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Like the website House of sunny keep their branding across their social media platforms  simplistic and minimilistic.

They also tend to repost consumer images to promote their clothing, saving money on shoot s and creating free promotion using their target consumers.

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This week Fashion Revolution and Ethical Consumer launched the Fashion Transparency Index.
1 What is the Fashion Transparency Index?
Fashion Revolution and Ethical Consumer have partnered to publish a Fashion Transparency Index which ranks companies according to their level of transparency based on a questionnaire and publicly available information about supply chain issues. The Fashion Transparency Index is a research and communication tool, not an auditing measure, and it surveys 40 of the biggest global fashion companies.
2 What was the methodology?
The Transparency Index uses a broad brushstroke approach. It has been designed to give you an illustrative look at how much brands disclose about their supply chains, what kind of policies they have in place and, importantly, how much they share with the public about their practices and products.

The Fashion Transparency Index uses a ratings methodology, which benchmarks companies' publicly facing information against basic best practice in supply chain transparency in five key areas: (See the report for details on full methodology here) Ethical Consumer are the lead researchers and have been designing indices of this kind for 25 years. We consulted our Global Advisory Committee and key industry individuals on the methodology used for this research.

All 40 companies included in the index were invited to fill out a questionnaire, designed to help us better understand their policies, activities and communications. In total we received 10 replies, and the other 30 were scored based upon information available online and in their annual reports.
We are not auditing or verifying any of the information these companies publish, nor that they implement these standards. 3 What do you mean by transparency?
Transparency means companies know who makes their products - from who stitches them right through to who dyed the fabric and who farmed the cotton. When companies are working in a transparent way, this also implies openness, communication and accountability across the supply chain and with the public too.

4 Won't many consumers take this as a green light for the brands with a high score?
To be clear, some brands high scores doesn't mean that they have fully transparent supply chains. They still have a long way to go in working with suppliers down the supply chain right through to raw materials and communicating with the public about their practices and products.
5 Why did you commission it?
Many companies do not really know where their clothes are being made. The vast majority of today's fashion brands do not own their manufacturing facilities, making it difficult to monitor or control working conditions throughout the supply chain. A brand might place an order with one supplier, who carves up the order and subcontracts the work to other factories. This happens regularly across the industry and presents a great challenge for brands themselves as well as the people working in the supply chain who become invisible in this process. We can't tackle exploitation unless we can see it.
6 How did you select brands to feature?
The brands were chosen by their large annual turnover, and based on information we could find publicly. We chose brands that define themselves specifically as 'Fashion Brands', not as supermarket or other multi-channel brands and who are selling globally. We wanted to look at a cross-section of different sectors - high street, luxury, accessories and footwear, sportswear and denim.
7 Why did you only select brands with an annual turnover of over £400 million?
We chose with a turnover of more than £400 million, because these brands are the biggest brands in the industry with the highest turnover and the most to lose through lack of transparency, and conversely also the most to gain through better practice.
8 How will the Transparency Index help brands become more transparent?
We hope the Transparency Index will inspire brands and retailers to publish more about their policies, practices, products and the people making their clothes - answering the question #whomademyclothes. We also hope it sends a strong signal to poorly performing brands to communicate more openly about their supply chain practices.
9 How will the Transparency Index help consumers access more information?
At the moment the public do not have enough information about where and how their clothes are made. Shoppers have the right to know that their money is not supporting exploitation, human rights abuses and environmental destruction. There is no way to hold companies and governments to account if we can't see what is truly happening behind the scenes. This is why transparency is essential.

10 How will this help workers in the fashion supply chain?
Lack of transparency costs lives. It is impossible for companies to make sure human rights are respected and that environmental practices are sound without knowing where their products are made, who is making them and under what conditions. By encouraging greater transparency, producers' lives may be improved.

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Fashion Transparency Index Top 10 FAQs - Fashion Revolution

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This week Fashion Revolution and Ethical Consumer launched the Fashion Transparency Index. 1 What is the Fashion Transparency Index? Fashion Revolution and Ethical Consumer have partnered to publish a Fashion Transparency Index which ranks companies according to their level of transparency based on a questionnaire and publicly available information about supply chain issues.

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The rise of the pop-up store

Have you ever been to a pop-up store? If not, chances are you’ve heard of them. The pop-up store concept has been gaining popularity over the last decade and has recently been used to combat a spike in retail vacancy and drive in-store sales.

Retailers are looking for shorter lease terms and landlords are in dire need to rent vacant spaces left by the trove of recent store closures. This has led to a surge in the pop-up store phenomenon.

Pop-up store leases typically last anywhere from one day to six months, offering a low-risk option for retailers to reach new consumers. Pop-up stores can be used for testing the waters in new markets, sampling new products or taking advantage of a short-term marketing opportunity like a holiday or special event.

f you’re considering a pop-up store as part of your real estate strategy, make sure to plan wisely.

Know who your target customers and execute a pop-up store that will fit their needs and desires.

Choose a location near your ideal customers. The newness of your store and limited time offering will help create buzz in the area.

Let people know you’re here! Your site selection is just as important as what happens in the store. Once you have the site selected, make sure to promote the pop-up store with local store marketing campaigns that will create awareness and attract customers.

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The rise of the pop-up store

Have you ever been to a pop-up store? If not, chances are you've heard of them. The pop-up store concept has been gaining popularity over the last decade and has recently been used to combat a spike in retail vacancy and drive in-store sales.

Retailers are looking for shorter lease terms and landlords are in dire need to rent vacant spaces left by the trove of recent store closures. This has led to a surge in the pop-up store phenomenon.

Pop-up store leases typically last anywhere from one day to six months, offering a low-risk option for retailers to reach new consumers. Pop-up stores can be used for testing the waters in new markets, sampling new products or taking advantage of a short-term marketing opportunity like a holiday or special event.

Why traditional retailers should take note, and why consumers are buying in.

Pop-up shops are well received among consumers for multiple reasons. For one, consumers like to engage with their favorite brands in a way that feels fresh and unique. In a recent JLL survey, 40 percent of consumers agreed that they would be more likely to buy from an online retailer that also had a physical store. For online retailers not ready to make a long-term real estate commitment, a pop-up store is a great way to gauge interest. This real estate alternative can also help create a stronger brand experience, especially for millennials that are more interested in "doing" rather than "owning."

Considering a pop-up store?

If you're considering a pop-up store as part of your real estate strategy, make sure to plan wisely.

Know who your target customers and execute a pop-up store that will fit their needs and desires.

Choose a location near your ideal customers. The newness of your store and limited time offering will help create buzz in the area.

Let people know you're here! Your site selection is just as important as what happens in the store. Once you have the site selected, make sure to promote the pop-up store with local store marketing campaigns that will create awareness and attract customers.

Pop-up shop not a fit for you?

If a pop-up store is not a viable option for your business now, take some cues from the revenue generators in the market.

Create a limited time offer with a "pop-in" event.

Leverage local events to market to new customers when foot-traffic will be high.

Use pop-up style marketing to promote a new product or store layout.

Learn more about the latest retail trends.

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Pop-up Stores: Fad or Retail Renaissance?

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The rise of the pop-up store Have you ever been to a pop-up store? If not, chances are you've heard of them. The pop-up store concept has been gaining popularity over the last decade and has recently been used to combat a spike in retail vacancy and drive in-store sales.

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ow Social Media Benefits the Fashion Industry

Photo or video-driven social media platforms like Instagram are powerful tools to attract more followers and discover fashion enthusiasts. For designers or fashion companies, visual and social platforms can greatly benefit the industry and it is strongly encouraged for them to engage creatively online to boost their popularity and promote their brands. Specifically, there are a ton of ways that the industry benefits from social media usage, including the following:

1. Sharing High-Quality Product Photos/Videos

For an industry that relies on visual appeal as fashion does, social media content allows brands to share powerful images that can attract and keep their followers engaged. Posting creative images showcasing their pieces gives brands the opportunity to draw in potential new customers while highlighting the brand’s originality and brand image/message. Similarly, presenting products through video content on YouTube or TikTok can be highly impressive.

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NeoReach | Influencer Marketing Platform

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For fashion brands, maintaining a bulletproof social media marketing strategy is key to achieving mass success. In fact, social media experts have even stated that social media is the natural environment for fashion brands. Highly visual platforms, such as Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, have proved to be fantastic tools for fashion brands to reinforce their brand messaging while expanding the reach of their social posts, increasing brand awareness, and targeting potential customers to boost their sales. Social media and digital marketing not only have a tremendous impact on sales but can ultimately help distinguish a brand from the pack in a crowded online fashion market. To make your mark in the fashion industry and track your progress, digital marketing is crucial and can result in long-lasting positive effects.

