There’s a certain axiom among economically-minded fashion gurus: during a recession, hemlines and heels rise. That was certainly been the case in 2008, with designers offering heels so high that many a model suffered literal falls from catwalk grace.
For those with a penchant for sociological examinations of fashion, I have a few theories. [...]
NEW YORK----NIKE, Inc. and reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant are celebrating breakthrough innovation with a festive flair this holiday season and beyond. Beginning December 25, 2008, Bryant’s new Nike Zoom Kobe IV, his fourth signature shoe with the brand, will be available on NIKEiD.com with more than 5 billion design variations, an unprecedented combination of color, material and pattern options.
The line between mobile technology for personal and business use continues to blur. Many people, especially small business owners, are using the same device for their business and private lives and want something that's slick and cool but also powerful. No longer are we seeing just "work" smartphones that have strong email and business applications and "fun" phones that have high quality cameras, music, and video.
The iPhone continues to grow as a business tool with tons of new business applications being created for it. Other vendors like HTC are morphing popular consumer models with touch screens like the Touch Diamond into business models like the new HTC Touch Pro. They've added business-focused enhancements to make the device more efficient for work use - a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, expandable storage, and a business card scanner application that works with the built in camera/camcorder.
So what should you consider when choosing a mobile phone for your business?
Michelle Mermelstein, PR Manager for Wireless Devices at Sprint, says that most customers begin by considering how the devices will interact with their current system. Their IT team may prefer Windows mobile devices, Palm OS, BlackBerry Enterprise Server or a more simple Java-based approach based on firewalls and other internal constraints.
Accessories footwear marketer R.G. Barry Corporation has named N. Scott Weaver brand president for its licensed Superga canvas fashion footwear business in North America.
"a no-frills philosophy to kick into high gear in 2009, reflecting not just a consumer mindset, but one that is paramount to retailers and manufacturers alike, who are looking for growth in a downturn economy. From sustainable manufacturing techniques to innovative national brand offerings, the products and services likely to succeed in 2009 will be those that appeal to the sensible consumer looking for a rational benefit."
They go on to highlight twenty trends across the consumer spending board, a few of which gave me pause. Consider:
Marketers will think "renovation" as much as "innovation" Nielsen has seen steady growth in testing of established brand restages and re-launches over time, and we expect this trend to continue into commercialization as marketing budgets are tighter. Reinventing established brands can be managed as a lower risk innovation strategy.
However, making this strategy a success requires a delicate balance of providing continuity to current buyers while offering sufficient novelty to attract new triers.Ad spending will be tight. Nielsen reported significant ad spending declines in the first half of 2008 by eight of the top 10 advertisers—down roughly 6% during the same period in 2007. As companies continue to downsize and scrutinize spending, expect these declines to continue, especially within the automotive category and with Financial Services companies. However, product categories such Direct Response Product, which increased spending 20.48%, and Credit Card Services (+18.95%), should continue to spend on advertising.
Coupon redemptions will rise.As consumers look for more deals, expect coupon redemptions to increase. While coupon activity is actually flat versus year ago, this is positive news as it is the first time in many years that redemptions didn’t fall. As more manufacturers and retailers make it easier for consumers to gain access to coupons via email, mobile phones and in-store methods, consumers will take advantage of this cost-cutting strategy.
and
Brand prestige will be driven less by premium price. Expect to see fewer premium-priced new products introduced into the market in 2009. However, focusing on low price may under-deliver on expectations. Marketers should look to emphasize a brand’s value proposition in new and unique ways by linking the value message to the consumer benefit.
These three, if true, will present some unique challenges and opportunities for in-store marketing experts. Price differentiation, typically considered a form of trade promotion, will probably be king for the time being, especially if the shift from brand-name to lower-priced private label or off-brand continues. But the opportunity to deliver customized marketing and promotions via interactive loyalty terminals or digital signage systems that can beam offers to a shopper's mobile phone could make them more valuable during the recession than previously expected.
----Nike : WHAT: This Thursday, Nike and NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant will host a global webcast and live event to introduce an unconventional new look for Bryant's new Zoom Kobe IV, his 4th signature shoe with Nike.
Legendary hippie-era band, The Grateful Dead, have collaborated with footwear designers Converse to bring you a new limited edition trainer, says Hilary Alexander Dancing Bears: the new collaboration between ...
Shoe and handbag maker Kenneth Cole Production Inc.'s fall 2009 collection for men is more cohesive and has a clearer direction than it has projected in years past, and will likely help results by late next year, an analyst said Monday.
Without customers, retailers wouldn't be in business very long. That is why it is surprising how often retail shops unintentionally drive customers away.
Apple's note advising users to protect their Macs with anti-virus is neither new nor reflective of a significant increase in malware targeting Mac computers. It is an update of an old advisory with the same recommendation.
- Apple users should not panic – the advice by Apple that Mac users
should use anti-virus is neither new, nor reflective of a significant
increase in malware attacks targeting Apple.
The existence – or relative lack thereof – of Mac malware has been a
catalyst for arguments between Mac and Microso...
NIWOT, Colo.----Crocs, Inc. and Skechers, Inc. today announced that they have agreed to settle all outstanding worldwide litigation, including a US District Court action in Colorado.
Online retail sales grew significantly over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend -- plus Cyber Monday -- this year compared with 2007, but comScore maintains its prediction that spending will be flat for the full holiday season.
Drive through many towns on the East Coast, and you'll see the same fossils of urban development: an old, blighted town center and a few miles away, a modern retail strip with ample parking, brightly-lit chain shops and, inevitably, a Starbucks ...
NEW YORK----Skins Inc. , a developer of revolutionary, patented, two-part interchangeable footwear, today announced that the company will launch with Amazon.com and Endless.com beginning with the Spring 2009 collection.
