Fashions change faster than a New York minute in trend-right, mid-priced apparel. Not only do hot designers change at lightning speed -- one minute you are in and the next you are out -- but styles, brands, marketing methods and business models change at an accelerating pace.
A veteran of this high-stakes game is Jones Apparel Group, a $3-billion vertically integrated global leader that operates such popular women's brands as Anne Klein, Jones New York and Nine West. It is primarily a wholesaler, but it also has 940 stores and a fast-growing direct sales division with a host of e-commerce sites.
Jones' core mission is to launch new brands, find new partners and sign new licensing agreements, a business model it has been successfully executing since 1970.
But established methods are no longer guarantees of success in a marketplace undergoing residual effects from the recession and dynamic shifts in consumer behavior fueled by the boom in social media and smartphones.
While not giving up on former methods, Jones recognizes the importance of leveraging new opportunities as they open up, even if it means moving beyond familiar boundaries and onto the leading edge.
One good example of this approach was the launch of a Rachel Roy Fusion product line in February where Jones used the social media platform Facebook as the cornerstone of its marketing campaign.
This is a significant achievement, because so many retailers today are still confused by social retailing and struggling to develop a realistic roadmap to tap into its vast potential.
The Jones launch, then, can be viewed as a proof of concept to many in the industry, a successful business initiative that validates the power of Facebook and social retailing as an essential go-to-market strategy.
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Pop-Up Fan Shop
The centerpiece of the launch campaign was a social retailing Facebook page where new fans could not only get more information about the products, but also purchase special offers with a few clicks.
Jones already had some experience with creating fan pages on Facebook, and was an early adopter of the concept with Nine West. But, according to Offir, there is a lot to learn about creating successful Facebook pages, and it's not as easy as slapping up a version of your Web site.
"You want to make it a dynamic and interesting experience," says Offir. “It has to be engaging and have texture and depth. Otherwise you are not giving consumers enough reason to visit on a day-in, day-out basis. But when you get it right, what better way to
engage your shopper than when she is involved in the intimate experience of being with friends on Facebook?"
Facebook has a unique set of APIs (application programming interfaces) and strict user guidelines, so an important first step is choosing a good technology partner to make it work. Few retailers have the necessary personnel and skill in-house and therefore must look to external sources for help.
Jones chose San Francisco-based Fluid to build what it calls a Pop-up Fan Shop for the Rachel Roy launch. A pop-up fan shop is a page on Facebook designed to accomplish specific goals during a limited timeframe, which in this case was just five days. Fluid is a pioneer in creating digital shopping experiences, and the Fan Shop is one of its hottest products.
"Creating a Facebook fan shop with Fluid helped us build a lot of buzz and go viral," says Offir. "When it is done right it encourages dialogue and also encourages more people to fan us. It isn't going to displace e-mail marketing, traditional advertising or standard Web sites. It's just another tool in the toolbox, but it adds a viral component, and if you hit on something that creates a stir it will then show up on everyone else's Facebook pages. The power of its viral nature is exponential.
Fluid is about Digital Shopping Innovation - creating engaging experiences that drive conversion, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Fluid delivers these results though custom agency engagements as well as the Fluid Retail Experience Platform software solution. Founded in 1990, Fluid customers range from mass market retailers to luxury goods manufacturers and include winning brands such as: Reebok, Sears, Vans, Nine West, Pottery Barn, Coach, Lucky Brand, and The North Face, among others. More information about Fluid is available at www.fluid.com.