How Social Media Benefits the Fashion Industry

1. Sharing High-Quality Product Photos/Videos

For an industry that relies on visual appeal as fashion does, social media content allows brands to share powerful images that can attract and keep their followers engaged. Posting creative images showcasing their pieces gives brands the opportunity to draw in potential new customers while highlighting the brand's originality and brand image/message. Similarly, presenting products through video content on YouTube or TikTok can be highly impressive.

2. User-Generated Content

3. Forming Relationships with Customers and Influencers

4. Promotions and Giveaways

Attracting new followers, especially for smaller to mid-size fashion brands, is a huge step in making a name for yourself on social media. To do so, many fashion brands like NastyGal have turned to promotions and giveaways as incentives for both current and new followers.

5. Tools, Instant Feedback, and Analytics

It's reported that up to 72% of Instagram users completed a purchase after seeing a fashion brand ad on Instagram. Going even further, receiving instant feedback through social media engagement and insightful post/account analytics are also essential tools for allowing fashion brands to predict trends, receive constructive criticism, judge customer satisfaction, and come up with artistic directions for future collections.
Looking to run an epic influencer marketing campaign on Instagram? NeoReach has the best experience in creating viral campaigns that convert. Sign up here!
Fashion and Influencer Marketing

As the relationship consumers have with social media grows and it becomes more integrated into their everyday lives, they will continue to become influenced by what they see online more than ever before - especially when it comes to fashion. In the past, fashion was presented to consumers only through magazines or fashion shows, but now, fashion has become less exclusive and controlled in order to appeal online to billions of users. While magazines and fashion shows are still integral to the industry, fashion has become more interactive than ever before to change the way fashion brands connect with their audiences.

NeoReach's Work with Fashion Brands

With NeoReach's focus on full-service influencer marketing, we've applied our data-backed strategies, influencer sourcing, and performance reporting methods to various top-tier brand campaigns. More recently, we've worked with top clothing brands, such as MeUndies, Skarlett Blue, and Zappos to provide them with instant access to top-performing niche influencers that we hand chose for their campaigns.

By launching strategies derived from data, including competitor audits, audience demographics matching, and platform-specific insights, NeoReach matches fashion and clothing brands with the perfect influencers for their campaigns. Then, with the right influencers selected, our team manages the entire process including introduction, contract negotiation, deployment, shipping, and payments. To judge the success of the influencer-pushed campaign, NeoReach also analyzes influencer performance, social channels, types of content, and the audiences who performed the best.

Fashion Campaign Findings: Marketing on Social Media

Not only do apparel brands have some of the largest audiences on social media , but fashion marketers are some of the best when it comes to engaging audiences. However, just like any other industry, some brands make mistakes when they make efforts online to push their brand in front of consumers. Due to these mistakes, fashion brands can set examples for other brands on what works and what doesn't:

If you can remember a red one-piece bathing suit on your Instagram feed that went viral, you've probably already been introduced to Sunny Co. Clothing. This swimwear brand aimed to promote their new Baywatch-themed swimsuit by running a unique campaign that promised a free bathing suit to anyone who reposted and tagged their promotional picture within 24 hours. The swimsuit, which retailed for $65, quickly caught the attention of thousands of users and - to Sunny Co. Clothing's surprise - went viral on the platform.

With over 3,000 users reposting the image within a few hours, the brand quickly realized they couldn't keep up with demand and thus angered thousands of potential customers who then made a mockery of the swimsuit. The takeaway for fashion brands? While giveaways and promotions are great marketing tools, they can easily go wrong. It's essential to never make promises you can't keep - especially when you don't anticipate a viral post that could lead you into giving away millions of dollars worth of free product.

With a fairly new platform like TikTok, it can be hard for brands to figure out a new algorithm, but one brand that's been mastering the short-form video game is House of Sunny. With a following on Instagram of 308K, one can already see how the brand takes advantage of social media. They've turned their IG into a shoppable feed but also post incredible product videos to show off their new pieces. House of Sunny are masters of user-generated content, reposting photos and videos from their customers when they're not working with top fashion influencers.

On TikTok especially, the brand gains thousands of views on their videos, marketing to a niche crowd of fashion enthusiasts, but occasionally earning a mass amount of on product videos with the help of the viral views For You Page. With a total of 758K likes on their TikTok account, it's clear that House of Sunny can be a fantastic example for other brands to take advantage of video production, user-generated content, and influencer marketing.

With the influencer marketing industry positioned to become a $10 billion industry in 2020 and the fashion industry becoming a $2.4 trillion industry, both will continue to intertwine for years to come when it comes to marketing strategies. As fashion brands aim to strategize and avoid the common mistakes made with digital marketing, more will follow the trends of social media and utilize its popularity to capture the attention of their target market, make a sale, spread brand awareness, and optimize the impactful power of influencers.

This article was written by Selena Ponton

Want to optimize your social media presence with influencer marketing? Get started with us today!

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Marketing Analysis Report: The Fashion Industry I NeoReach Blog

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For fashion brands, maintaining a bulletproof social media marketing strategy is key to achieving mass success. In fact, social media experts have even stated that social media is the natural environment for fashion brands.

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house of sunny draft READY FOR UPLOAD 2.0

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Example shapes on gift cards.

The word marks from Depop and House of Sunny are absent but the idea is to create instant recognisability through the store.

The only branding that will have the word mark logos will be the bags as this can act as free promotion values when a customer purchases a product from the store

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When designing all my branding I wanted to keep a continuity throughout and make the branding exclusive to the store only!

I decided the shapes worked best at creating a sustainable look for my branding as they can be interpreted as natural elements. I decided to keep House of Sunnys and Depops wordmark Logos on all my products in my branding section to stay recognisable and the shapes will work as the marketing.

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A simple mind map to guide my creative process for my email to house of sunnys members

After analysing an email sent by house of Sunny I have a clear idea on how to approach this.

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In my final attempt i was happy that i moved qaround my collections. i move the depop zone to the back of the store to work as a destination zone and had the secondary collection opposite eachother to create the boutique aspect. I then moved the cash desk in the middle of the store to allow customers to see the whole of the store before paying.

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In my second mock up i felt that this definitely had more of a boutique like feel.

however again, i felt like i wasnt using the whole of my retail space so it was back to the drawing board.

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My first mockup for my product adjacency.

I tried to incorporate displays only at the front of the store to create a high end feel, however i felt that there was a lot of left over space in the store at the fron and back and all my areas fell into the middle creating no transitional zones and everything being a bit cramped and clutted.

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When  completing my project plan

i asked my boyfriend to have a read and give me back some opinionsback  to ensure that from an outside perspective my concept was clear, this is what he said.

"looks really good and each page is clean and clear. From what ive gathered is that youre creating a store with a collaboration with depop. looks great!!"

i also asked my sister to give a read  and give me her feedback to make sure i havent missed anything important. :
"it sounds good and looks goods! i really like the sound of your idea, i think it will be really popular with the age group and is definitley on trend."

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Customers are not impressed by meaningless interactions

Forget about the ‘wow’ factor. Customers are looking for relevant shopping experiences. If you use VR to create pointless interactions, you will damage your brand, and you will lose customers. Take care of the basics first and then experiment with immersive technologies. If you are ready to launch a VR experience, make sure it’s relevant and worthwhile. If you want to use VR to sell more and to visualize products, you have to create relevant, engaging experiences to ease a customer’s decision-making process. Otherwise, customers will only use your VR set for fun, but it won’t help you sell more.

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A major technological revolution is underway in the retail world. Always-connected customers are craving an omnichannel experience when they're shopping. As retailers focus on creating shopper- and experience-centric stores, they're experimenting with immersive technology to introduce futuristic experiences.

Before we dive in...

Virtual reality is a 3D, computer-generated environment that people can explore. This technology creates an entirely artificial world where people can manipulate objects or perform a series of other actions.

VR is the most immersive experience because it blocks out the real world, making the user unaware of the environment around them. For this kind of virtual experience, customers must have special headsets which are still quite expensive.

Is VR the next big thing in retail?

We are constantly bombarded with news and articles about VR being the next big thing in retail and how it will soon transform the shopping experience.

But what does "soon" mean? And is that really the case?

We can't deny that VR has arrived and we are witnessing some of the biggest companies experimenting and introducing immersive experiences for their customers. According to Spiceworks, 75% of the world's most valuable brands have created some form of virtual or augmented reality experience for customers or employees.

However, we're still at the beginning of the journey. There is a need for more developments in this space. The technology does not live up to customer expectations and is not accessible enough to become mainstream yet. According to research from Perkins Coie, respondents identify the user experience as the top obstacle for mass adoption of VR (41%), reflecting ongoing concerns with technical limitations and performance issues, as well as bulky hardware.

We still can't imagine shoppers at home, sitting on a sofa and putting on a headset to go shopping, which is why VR is not scalable at the moment. However, many brands and retailers experiment with this technology to attract more customers in-store and to eventually create the store of the future which will have limited physical space, but unique, immersive experiences.

