, tweeting, liking or favoriting the product.

74 %of consumers rely on their social networks to make purchase decisions.

When it comes to sharing news about their online purchases, 55%of consumers choose Facebook, 22% share on Twitter, 14% on Pinterest and 5% share on Instagram.

Social Media drives traffic to retail sites

Facebook is the leader when it comes to driving social traffic to retail sites (responsible for about 60 %) with Polyvore (20 %) and Pinterest (15 %)

Polyvore drives a higher average order value than Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter combined. Polyvore’s average order value is $383, versus Pinterest’s $199.16, Facebook’s $92.27 and Twitters’s $58.02.

While Twitter and Facebook tend to drive purchases of products people were already researching or considering, Pinterest is more likely to drive spontaneous purchases.

Social-to-store purchases: Trends

When it comes to social-to-store purchase, discount retailers are the most popular location for purchasing:

26% of in-store purchases from Pinterest were at discount retailers vs. 12% at department stores.

43%t of in-store purchase from Facebook were at discount retailers vs. 14 % at department stores.

Twitter and Facebook tend to drive technology-related purchases:

34 % of Twitter-driven purchases and 25 % of Facebook-driven purchases were tech or electronics products

What happens when you “like” or “pin”?

Drive e-commerce to the site, which generates social traffic and exposure

Support local store sales

Potentially increase store sales

Feel a sense of social belonging within the social network

Retailer issues with Social Media

Creating and maintaining loyalty- In order to maintain customer loyalty, retailers and designers must make a conscious effort not to ignore social media communications, and play an active role in engaging their consumers

Social Traffic is meaningful without sales revenue- Social traffic creates exposure, which leads to an increase in sales eventually, but may not occur right away

If you don’t use it, you lose it- once a retailer or designer participates in social media networks and blogs, they must remain active members in order to increase social capital and revenue (social media sells!)

Celebrity Involvement Never Hurts

Fashion shows, designers and products always gain huge exposure with celebrity endorsement

See Taylor Swift Performance at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show

Brings lovers of music, fashion and celebrity into one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNoRkxCBi6Q

Consider model Cara Delevingne

Supermodel, actress and fashionista

Uses social media to promote her brand which allows paparazzi to repost memes of herself

She also has a video in which she is leading a group of models in Harlem Shake. She was named Model of the Year in 2012.

Uses Twitter, Instagram (over 6 million followers) and Tumblr to display her professional photos

Fashion Icon for Topshop’s Autumn/Winter 2014 collection

Social Media & the Fashion Industry

Mashable.com, 2013

How Social Media bridges the gap

With continuous growth and new innovations it’s easy so say Social Media and Fashion have come a long way in a short period of time

What was once only available to a select class such as the rich and famous, fashion- whether it be high end or a new and upcoming street designer, is now accessible to anyone and everyone

Fashion shows, previews, collections and even interactive discussions are being made available and even incorporating its consumers all thanks to Social Media!

Front Row Seats- Online!

More and more Fashion labels are using social media for not only exposure, but inviting us to have front row seats!

With its high demand, fashion shows from around the world are now accessible to everyone on demand through various social media outlets!

Mashable.com, 2013

Front Row Seats- Online!

Most popular social media sites get involved with fashion week and popular fashion shows, for example:

Pinterest- A popular photo sharing website that uses pictures, videos and inspiration boards to post live coverage

Twitter- Designers, Brands and attendees post tweets of live, up to date footage and information at shows and viewings

(Sendible.com, 2014)

Live Fashion Shows Online

Instagram- Uses pictures and videos to promote inspiration and exposure of designers and brands during and long after fashion shows

Youtube- Brands and Designers can utilize this social media site to stream live coverage of shows and behind the scene action

Check out Burberry’s Fall/Winter 2014 Collection here on Youtube and see for yourself! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL9JVxq6x2M

Live Fashion Shows and #’s

Another way Fashion labels and designers attempt to get their consumers involved and interactive with live shows if through Hashtags (#)

The idea behind this concept is to not only engage the audience but at the same time gain exposure

For example: #FashionWeek2014

Brand Awareness

Fashion and Social Media go hand-in-hand, that’s why fashion brands and retailers have utilized the booming online social media world of over 1 billion users, to gain exposure, interest and overall name for themselves.

More and more new and upcoming labels and designers are fast tracking and obtaining exposure and interest through social media as opposed to the days when it could take years to obtain that kind of recognition.

Econsultancy, 2012

Brand Awareness continued…

For example, Burberry a high end fashion label once known to be untouchable and almost illusive to the every day street shopper, accumulated over 80,000 mentions during a 5-day period of Fashion Week ast year alone.

