Member Article

Top 5 retail marketing trends in 2015

Here are just some of OPR’s retail marketing trend predictions for the rest of 2015

1. The remodelling of the catwalk

As London Collections Men wraps up for another year, New York Paris and Milan are set to join in on the action in holding a fashion week dedicated to menswear for the first time this July. The London celebration saw pop-up showrooms, catwalks staged in industrial site The Old Sorting Office and a drop-in LCM breakfast hosted by none other than Marks & Spencer.

In May, Louis Vuitton presented its annual cruise show in Palm Springs, California. More and more we’re seeing fashion’s biggest players staging elaborate shows beyond the traditional four fashion weeks’ calendar. Think Chanel’s ‘supermarket chic’ trolley dash in 2014. It’s clear that brands want to break the mould and stand out from the noise of busy cities and endless diary invitations so we expect these statement standalone shows to begin replacing the yearly fashion capitals’ tour.

2. Shop local

This is a trend we’ve capitalised on with client Dr. Martens as it communicates its global message on a local level. Driving footfall into store is a matter of appealing to the customer on your doorstep rather than mass communications strategy, and customers crave trust so relationship building is important to achieve that personal touch.

Whether it’s through imagery, video or hyperlocal events, retailers are looking to engage with the communities in which they operate with less emphasis on the wider landscape, to direct shoppers online. Tips include street style in key cities enabling consumers to relate to the brand, establishing ‘hometown’ partnerships with suppliers and targeting regional media and bloggers with bespoke, local experiences and native advertising.

3. Clicks and mortar

This isn’t anything new – for a long time retail brands have been trying to make the connection between online and offline. However it’s a strategy that we have observed pick up speed and 2015 will see it ramp up even more as we begin the all-too-soon countdown to Christmas.

Click and collect increasing in popularity, often the breadwinner for many – for instance in March John Lewis reported more online customers were opting for this form of order instead of home delivery for the first time in its latest financial year.

Kurt Geiger’s store stock check function online, AllSaints’ in-store shopping pod and e-commerce business Birchbox opening its first high street location last year show us attempts to bridge the virtual and physical customer experience.

Augmented reality is getting a bigger deal for digital communications and mobile means we now shop in real-time making in-the-moment decisions along the way of our consumer journey. A parting stat - 82% of smartphone users turn to their phone to influence a purchase decision while in a store[1].

4. Blurred Lines

It seems e-commerce is finding new ways of competing for our attention – creeping onto our magazine pages, embedding itself into editorial and popping up on our social feeds uninvited.

Online retailer asos has embraced Instagram shopping tool LIKEtoKNOW.it allowing browsers to get their hands on the items posted onto its colourful channel all day every day. Some bloggers are even jumping on the bandwagon, such as Sarah Ashcroft of That Pommie Girl where you tap to get all of her outfit details sent direct to your inbox.

From shoppable e-zines to retail outlets featuring magazine-style curated or created story-telling on their websites – take MR PORTER for example – the boundaries between commerce and content are merging before our eyes.

5. small is the new BIG

Ikea has announced a new strategy in the hopes of attracting more customers into its stores, taking its flatpack approach to a new level. The Swedish furniture giant is launching a new retail format and heading for the high streets, with smaller spaces and limited product on show.

It was only last year that we saw Sainsbury’s Local replace the popularity of its supermarket sister so we wonder if other superstores will copy-cat this move. Watch this space.

By O’s Fashion and Lifestyle account manager Lauren Hedley

[1] Consumers in the Micro-Moment, Google/Ipsos, US, March 2015, n=5,398, based on internet users

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by O Communications .