However, we're still at the beginning of the journey. There is a need for more developments in this space. The technology does not live up to customer expectations and is not accessible enough to become mainstream yet.

Back in 2016, IKEA introduced the Virtual Reality Kitchen Experience enabling customers to walk around real sized, make-believe 3D kitchen and interact with objects. Customers were equipped with two wands, which let them navigate freely, change the color of cabinets or drawers, and even cook virtually. When they collected feedback from people on what they wanted to do more of, the most wanted feature was - meatballs. Sadly, that isn't much of a surprise, at this point customers look at virtual reality as entertainment, not product visualization technology and there are many reasons why that is so.

Today we want to demystify VR in retail and help you mitigate some of the risk factors associated with this new, cutting-edge technology.

Let's get to the bottom of this and elaborate why it's still too early for VR in retail.

1. Expensive equipment
The most obvious downside of VR is that it requires hardware, so it is not easily scalable until most customers have such devices in their homes, which is not likely to happen any time soon due to the user experience (technical limitations and performance issues), content offering and price of the equipment. A report from IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Augmented and Virtual Reality Headset Tracker found that shipments of AR and VR headsets was down from last year. The report showed that shipments of VR and AR headsets were down 30.5% year over year, totaling 1.2 million units in the first quarter of 2018. The main reason for this according to IDC is that headset makers are no longer giving their products away for free (this was the case with Samsung that was offering free VR headsets with its smartphones two years in a row). However, experts predict that the VR headset shipment growth rate will increase from 24% in 2018 to 44.6% by 2022.

According to Statista 4.65 million VR devices were shipped in 2018 (compared with 3.7 million in 2017). Sony took the biggest piece of the pie, with 2 million VR devices.

According to Perkins Coie, the third biggest obstacle to mass adoption of VR technology (after user experience/bulky hardware and cost) is the content offering (e.g., lack of quality content, amount of content available). There has to be enough compelling VR content so customers can see the value in making the hardware investment. The need for high-quality and not just visually pleasing content will be more critical than ever.

Let's clear things up - A low poly asset is a 3D polygon mesh that has a small number of polygons, so it often appears blocky and lacks detail, but it still demonstrates the basic shape. High poly assets, on the other hand, have an enormous amount of polygons, which in conjunction with physically based materials can generate a photo-realistic look. At this stage, VR technologies mostly utilize low to medium poly assets. When it comes to retail, and especially industries that rely heavily on visual senses like the furniture industry, high poly, photorealistic visuals are a must if you want to shift the purchasing journey online. Low poly assets can't instill confidence in the purchasing decision.

Low vs. High Poly

The store of the future will be a blend of the digital and physical world, combining the convenience benefits of e-commerce with the product exploration benefits of brick-and-mortar. Traditional retailers have realized the importance of digital merchandising and the power of first digital impression, while internet pure-plays found out that even having a small, gallery-like store can have a significant impact on the business. For instance, earlier this year La-Z-Boy acquired Joybird to build its online presence, and Interior Define opened its first physical store.

Businesses today need to be aware that multichannel does not equate to omnichannel. The omnichannel challenge which many companies struggle with today is about having consistent and relevant content across all of their channels.

As illustrated above, the main business challenge with VR is that wide user adoption is not expected to be seen any time soon. One of the main obstacles here is the expensive headset equipment. We can all agree that a scenario in which shoppers can be at home, sitting on a couch and then choose to put on a headset to go shopping is still something that we can't quite imagine. Even though companies invest heavily in making this a reality, the process will take some time. For now, companies are experimenting with immersive experiences powered by VR technology in-store, as they try to create the store of the future.

Forget about the 'wow' factor. Customers are looking for relevant shopping experiences. If you use VR to create pointless interactions, you will damage your brand, and you will lose customers. Take care of the basics first and then experiment with immersive technologies. If you are ready to launch a VR experience, make sure it's relevant and worthwhile. If you want to use VR to sell more and to visualize products, you have to create relevant, engaging experiences to ease a customer's decision-making process. Otherwise, customers will only use your VR set for fun, but it won't help you sell more.

Gen Z is the most passionate generation for all things VR. But the question is: are they your target audience and do they have the purchasing power needed for your industry? If you are a furniture retailer, then Gen Z is far from your target because they are not the decision-makers when it comes to furniture. As time passes by, consumers who grew up during an era of rapid technological development like Millenials and Gen Z will be the leading decision-making generations with the highest purchasing power. That will be the time to offer immersive shopping experiences to grab customer attention.

VR is still in the experimental phase (especially in retail), so it is more suitable for brand image programs, rather than measurable results and ROI. Currently, it is more brand-centric than customer-centric. It will be interesting to see how things will develop in the future. At this stage, from a technology ROI standpoint, VR is more suitable for branding initiatives and marketing programs centered around creating buzz.

Two years ago, one of the world's largest e-commerce companies in furniture, home furnishings, and decor, Wayfair opened an innovation lab - Wayfair Next - to develop and refine interactive 3D experiences. One of their first experiments with VR was the Patio Playground, an app that lets customers get a virtual view of how furniture might look in an outdoor setting. Their second VR app - IdeaSpace - enables customers to explore a variety of unique spaces and shop in an interactive environment. Thanks to their constant investment in new technologies, Wayfair has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in AR/VR. A few days ago they announced the launch of Wayfair Spaces, an interior design and room planning app that invites consumers to explore professionally designed rooms and visualize products in their homes at scale through mixed reality. For starters, there are several hundred products to choose from, with plans of adding even more in the future. For now, it's just a visualization app, with no e-commerce component. Aside from the constant technological innovations, this year they've finally embraced the power of omnichannel, opening their first physical store a few months ago.

Source: Wayfair Technology Blog

The bottom line is... VR is in a stage of hype. Big players experiment with the technology, and the smaller companies follow, bute can't deny that there is significant potential for VR in retail.

However, there is a need for more relevant content, more use cases, and better assets quality to make sense for customers to buy a VR headset, thus paving the way for VR to become mainstream.

Like what you're reading?

Awesome, this is just a small part from our free guide in 3D Visualization Technologies for Retail. Click the button below to download the full guide.

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7 Reasons Why It's Still Too Early for VR in Retail

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A major technological revolution is underway in the retail world. Always-connected customers are craving an omnichannel experience when they're shopping. As retailers focus on creating shopper- and experience-centric stores, they're experimenting with immersive technology to introduce futuristic experiences. Virtual reality is a 3D, computer-generated environment that people can explore.

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VARIOUS WEBSITES
for costing sheet andfor window display.

In this section you will also find sustainable alternatives for instore giving items a second life or recycling. All products shown below are completely eco friendly to lower house of sunnys footprint on the enivroment.

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For research purposes i became a member to hosue of Sunnys Mailing list.

Like their website House of sunny keep their layout very minimilist and straight to the point there is no imagery apart from the product and there is a norder surrounding the email. In this instance this was a promt email to carry on with the purchase.

They also include a promotion code and a call to action " we only make small sustainable runs, dont miss out!" this is an effective way to get the customer to return to the site.

In my email i will try to keep on brand and keep my format minimlistic. However i want this email to stand out from the rest therefore i will look to add more colour and images from my shoot.

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Some examples of my to do lists to ensure I am working at the level I should be to make sure I am in task and not falling behind.

Everything I completed I cross off to keep
Myself organised

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In this online lecture/lesson the lecturer goes through the different store layouts and the different effects each individual design has on the customer once entering the store.
https://youtu.be/HeJzDbCTseo

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Retail Design and Layouts Video Ep.30 [The Startup Starter Kit]

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I have continued to build on my Linkedin profile outside of the FRA and have been connecting with more people from the industry,

Linkedin has also helped me in some deliverables such  as  my swot and pestel as i have found useful articles on my homepage from brands i have followed or people i have connected with.

I also look at Fashion workie daily to see job availability in the visual merchandising area and continuously look at current affairs in the fashion industry.

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Harlie Seddon - Fashion Retail Academy - Reading, England, United Kingdom | LinkedIn

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View Harlie Seddon's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Harlie has 3 jobs listed on their profile. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Harlie's connections and jobs at similar companies.

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Black owned business kmi studios create beautiful pieces of clothing that work as statement pieces each piece is a one of a kind as is hand sewn by one designer.

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Hand made garments made sustainably this designer goes back to his Nigerian Routes.

Using electric patterns from africa this designer creates unisex pieces that is inclusive to all and invites the culture into street wear within the uk. This designer also primarily focuses in accessories which none of the other designers chosen provide creating more product choice.

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Creating a circular fashion Pascale Eliza sustainably hand picks vintage designer pieces, in her attempt to disregard throwing clothes away and expanding their life cycle.

Each garment is worth picking aswell Pascale Eliza pieces are one off and exciting and bold prints and cuts bringing vintage fashion into the 21st century.