For a long time, those of us who have a web presence have used web statistics to tell us how well our site is doing. We use it to figure out what kind of traffic we’re getting, what content brings in the traffic, who sends us the traffic, what people are searching for, what people use to access your content and more. These are all important.
The problem, web stats don’t tell us who these visitors are. The ‘other side’ of the information like demographics. If you’ve been in business for a while, you more or less have an idea who your audience is. You get that by talking to them on the phone or during webinars and teleseminars. You meet them face to face. You correspond throug emails, blog comments, social networks and more. But are these same people the ones who visit your web site? Is your web site really speaking to your target audience or not?
Do you know…
What kinds of income bracket are they?
Are you serving more women than men?
Are you visitors more likely to be of a certain ethnic group?
What age brackets are most of your visitors from?
Do they have children?
Are they college educated?
What kind of lifestyle do they lead?
If you don’t, you can use Quantcast to find out. Quantcast is stats tracker that tracks the finer stuff like these. What’s also cool, they tell you what else your audience will like - great for researching new topics, new affiliate products to promote or create your own products. If there’s enough information on a web site, you’ll also find out what other web sites your audience visits.
On the flip side, because you can look up any web site from Quantcast, it’s a great free tool for some competitive snooping or checking out a site you want to advertise on. Of course, it goes without saying that you can’t get statistics for every web site out there. Especially the smaller sites and sometimes the larger sites are estimates. And some publishers choose to hide some of the data.
You may think you know your audience well, but try it out and see how close you really are from your target.
"It's a little depressing, but if you're smart now, you'll be better off in the long run."
That’s a comment from Leonard Stiff, a chef-caterer quoted in Business Week in yet another article trying to gauge how consumers are reacting to the ongoing recession. Mr. Stiff sums up what, to me, seems like the best philosophy for both the average citizen and the average retail company. The question, of course, is how to be smart -- and indeed, the best way to do so: let customers know you think they're savvy.
Business Week’s summary points to the obvious: people are still buying enough items to keep Wal-Mart and the various incarnations of the Dollar Store afloat. At the same time, they are certainly searching for bargains and coupons, passing information along to their friends via email. And finally, the news that retailers keep staring at, like the deer in the proverbial headlights: people are making immediate cutbacks and trade offs, while postponing certain kinds of purchases indefinitely. As we've already pointed out, generics and in-house premium lines are also making a dent in brand loyalty.
Speaking with Kai Ryssdal on Marketplace, Buyologyauthor Martin Lindstrom summed up the crisis:
“We will see that this Christmas is probably going to be the worst in 24 years. And I think the main reason why is because the first time ever we are realizing this is serious stuff. This time it's almost like we got a slap on the chin. And with that slap on the chin….. people wake up and they start to say, "Hey, I have to buy stuff differently." And what happens is people literally change stores, people literally change the path down the supermarket aisle. And they have never done that before, but that is the change we are facing right now, and retailers are realizing that."
The Center for Media Research offers some nice recent data about what people are doing these days when they go to the mall: they’re still going, as I’ve pointed out, but they’re not frequenting department stores as much and they’re not venturing too far off the beaten path. The most common comment I’ve heard, both in person and in the news, has been “no more retail therapy for me.”
So how can retailers react to the slap on the chin? From watching shoppers since mid-September, I have some tentative but I think fairly obvious conclusions:
One, people will limit their purchases to items that "matter more," both for everyday needs and for long term use.
Two, people will be deciding more carefully exactly what "matters more" and using new criteria to decide what’s worth the money. (My prediction: "green" and "healthy" will hold steady).
Three, there will be even more market segmentation: some people will be frugal because they have to be and it will be a new experience and a struggle; some people will be frugal because it’s tacky to spend when others are suffering and, well, let’s be clear: no one knows how long this will last. Others will continue to spend, but in patterns that will, at first, be unrecognizable according to current market logic.
Four, while consumers may be enticed by bargains, expect them to bring a whole new wealth of knowledge (from word-of-mouth, social media, and general on-line sources) to their in-store decision making.
Online researcher ComScore said that online sales this month have declined compared to last year, and that it projects that online sales for the full holiday season will be comparable to 2007.
Shares of Brown Shoe Co. tumbled on Monday after an analyst lowered his rating, saying the shoe company is seeing more consumers pulling back their spending amid the weakening economy.
An announcement wasn't expected until next week, but the U.S. Postal Service confirmed Thursday that it was moving up the date for next year's price increases for shipping services from May to Jan. 18.
At the end of October 2008, British retailers protested to Europe's top competition regulator, alleging that Mastercard had "significantly" increased the cost of using its branded debit and credit cards and that this would mean price rises for consumers.
Gen Y is a unique breed. Firms can't interact with these young consumers in the same way they do with older consumers. That's why Forrester identified four design approaches for reaching Gen Y online: immediacy, Gen Y literacy, individualism, and social interactivity. To examine best practices in one of these approaches, immediacy, we examined the online experiences of 20 large companies. Some good immediacy design practices we found: Old Navy features sneak peeks at new styles, T-Mobile presents an interactive plan selector on its home page, and Zappos adds a sense of urgency with inventory alerts. Customer experience professionals can start infusing immediacy by identifying the specific paths that Gen Yers take through their sites.
NEW YORK, Nov. 12 NY-Kenneth-Cole-Book Commemorates 25 th Anniversary by launching initiative to encourage acts of service, volunteerism and social change NEW YORK , /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Designer and ...
demographics. If you’ve been in business for a while, you more or less have an idea who your audience is. You get that by talking to them on the phone or during webinars and teleseminars. You meet them face to face. You correspond throug emails, blog comments, social networks and more. But are these same people the ones who visit your web site? Is your web site really speaking to your target audience or not?