Many other brands found themselves dominating virtual conversation during fashion week as well thanks to Social Media which in turn drove sales up

This type of exposure online continues to help the fashion industry and to small scale designers thanks to its availability and activity.

#RunwayTrends to #TrendingTopics

Thanks to social media sites such a twitter, Designers and brands are now able to use the site to keep consumers updated about upcoming trends, colours and news about the label.

This type of communication helps high fashion to become more accessible, personable and often works to engage customers and has been proven to enhance a higher brand loyalty among customers.

#RunwayTrends to #TrendingTopics

One example of how this trend works in favour of the fashion lable is Victoria Secret

Victoria’s Secret launched the hashtag (#) #VSteeneybikini on Pinterest , Instagram and Twitter.

VS had approximately 27,000 followers on Pinterest and just over 20,000 of those followers used the #VSteeneybikini and are following the Pinterest board.

Social Media in the Fashion Industry

Here is a great video that explains how the fashion industry uses social media to connect consumer s

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/social-media-in-the-fashion-industry-6A6WWK0cQR~gOjYNP6AmiQ.html

Psfk.com, 2014

Social media driving fashion sales

Facebook and twitter are the two most common social media sites for businesses

Using social media for business is not only important for advertising but being able to talk directly with customers

Social media can be a great advantage for a business if used properly but if used improperly can be a big waste of time

While social media sites are free most business pay employee’s to monitor these websites to make sure they are being represented professionally

Keep

Targeting women in their 20’s and 30’s

Develops a list of over 100 of instagrams most fashionable women

Can include anything from handbags and jewelry to shoes, bikinis and gives customers direct links as to where to buy them

President of the company believed that instagram was the most popular site related to fashion and fashion bloggers

keep.com

Rue La La

Members only online fashion retailer offering desired brands; members only prices

Entices customers to their brand through exclusive social media campaigns

The exclusivity intrigues many women alowing them to brand high end products to regular consumers

Moms of style campaign on pinterest was mentioned in Rue La La’s

Kate Spade

kate spade is a site that uses photography and designs to express its brand

This brand uses a variety of social media to bring awareness to its products and attract users

It gives the users opportunities to view and gain insight on trends and products from the perspectives of different social media sites

Free People

freepeople.com uses its own techniques to attract customers by allowing featuring customers wearing free people apparel on the website

With every purchase the customer receives a card with #hashtags that can be used if they want to be featured on free people apparel

Tips on Increasing revenue with social Media

1- Give customers incentives for making more frequent purchases

2-Give customers reasons to spend more on each purchase

3-Combine email marketing offers

4-Educate your customers about your other products and services

5-Provide consistent value

Bonus tip – measure the results

Top 5 Fashion Brands Using Social Media

Burberry

Burberry launched its first digital campaign in 2009, titled Art of the Trench

This facebook campaign pushed the burberry fan page to over 1 million fans in 2009

This facebook page now contains over 16 million fans

burberry.com

Astley Clarke

Astley Clark is an online accessory hub. Ashley clarke uses social media platforms to

keep its clientele engaged. Their twitter, facebook,

pinterest and instagram are engaging and interactive. With

9,122 likes on facebook they keep customers interested in

their products by posting pictures of jewelry and other posts. It Is believed that they

are slowly capturing their market in an effective way

Astleyclarke

Sophie & Trey

Sophie and Trey is an online fashion store featuring a wide variety of womens clothes. They how how

instagram can be effectively used as a marketing tool by

fashion labels. They encourage their followers to hashtag their sofie and trey

outfits as one of their techniques for interacting with their fans. This brand has gained success from

keeping their social media pages active and engaged

Sophie & Trey

ASOS

ASOS is an independent fashion and beauty store offering a wide range of branded products along with their own products. ASOS is using social media as a marketing tool and have been very active with their facebook and twiter fan following. They use a unique interactive page where customers can post ideas and based on the number of likes these ideas gain popularity.

ASOS

Nordstrom

Online fashion store having everything from shoes, bags, clothes to accessories. Nordstrom has a very active twitter page, with around 470 thousand followers. They also have very active facebook and instagram pages where they keep connected and offer giveaways to show their clients how much they care

Shop Nordstrom

12 Strategies to Increase Online Sales

Use images when posting to Facebook

Post daily content

Increase exposure of your communities with social buttons

Run a Launcrock campaign

Leverage social reviews

Create micro content

Run a twitter Q&A

Run a pinterest treasure hunt

Experiment with different titles in blogs

Make it easy for customers to share and like products

Invest in an infographic

Create a complimentary board on pinterestRetrieved from: http://www.shopify.ca/blog/7900695-12-social-marketing-strategies-to-grow-your-online-sales