And it doesnt stop there Pascale eilza also provides styling tips and promotions her her depop page to really draw in the customers inside of depop and her social media platforms.

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Hand made on of a kind garnments this deisgner sources all her own materials and creates on trend pieces inspired by the 90s.

LA LABEL creates tops and dresses in her own take on street fashion.
Customers can message the sizes they want and La Label will create one off pieces for each customer.

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Here are some edited and some unedited shots from the photoshoot.

On the day i constantly referred back to poses that House of sunny use is their shoots from their website and their instagram page to make sure my images were recognisable and on brand.

as i was unable to obtain any house of sunny products i went to my own wadrobe and looked for items that i could see house of sunny incorporating. As theyre well known for their knits i found a shaggy cardigan in a light blue colour and matched with bold patterned trousers as again the brand is known for their quirky prints. Overall i thought i accomplished the house of sunny look and the images came up well.

with the edited versions again i wanted to make sure my shoot was recognisable within the brand. House of sunny tends to use background of nature rather than a still coloured background.

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In this window display I really liked the odd shapes and minimilistic product within the window by Hermes! I also liked how they create a contrast in colours and patterns within the display all at what looks eye level.

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My collaborating 4 designers from depop are:

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Crafty Katie

Hand-painting jeans, tie-dyeing socks, and embroidering Nike swooshes onto Primark vests (copyright infringement, btw) – you name it, she’s done it. She found herself thriving over lockdown, with absolutely nothing else to do but stain her mum’s carpet with bleach, however now she’s got a bit of a backlog of handmade, hand-painted, hand-bleached items she really needs to sell in order to fund her new Hobbycraft obsession. Of course, these sellers are often extremely talented artists and up-cyclers, but there is a very unique feeling of shame attached to spending a tenner on a pair of tie-dyed socks.

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If you're a charity shop raider you're going to hell

Picture the scene: it's night, you're in bed, blissfully minding your own business when your phone suddenly buzzes. Concerned that a late night text could spell out bad news - friend or family member in distress maybe? You check it:

It's a private message from Depop user brandygirl2002_x: ' Hey hun! Saw you'd liked a skirt similar to one on my page except I'm selling mine WAY cheaper and it's 100% genuine! Lmk if you're interested <3 <3′.

You think back to all of those items you liked that you had zero intention of buying when you were three G&Ts deep and having a sad scroll through Depop, and you begin to regret every decision that ever led you down the rabbit whole of the explore page. Your inbox is clogged with messages from all kinds of sellers, each trying to squeeze the last of your student loan out of you, and honestly, who can blame them?

Since its founding in 2011, Depop has rocketed in popularity, and with the economy taking a downward turn and increasing awareness over the perils of fast fashion, the digital second-hand marketplace appears like a win-win: buyers can shop more sustainably, and sellers can exercise their entrepreneurial skills by flogging everything from hand-painted bucket hats to their Dad's crusty old jumpers.

But the social media/e-commerce platform hybrid of Depop has allowed for its users to evolve and mutate into distinguished ~types~, types which are all as annoying as each other as they claw their way into your DMs at 2am. In case you haven't had the sheer misfortune of encountering them all yet, here's a rundown.

The Brandy Melville girl

The Brandy girl is possibly the most prevalent seller on Depop right now. She's sweet, savvy, and, despite being 14, cooler than you ever will be. Her items are plastered with '100% GENUINE!!! SUPER RARE!!' and she calls you hun in every message. She will sell you a fake Brandy Melville cami and feel absolutely no remorse - her bio says 'no returns' so it's really your fault that you spent 25 quid on a SHEIN tank top. Oh, and her profile icon is almost definitely a Bratz doll, which makes you more intimidated by her even though she's probably in year 9.

The humble bragger

Just when you think you've stumbled across the perfect item, you're hit by those three little words: 'Not actually selling!!', or, even worse, 'interest check!'. The logic is there, but are these people actually selling? Or are they just flexing too hard? Extra points if it's listed for £1 with the caption 'DO NOT BUY you will not be refunded', or listed for an outlandishly high price to deter people from buying, leading to situations such as 'Hi you've paid 12 grand for a bralet?'. Absolutely iconic.

hi you've paid 12 grand for a bralet pic.twitter.com/oPPOmLBgCW

- Depop Drama (@depopdrama) June 14, 2020

The charity shop raider

Not a lot needs to be said about this one except that it is BAD and DON'T do it (here's why).

if u buy stuff from charity shops Just to resell it on depop for an extortionate amount ... Stop it❤️

- alice (@mt_eddy) July 12, 2020

The cul-de-sac Roadman

His semi-professional branding may be deceiving at first, but upon further investigation you soon find that this is not a reputable vintage seller, and more a 17 year old trying to flip his old Topman collection, hoping to make some quick ps if he uses the tags 'street roadman rap drill supreme' enough times. His shop is a strange mix of creased Superdry tops from year 11 and quite a lot of Obey items that he desperately needs to sell before going to uni because god forbid he arrives in last season's streetwear. His bio guarantees super fast delivery, just don't message him on a bank holiday 'cause he'll be out getting shitfaced with the boys.

Desperate Daisy

Not unlike a Sports Direct closing sale, 'EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!' is plastered all over her bio. Her wardrobe is full and her bank account is empty. 'Make offers!!' she pleads as she presumably struggles for air underneath the piles of clothes swamping her room. Please. Just take it. You can almost hear her cry as she descends further and further into her overdraft.

Crafty Katie

Hand-painting jeans, tie-dyeing socks, and embroidering Nike swooshes onto Primark vests (copyright infringement, btw) - you name it, she's done it. She found herself thriving over lockdown, with absolutely nothing else to do but stain her mum's carpet with bleach, however now she's got a bit of a backlog of handmade, hand-painted, hand-bleached items she really needs to sell in order to fund her new Hobbycraft obsession. Of course, these sellers are often extremely talented artists and up-cyclers, but there is a very unique feeling of shame attached to spending a tenner on a pair of tie-dyed socks.

The influencer

'10% off if you follow me on Insta!!!'. She's just using Depop to build her social media following and make some cash at the same time. Honestly, I don't blame her - if I met all of the conventional beauty criteria and was running for Love Island I would probably do the same - but I also don't really want to scroll through her holiday photos whilst I sit in her old Zara jumper and cry. Bonus points if PLT sent her that dress for free and she's flogging it for full retail value - classic influencer behaviour. All of her shop prices are slightly too high because she has very little grasp on economics, other than the Waitrose meal deal for two.

Daddy's wardrobe raider

Her bio rather aggressively says 'Message before buying' because she can only post when she's home from boarding school. Her shop is suspiciously specialised in vintage, XL jumpers, even though she's a size eight. Daddy is gonna be raging when he finds out she sold his 90's Ralphie fleece and used the profits to fund her upcoming Bali trip. Still, it's only revenge 'cause he voted Tory.

The sneaky Sports Direct seller

A distant cousin of the charity shop raider, this savvy seller caught on early that Slazenger tennis skirts (amongst other lower-end sports brands) were in high demand, and in the true spirit of capitalism, quickly copped multiple for a fiver each at Sports Direct. She'll sell them for fifty quid a pop and, if you're lucky, she might chuck in one of those giant mugs. Or maybe the giant mug is you.

The nitty one

Your vintage Adidas sweater will arrive with various ciggie burns that were conveniently left out of the description, and either smells faintly of weed or like it's been Febrezed within an inch of its life. Of course, you knew exactly what you were getting when the description said 'lightly used' and all the photos were from Boomtown 2019. Extra points if there's a baggie in the pocket.

Related stories recommended by this writer:
* Stop buying clothes from charity shops just to re-sell them on Depop * Every single annoying person you'll come across on Depop * I sold a bralette on Depop for £12,000 and someone actually sent the money

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There are just 10 types of Depop seller and they're all equally infuriating

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If you're a charity shop raider you're going to hell Picture the scene: it's night, you're in bed, blissfully minding your own business when your phone suddenly buzzes. Concerned that a late night text could spell out bad news - friend or family member in distress maybe?

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Shopping clothes off the rack is out. You only have to look at America’s thriving second-hand fashion apps like Poshmark, TheRealReal, and ThredUp to see that.

But it is a U.K.-based business that has won 9 million of the worlds youngest, cooler, most entrepreneurial shoppers, says Maria Raga who became Depop CEO in 2016 (having previously been a VP at Groupon).

Today 80% of Depop users are under 25-years-old, its users sold $230 million of clothing last year, and are on track to double that to $460 million in 2018.

Why are youngsters choosing the Instagram-like Depop?

Because it's solving three of the biggest problems they face, Raga tells Forbes: they want to feel unique, to shop with (and from) friends, and to build their own green businesses without losing a drop of street cred.

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Shopping clothes off the rack is out. You only have to look at America's thriving second-hand fashion apps like Poshmark, TheRealReal, and ThredUp to see that.

But it is a U.K.-based business that has won 9 million of the worlds youngest, cooler, most entrepreneurial shoppers, says Maria Raga who became Depop CEO in 2016 (having previously been a VP at Groupon).

Today 80% of Depop users are under 25-years-old, its users sold $230 million of clothing last year, and are on track to double that to $460 million in 2018.

Some are making over $10,000 a month.

are youngsters choosing the Instagram-like Depop?

Because it's solving three of the biggest problems they face, Raga tells Forbes: they want to feel unique, to shop with (and from) friends, and to build their own green businesses without losing a drop of street cred.
Unique success stories
Perhaps Depop's biggest mission is to tackle the bland sameness of e-commerce and the high street: both of which make it difficult for shoppers to look-or feel-individual.

"Fast fashion makes fashion not unique, and our users want to express themselves in what they wear," says Raga.

Now Poshmark might be the perfect place to sell your mainstream staples from Zara or Gap, TheRealReal has your love of designer labels covered, and ThredUp reaches both ends with brands like J.Crew and Kate Spade being sold.

But while there are lots of brands on Depop, its trend-aware users invest more in styling over labels. (What else would you expect from a business started by the founder of edgy pop-culture magazine ?).

Depop supports this mantra through its "entrepreneurial" sellers, who are encouraged to source, style or design products that fit their own specific niche, be that vintage or streetwear.

One seller called Internet Girl built such a reputation selling her '90s wardrobe she was even able to launch her own online store.
Social communities - online and off
The app's Instagram-like social features also support a sense of community that's absent in mainstream "inhuman" consumerism, says Raga.

"Depop is authentic and human because social interaction is at its core," she explains.

Just this month, the app followed Germany's Gen Z video selling network Yeay to launch its own video-selling feature to bring shoppers closer together (60% of sellers are also buyers).

Physical meetups also help bring Depop users together (its Community Leadership Programme invites top sellers to help others through meetups and workshops), and it even opened its first physical space in L.A. this year.

"There's no monetary exchange because that's not what motivates them," Raga says of the meetups. "What motivates them is being part of the Depop story."

Next Raga plans to open another physical meetup space in New York, while a London location could also potentially be on the cards.

"We realized we had a lot of events and a very active community who were already doing multiple meetups. Why not have spaces when they can get together?"
Saying "f*ck it" it to second-hand stigma
The final problem the fashion industry faces is that it can't help but pedal new items. Only now are rising brands succeeding in making sustainable second-hand fashion cool.

"It's always been important," says Raga of sustainability. "But no one wanted to get into it because there was a big stigma around second-hand."

Not only does Depop have this green ethos at its core, something that Raga observes is "more important for new generations than older generations", but it's wrapped up in bold punky "f*ck it" branding .

Unveiled last year Depop's new look was devised to "articulate the attitude, confidence, and cheek of the brand and its community," said the agency behind it DesignStudio .

"It was 100% the right decision," says Raga of the rebrand. "It's better to push for what you believe is good for the community, even if you push some people out."
What's next?
Having already closed a $8 million round in 2015, a $8.25 million round in 2016, and a further $20 million round this year, Raga is ready to take Depop global.

It's already made headway in the U.S., now home to 38% of its users.

It was easier to "tackle one big market rather than going after five at one time", says Raga of the targeted grab.

Further expansion could well take the platform even further afield, hints Raga: "I would love to be in Japan," she says. "The vintage community is very large."

In the near future fans can also expect a further investment in personalization tools, to help keep every Depop shopping experience unique.

"My dream is to see sustainable fashion and trends that are democratized as opposed to guided by two or three creative directors," says Raga.

The future of fashion never looked so social, green, or unique.

... Read More

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Depop CEO: Solving 3 Big Problems For Young Cool Shoppers

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Depop has won 9 million of the worlds youngest, cooler, most entrepreneurial shoppers, says its CEO Maria Raga. 80% of its users are under 25-years-old, they sold $230 million of clothing last year, and are on track to double that in 2018. Some are making over $10,000 a month.

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Depop was founded by co-founder of PIG magazine and RETROSUPERFUTURE sunglasses, Simon Beckerman. Originally a social network where PIG’s readers could buy items featured in the magazine. After realizing that Depop needed a selling function, Simon re-envisioned the app as a global marketplace — a mobile space where you can see what your friends and the people you’re inspired by are liking, buying, and selling.

In turn, your friends and creative influencers all over the world can see the things you like, buy, and sell, and are inspired by you. This ecosystem has supported Depop becoming a global conduit of connection, not only in m-commerce, but culture, design, and creative communities around the world.

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Story

Depop was founded by co-founder of PIG magazine and RETROSUPERFUTURE sunglasses, Simon Beckerman. Originally a social network where PIG's readers could buy items featured in the magazine. After realizing that Depop needed a selling function, Simon re-envisioned the app as a global marketplace - a mobile space where you can see what your friends and the people you're inspired by are liking, buying, and selling.

In turn, your friends and creative influencers all over the world can see the things you like, buy, and sell, and are inspired by you. This ecosystem has supported Depop becoming a global conduit of connection, not only in m-commerce, but culture, design, and creative communities around the world.

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Depop was founded by co-founder of PIG magazine and RETROSUPERFUTURE sunglasses, Simon Beckerman. Originally a social network where PIG's readers could buy items featured in the magazine. After realizing that Depop needed a selling function, Simon re-envisioned the app as a global marketplace - a mobile space where you can see what your friends and the people you're inspired by are liking, buying, and selling.

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 Bombay Sapphire pop-up shop this week at the Design Museum designed by Camille Walala

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 Bombay Sapphire pop-up shop this week at the Design Museum designed by Camille Walala

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he new pop-up shop ‘Supermarket’ is selling pimped versions of everyday household items, including bog roll, kidney beans, tea, coffee, bread, pasta sauce, porridge oats, washing-up liquid and rice. Each item had been given a fresh visual treatment by a different emerging designer. There are also facemasks and Walala-designed tote bags. It’s only open this week, before the museum comes back in full effect in May. It’s like a soft relaunch for the Design Museum to welcome back its visitors, softened further with gin.

I really liked how A well know  name such as Bombay Saphire worked with artists to create this store during rhe uncertaim times of covid. Not only did it create an amazing artistic approach the two industrys worked together to create a whole new idea to retail.

In my project i will be working with smaller designers in depop to cretae loalisation.

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It's an idea from the gin brand and it features some great young designers

In one of the more unexpected hook-ups to emerge out of late lockdown in one at the Design Museum in Kensington. Inspired by gin brand Bombay Sapphire, and designed by repeat hoarding-botherer Camille Walala (she of the colourful reimagining of Leytonstone), the new pop-up shop 'Supermarket' is selling pimped versions of everyday household items, including bog roll, kidney beans, tea, coffee, bread, pasta sauce, porridge oats, washing-up liquid and rice. Each item had been given a fresh visual treatment by a different emerging designer. There are also facemasks and Walala-designed tote bags. It's only open this week, before the museum comes back in full effect in May. It's like a soft relaunch for the Design Museum to welcome back its visitors, softened further with gin.

Proceeds from the sale of the 'Supermarket' items (which are all limited edition) will go to the Design Museum's new Emerging Designer Access Fund, a pay-it-forward scheme that gives free Design Museum tickets to up-and-coming artists and designers. Camille Walala says of the project: 'The past year has been really challenging for artists who haven't been able to show work or collaborate as normal. " Supermarket" is a great way to support the Design Museum, and shine a spotlight on ten brilliant young artists who through this project have a new platform for their work.'

We've all fixated a bit on the nuts and bolts of domestic life over the last year or so - the daily permitted shop trip, the forgotten item, the rediscovered cupboard tin. The idea of the shop or the supermarket has been a real central symbol of our shared experience of lockdown, so this project seems like a fun way of bridging the gap between that rudimentary way of living and hopefully what the future holds. Plus it involves gin, which is always good.
'Supermarket' is at the Design Museum Apr 21-25. Items are also available online at designmuseumshop.com and shop.bombaysapphire.com. London art galleries you can visit right now. We're bidding goodbye to one London design icon.

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There's a new pop-up shop at the Design Museum designed by Camille Walala

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It's an idea from the gin brand and it features some great young designers In one of the more unexpected hook-ups to emerge out of late lockdown in one at the Design Museum in Kensington.

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Sound the alarm! The Hackney-based cult label House of Sunny is opening the doors to its first store this week, holding a residency on London’s South Molton Street until 8th December.

The brand’s pop-up will showcase its thoroughly '70s AW19 collection, 'The Wonder Years', which includes grandpa-style argyle knits, blush jumpsuits and the Penny coat, an homage to Almost Famous which, thanks in part to its versatility (it comes in three iterations: chocolate vegan leather, jacquard tapestry and pistachio vegan suede), has dominated our Instagram feed for the past few weeks.

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Sound the alarm! The Hackney-based cult label House of Sunny is opening the doors to its first store this week, holding a residency on London's South Molton Street until 8th December.

The brand's pop-up will showcase its thoroughly '70s AW19 collection, 'The Wonder Years', which includes grandpa-style argyle knits, blush jumpsuits and the Penny coat, an homage to Almost Famous which, thanks in part to its versatility (it comes in three iterations: chocolate vegan leather, jacquard tapestry and pistachio vegan suede), has dominated our Instagram feed for the past few weeks.

Founded by Sunny Williams in 2011, House of Sunny has built a loyal fanbase over the past eight years, with everyone from Stephanie Broek and Jessie Bush to Lucy Williams and Imani repping the brand's pastel-hued gingham and colour-block fleeces. The label prides itself on resisting the never-ending carousel of new drops, instead releasing two season collections a year, all designed in its east London studio.

While the AW19 collection is filling our wardrobe with chocolate knits, photo-printed co-ords and fuzzy faux fur jackets, you'd be forgiven for still being hooked on the label's SS19 drop, which included a lime green crochet bralette and Victoriana cotton and lace blouse that essentially set the agenda for our summer aesthetic.

Bursting with serotonin-boosting colour, playful prints and touch-me textures, House of Sunny has long been our go-to for joyful garms, so we're thrilled to be able to browse in-store. The pop-up will also host events and experiences for customers including manicures by Secret Spa and a Bambrows brow bar, plus a performance by emerging R&B singer Tertia May. Driving home its sustainability mission, House of Sunny has invited local jewellery and accessories brands (think conscious labels like Phine and Neon Hope) to share the pop-up space with them, too.

Christmas shopping (for ourselves and our pals) just got a hell of a lot easier.

House of Sunny's pop-up shop at 45 South Molton Street is open until 8th December.

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You Can Now Shop The Coat That's All Over Instagram IRL

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Sound the alarm! The Hackney-based cult label House of Sunny is opening the doors to its first store this week, holding a residency on London's South Molton Street until 8th December.

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only 19.36% of retail emails are ever opened, which is significantly below average when compared to other types of emails that achieve an open rate of 26%.  It is important to localize to make sure that your  brands email is interacted  and appreciated by the consumer bringing in the impulsive buys/ sales etc

MESSAGING:
Build a team of native writers, depending upon the geographies you serve
SUBJECT LINE- KEEP IT SHORT SIMPLE
VISUALS:
An average American customer will be okay looking at bikinis in a newsletter but the same is considered offensive in the Middle-East.Avoid imagery that may instigate a negative or no response from some parts of the world.
COLOURS:
dentify what different colours and imagery mean to a target country and build your visual content around that.
TIMING:
Sending an email with an excellent offer when it is too late for someone to use that offer is never a good idea. That’s what La Tasca, a UK-based Spanish Tapas restaurant, did. They sent an email, offering 40% off all day Sunday, to their subscribers.
The email blast happened on the day of the offer, at 10:39 PM. The delay was due to a technical error but the incident teaches a lesson to companies and marketers - 'time is of the essence.'

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Email localization goes beyond content translation. Here's how you can build customer trust and engagement in countries other than your own, using email localization

Contrary to popular belief, email marketing is not dead. In fact, there are over 280 million emails being sent on a daily basis, meaning emails are an international phenomenon.

Today, most companies have a global database of recipients, which allows them to promote their services to a larger platform, helping to boost their sales.

Unfortunately, only 19.36% of retail emails are ever opened, which is significantly below average when compared to other types of emails that achieve an open rate of 26%.

Why is this?

One possible reason is that retail companies are unable to create a localized experience for their global target audience, which goes beyond merely addressing the recipients by their name.

As only 25% of companies keep in mind the regional preferences of their customers during content creation, there is obviously a need to spread awareness about localization.

Here are a few stats to prove that:

Only 30% of the world's 2.3 billion internet users are native English speakers.

55% of customers prefer to make a buying decision only if the product description is in their native language.

Customers with low English skills are 6X less likely to buy from Anglophonic online sites.

Every $1 invested in localization results in an ROI of $25.

Imagine your Spanish-speaking subscribers ignoring your sales newsletters in English and clicking through the ones in their native language from your competitors. Sounds like a missed opportunity, doesn't it?

To excel in email localization, you should focus on the following four elements.

1. Copy considerations

The first step toward engaging your audience across the globe is to overcome the language barrier. Google Translate is not a solution for that.

Instead, make writing multilingual copy a mandate for your email campaigns. Build a team of native writers, depending upon the geographies you serve, to do that.

There are three things to be considered in a copy:

Messaging

Sephora's welcome newsletter content exemplifies how major copy checks in different languages can make a difference.

The American newsletter keeps it casual by sticking to a brief about what the subscriber can expect in the coming weeks and shares links to their online store and Beauty Insiders club.

The Italian version, on the other hand, has a detailed welcome message, promotes an ongoing offer and shares social media links. You will notice how the majority of the product categories are actually in Italian.

The main aim of the newsletters is to welcome a new subscriber. Both versions do that but with different messaging.

For instance, Western culture encourages being direct in a conversation. In case of a disagreement, everyone's views are clearly communicated and taken into consideration. However, in the African culture, expressing one's opinion to an elder and directly disagreeing is considered to be an act of disrespect.

Subject line

Want to pitch your target audience in their native language? Keep your subject line short and simple. What may occupy 50 characters in English can take up more than 80 characters in a different language.

For example, "Try our new product" in English is four words. In Japanese, the same is "私たちの新しい製品ラインを試してみてください" while in German it is "Probieren Sie unser neues Produkt aus". You need to take this into account and create different subject lines for different languages.

Call-to-Action (CTA)

Just like subject lines, CTAs can also become longer when translated into another language and this can pose a problem from a design perspective. Therefore, use those words that are not only widely accepted in the target country but also fit aesthetically in the email.

2. Website and email aesthetics

To deliver an impactful localized email campaign, focusing on the following elements apart from the text is essential:

Visuals

An average American customer will be okay looking at bikinis in a newsletter but the same is considered offensive in the Middle-East.

Similarly, if your email contains images from a beach and it is targeted for a landlocked country, it won't do justice to your subscriber's imagination.

Therefore, avoid imagery that may instigate a negative or no response from some parts of the world.

Colour palette

Colour is perceived differently across the globe. While white is associated with purity and holy matrimony in the US, it represents death in India. Use colours that appeal culturally to the target country.

McDonald's around the globe uses different color palettes for each country. For example, in India, where red is an auspicious color, their website uses a saturated hue of the colour in the background as compared to other country sites where it is used only as an accent color.

Therefore, identify what different colours and imagery mean to a target country and build your visual content around that.

3. Timing matters

Sending an email with an excellent offer when it is too late for someone to use that offer is never a good idea. That's what La Tasca, a UK-based Spanish Tapas restaurant, did. They sent an email, offering 40% off all day Sunday, to their subscribers.

Unfortunately, the email blast happened on the day of the offer, at 10:39 PM. The delay was due to a technical error but the incident teaches a lesson to companies and marketers - 'time is of the essence.'

When it comes to sending emails abroad, you should factor in seasonality and work schedules for an effective campaign. Imagine sending a winter sale email to your target audience in Australia when they are busy enjoying summer.

Do your research. You don't want to be ridiculed only because your treatment towards Australian and American markets was not different.

4. Selecting a local translator

Finding and working with a local translator can be difficult but the results are definitely worth the effort.

Here's what you need to keep in mind:

Look for the experienced

When hiring translators, look for people with extensive experience in translating content in your industry. If you plan to do email campaigns in Poland, then your translator should be familiar with the Polish language and ITU law.

Ask for their portfolio

Ask for previously translated or sample works and get them cross-checked by a native speaker.

Multiple translators may make it worse

To avoid chaos, work with only one translator to maintain consistency across multiple digital platforms. Too many translators mean too many opinions and that can put you in a state of frenzy.

Sharing a context is always helpful

Giving context about the email campaign to your translator will help them in writing effective copy. Share the email template with the person so they can see how much space they have for adjusting the length of the copy.

Lastly, educate them about the brand guidelines, style of writing, message tonality and more for the faster turnaround of error-free work.

Email campaigns are time-bound and you should make sure your content and localization teams are working in sync to meet deadlines.

Human Translators vs Machine Translators

Context is a crucial part of the translation. Which means that the context should be preserved when the copy is being translated. Additionally, the culture of geographies vary based on the countries being targeted. This means words, dialect, colours, symbols and visuals can all have different meanings in different countries.

Let's compare machine translation and human translators.

While machine translation is cheaper (or free - such as Google Translate) and quicker, it has several disadvantages. Machines cannot translate the sentence structure. They analyze the structure, break down the sentence and translate each word. Then, they compose the sentence in the same syntax. Further, the translation is literal and word-to-word. The translated content thus may not sound natural and could include grammatical errors.

Human translators, on the other hand, have an upper hand over machines due to their ability to process all possible sentence structures and relevant words to reach a particular context. They localize the text based on the regional dialect, culture, grammar and norms.

Machine translation is preferred to translate general meaning content, content for the company's internal purpose and when it is further going to be refined by a human translator.

Human translators are advisable when the content would be received by the consumer audience, including marketing and creative material, as well as for topics like healthcare, medical guidelines, clinical trials, legal and financial documents and product instructions.

Google Translate would help you assess the response from new geography, but when you're launching a brand, hire human translators to localize your content to the native language.

Over to you

The number of non-native English speakers continue to rise. Sadly, 58% of small businesses don't localize their emails for international audiences and instead take the one-size-fits-all approach.

The overall value offering of the product or service can be affected negatively if the messaging doesn't appeal to the target audience. By sending localized emails, you open doors to communicate with people in their own language, which consumers will like and appreciate.

Localization improves customer experience, increases engagement and boosts subscriber loyalty for any brand.

You will be able to grow your business through localized email marketing faster.

Alpi Mantry is the co-founder and COO of Translate by Humans, a professional language service provider that delivers all services by native language experts and never through artificial intelligence. They've handled translation and localization for global brands such as Google, Nike, Vogue, and Deloitte to name some.

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4 essentials of an effective email localization campaign | Smart Insights

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Contrary to popular belief, email marketing is not dead. In fact, there are over 280 million emails being sent on a daily basis, meaning emails are an international phenomenon. Today, most companies have a global database of recipients, which allows them to promote their services to a larger platform, helping to boost their sales.

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Completely regimented  Box park is perfect for smaller brands, who want a smaller space for a pop up, however i found there is nothing to differientate your popup to others as everything is so repetitive and regimented. Its only when you walk in you experience the store.

I thought if house of Sunny were to have their pop up in this area it would not be as effective, and perhaps wouldnt create that reach to customers that a window display would.

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The Do and Don'ts of Visual Merchandising with Debbie Flowerday

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e-commerce retailers cannot replicate: their ability to engage shoppers’ human dimension through their five senses.

Shedding light on the power of multi-sensory engagement in retail are assistant professor Miralem Helmefalk and Bertil Hultén, Ph.D. at Linneaus University in Sweden
“For retailers, a visually dominant store atmosphere should be designed more in the direction of a multi-sensory atmosphere in offering shoppers more appealing experiences of the retail setting.”

VISUAL
visual sense is by far the one that retailers activate most frequently in terms of design, color, style and lighting. But it may still be used ineffectively if the visual cues and clues in the store are not tuned to the ones that will engage the customers most effectively.
TOUCH
The tactile experience of shopping–to touch, feel and try on–is a tremendous draw for customers. About 50% of consumers are turned off to online shopping because they can’t do that. And it certainly contributes to the large number of returns e-commerce retailers face.
SMELL
Smell is the only sense that has a direct line to your brain’s limbic system,” Coleman shares. “That’s important because the limbic system deals with long-term memory and emotion. Brands rely on memories associated with an emotion we feel and this is why scent is so significant when you build brand experiences.”
SOUND
The right music in-store also influences memory, emotion and movement. “One study identified how ‘pulse and tonality’ of music activates wide networks in the brain, including the limbic system tied to memory and emotion,” Coleman says.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2019/08/04/retailers-need-to-engage-shoppers-five-senses-to-save-physical-retail/

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The in-store experience is still key to winning in unified retail

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The in-store experience is still key to winning in unified retail

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The retail landscape is shifting rapidly, and the lines between online and physical retail are blurring faster than an Instagram filter, but the in-person and in-store retail experience is as important as ever.
while VR and AR may capture headlines, the reality, not to mention the greatest gains, may be somewhat simpler - even when it comes to parting digital natives from their money - because 77% of Gen Z shoppers confess that they’d prefer to purchase in-store than online.

“Even the likes of Amazon are moving into the bricks-and-mortar retail space. That just goes to show you that, to truly win in retail, you need to offer exceptional and informed experiences both online and offline,” explains Speakap MD for UKI, Guy Chiswick.

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The retail landscape is shifting rapidly, and the lines between online and physical retail are blurring faster than an Instagram filter, but the in-person and in-store retail experience is as important as ever.

That's the message that came out of a recent special report from Adobe's CMO.com, entitled 'The Evolution Of Retail In EMEA'.

"Consumers' march to e-commerce has been a dominant retail theme over the past decade, but traditional brick-and-mortar visits still remain crucial to success. Blending the best of both these channels could be the key to delivering outstanding results."

On the one hand, the CMO.com report uncovers an industry that is becoming increasingly led by and reliant on technology, with 60% of millennials saying that they'd be happy to buy from a chatbot, and 45% of under-20s more than willing to try voice-activated ordering. "Hey Siri, I need a ramen burger, an IPA and some beard oil delivered asap."

This has led to retailers racing to embrace the next sales-enabling technology, whatever that may be, with 28% of retail executives consider Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality as exciting opportunities for the years ahead.

But while VR and AR may capture headlines, the reality, not to mention the greatest gains, may be somewhat simpler - even when it comes to parting digital natives from their money - because 77% of Gen Z shoppers confess that they'd prefer to purchase in-store than online.

"Even the likes of Amazon are moving into the bricks-and-mortar retail space. That just goes to show you that, to truly win in retail, you need to offer exceptional and informed experiences both online and offline," explains Speakap MD for UKI, Guy Chiswick.

"The 'showrooming' trend is here to stay and smart retailers are future proofing their business by embracing the digital experience in-store, not trying to ignore it or see it as competing for bricks-and-mortar sales."

The rise of showrooming is leading to a renewed focus on the retail environment itself, with 44% of retail executives stating that improving the in-store experience is a key strategic priority for their organisations.

The future, in all likelihood, is neither totally digital or absolutely physical, with the winners in retail understanding the relationship that exists between all aspects of their brand and their customers. It's a concept that's being termed "Unified Retail" by industry thought leaders.

The CMO.com report reflects this in its assertion that, by 2020, 45% of all offline sales will be web-influenced, with research from Google suggesting that 84% of "smartphone shoppers" already use their mobile device when in-store to help make purchase decisions across all product ranges, from electronics to fashion and groceries.

"We see this trend spreading across Europe and it's definitely the case in the UK," says Chiswick. "And while many retailers are now responding to it by investing in digital, the really progressive retailers with a clear strategy - the likes of Apple, IKEA, Amazon and Rituals - understand that the in-store experience needs to be just as informative and inspiring as the digital experience, with store assistants being trained and entrusted as representatives of the broader brand and not only there to stock shelves and operate the check-out desk."

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The in-store experience is still key to winning in unified retail

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A recent special report from CMO.com, entitled 'The Evolution Of Retail In EMEA', discovers a retail landscape that is shifting rapidly, and it's the combination of online and in-store customer experiences that will help retailers to win in this new environment.

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Youtuber Sarah Mikaela disects the highstreet and looks at concept stores, coffe shops and explores her highstreet favourites.

The highstreet invites messieness and contemporary brands which fits in with Hosue of Sunnys image perfectly.

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London Redchurch Street Guide / by Sarah Mikaela

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In further research i cam across Redchurch street in Shoreditch.

This area is a strip for funky cocktail bars and boutique like concept stores, which sounded perfect for house of sunny. As it allows for window displays and is still in a popular shopping area.

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BEGINNING WITH THE HUMBLE ETHOS OF BRINGING SHIPPING CONTAINERS TO EAST LONDON, BOXPARK TRANSFORMED THE SPACE INTO THE WORLD’S FIRST POP-UP DINING AND SHOPPING DESTINATION IN 2011.

FAST-FORWARD A DECADE WITH THREE VENUES AT ICONIC LOCATIONS, BOXPARK HAS BECOME THE BIGGEST FOOD, CULTURE AND SOCIAL HUB IN LONDON WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AT ITS HEART. THIS UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IS BASED ON BOXPARK’S EAT.DRINK.PLAY. PHILOSOPHY.

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Boxpark Shoreditch opened in 2011 as the world's first pop-up mall. The concept utilised the modern street food market and placed local and global brands side by side, to create a unique shopping and dining destination. Entirely constructed out of refitted shipping containers, Boxpark showcases a unique position in being able to offer affordable and flexible leases for lifestyle brands, cafes, restaurants and galleries to trade and succeed.

In October 2016 the second Boxpark site was launched, south of the river, in Croydon. Version 2 has focussed entirely on the drinks and dining aspect that has made Boxpark so hospitable, as well as delivering some of the biggest events the city has ever seen; including a show-stopping launch event with Eskimo Dance and exclusive performance from Stormzy.

Boxpark Wembley is the third iteration of Roger Wade's modern street food, events and leisure concept. Boxpark Wembley kicked things off with a Rinse FM takeover, with live sets from a line-up of world-renowned artists and DJs including The Heatwave, Heartless Crew, Redlight, Unknown T and WSTRN and more! All profits from the night were donated to partner charity OnSide Youth Zones, whose vision is to give all young people somewhere safe and inspiring to go in their leisure time.

Not only is Boxpark Wembley packed with incredible places to eat and drink, the main space also acts as a 2000 capacity events space to host everything from concerts to markets, bingo to sports screenings. Upstairs you'll find Playbox which is home to shuffleboard, table tennis, pool and table football. If you're looking for somewhere a bit more intimate to dance the night away, the 300 capacity club room, Beatbox, hosts a range of events from Hits & Giggles to Hip-Hop Karaoke!

Boxpark continues to be innovative in its approach to dining and retail and remains dedicated to working with aspiring and established talent from across the country to deliver unforgettable events. Boxpark is a retail revolution that has spawned many imitators but no equals.

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Boxpark Shoreditch opened in 2011 as the world's first pop-up mall. The concept utilised the modern street food market and placed local and global brands side by side, to create a unique shopping and dining destination.

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Overall i was really happy with my final window. i thinnk the concept is clear and demonstrates sustainable practices using such natural elements in the window, such as the hay, the brick, wood etc.

Creating that simulated world effect i used weird shapes that in my favour works like the sun in the left corner and water near the bottom right assisting the natural feel to this window. so i definetly achieved what i set out to do.

The only difference was  that i added a complimentary blue to really tie in the window and work as a nice contrast against the red brick.

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after researching i really like the trend where brands are incorporating weird shapes using their fixtures the whole idea of a simulated world was really interesting to me so i will try to incorporate this in my designs.

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From all my gathered research I decided to create a mind map into the different Profile dimensions to help me create my customer profile. By doing this it helps me visually see the different dimensions and to ensure I have taken into consideration all the different aspects into creating a customer profile.

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INITIAL IDEAS
WOULD BE TO INCLUDE A RENTAL SECTION IN THE POPUP TO SUPPORT SLOW FASHION AND EXPANDING A LIFE CYCLE OF A SINGLE GARNMENT.

HOWEVER:
ROTARO WAS LIMITED TO CLOTHING ITEMS AND SUBTRACTING HOUSE OF SUNNYS LINE FROM THEM I FEEL AS THOUGH DIDNT LEAVE THEM WITH ENOUGH STOCK TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITHIN THE DURATION OF MY STORE.

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The day before hand in and i am very near to completing my project. I feel as though i just need to neaten up some bits in my final project plan and make sure my reserach is thorough to make sure i can achieve the best grade possible.

This  project has probably been the most challenging  out of all my projects and has  definitely tested my skills and determination. This time round i found it much harder to balance both FRA life and life outside the FRA whichin my previous project was a strength of mine. However i have come to realise that in the retail industry you will be facing obstacles all of the time so maybe this has been good practise,a dn i have completed all my deliverables which i was happy about.

Im also extremely proud on how far my photoshop skills have progressed throughout this course, when i compare my work from early days at the FRA i can see a drastic difference in quality which makes me very proud. I also have learnt to not doubt my abilities as in this project i kept putting off my pestel ( which initially i told myself i wasnt going to do)  and i feel though i has positive feedback from Derek and ended up writing 6 pages worth. And finally i am much more aware of the reail world around me and whats going on within fast fashion, covid etc, even outside of the course i will continue to challenge myself to be aware of fashion news as this will also help when i enter the working world.

In this project i have also somehow managed to juggle securing a job at Newlook which starts Monday 31st, so this has been  a relief knowing i have a graudate job waiting for me after finishing this course. In my interview i demonstrated skills that i have learnt about store floors and trends that i have seen emerging this summer. I also was able to show some work i had accomplished through my course.

Overall i am extremely proud of what i have accomplished not only in this project but through this course and feel as though i am ready to put the skills i have learnt at the academy into the working world.
And although im feeling somewhat sad that this project is over i am more so glad and relieved and will definitley be celebrating with some drinks with some friends ive met at the FRA.

Whatever the outcome i am glad i ahve completed my final project on time :)

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Knowing I have exactly one week till my deadline has made me feel quite stressed out.

However I have completed all my deliverables I wanted to, it’s now just creating the project plan! I really want to make the document look as professional and as on brand as possible and in lesson we had an in-depth tutorial on summaries and introductions  which I found very useful!

This week I will aim to complete my project plan so I can get feedback and make any small final tweaks I will also ask family members and my boyfriend for opinions from an outside perspective to see if my project plan is clear.

If all goes to plan I will be celebrating on Wednesday when we hand in our project!  🍻🥂

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After having a one to one with Derek the week before he had advised to just get my pestel out the way after i had said about how I’d been struggling and that it would be better so I could focus on other parts of my project!
So over the weekend I spent time researching and gathering key news articles and bits that I thought would be relevant to help me create a well detailed Pestel!

I found this way actually worked really well as when it came to actually typing it all up the words and theories came a lot easier than anticipated and I was able to create a detailed Pestel that had 6 pages worth (poor Derek who then gave me feedback😂)although I will say that I did what I said I want going to do and that is put the work I dreaded the most off. For future I must work on pushing through as this has shown that I am more than capable.

However I am feeling relieved that I have now got this out of the way and I’m hoping the rest of the project is smooth sailing! I also found out that I got a job a newlook which has also made me feel a lot more relaxed as I have a graduate job waiting for me!

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I knew from The beginning of this project I wanted to show my photography skills and show I can do shoots within the industry.

Today I took some images that I know I was going to be using in store and for all social media platforms! I purposely did this to create brand continuity ecommerce and in the physical store. Once I have researched a little more into the branding I will edit my images.

Side notes:is that things don’t always go to plans my original model had to cancel as Both our schedules couldn’t line up. I then went with another model however as this store is supposed to be in summer I was hoping for better weather! Unfortunately we saw lots of rain so had to work quickly in between showers and I had to keep topping up makeup and making sure my model was dry in between takes

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Branding!!
branding will play a big Part in my popup store! As branding does for any retail brand.

After dissecting House of Sunny from Instagram posts to their website I got a clear idea on how their branding is done, the brand tends to go for a minimilistic approach as their clothes are quite funky and vivid letting the clothing do the marketing!

I wanted to make sure I stayed on brand whilst still adding fun to the popup store especially as the store would be a collab with Depop!

I decided that all the branding would stick to
house of sunnys minimalistic  approach but add quirky shapes and colours used from previous lines that are quite natural to create a sustainable feel.

Overall once I had a basic idea the rest of the branding including covid floor signs to gift cards fell quite naturally and worked really well as a whole to create a continuous look for House of Sunny

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Today has been a challenge, but two days later and all planograms are complete and I am extremely happy with how they look as feeling proud that I kept to my guns to complete all five planograms!

I will say I have really struggled through this project so far as at my workplace loads of employees have left. Meaning I have been called in a lot more as I’m needed,  which means I have struggled to find time to work on this project and balancing both work and college life!

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Feeling slightly overwhelmed knowing deadline is approaching I decided to challenge myself to creating not 1 but  5 planograms!as this is my last project I really wanted to show off my photoshops skills that I have gained through previous projects and the planogram in my previous project (Nasty gal) I surprised myself at what I was able to accomplish!

The challenge I found it that House of Sunny works in drops and all their collections are extremely different from eachother so I wanted to visually display these all separately whilst still looking like one continuous brand! Thinking I was being slightly too ambitious i decided to step away for an hour to give me a creative break after struggling with how i was going to go about this.

Once I had given myself time I started by deciding and overall theme for the fixture planograms and decided that there would be a combination of hanging products using metal rails and the use of wooden pallets ( after going back through trend research for in store), I then started playing around with the layout until I was happy with my first planogram! Once I had completed the first I had a clear idea on how to merchandise the rest of the collections including the Depop and really got in the flow of things.

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In this weeks lesson we had a recap lesson on Swot and pestlels, we also went over customer profiling!

Having already completed heavy research for my customer profile I had got this out of the way nice and early, I find demographics really interesting so this was some what of an enjoyable task for me, it was also interesting about what BOF had found in their reports about Gen Z, including spending trends and what is considered most important to generation Z.

I have also become quite confident at my SWOTS and when carrying this out I constantly referred back to my previous projects and felt quite proud of what I have achieved over my year at the FRA, and can see a clear progression as my swot analysis gets more technical. However my pestle is still something I will have to work on in this project as I am not confident in areas such as political or environmental! I did find the recap lesson highly useful and will continue to refer back to the slides and ask Derek for help when needed to ensure that I can make the Pestel the best it can be.

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Distressed Brick Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper in Red by NextWall

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Printed on a smooth vinyl, NextWall wallpaper sticks to any smooth wall or flat surface allowing for the perfect DIY projects. A great solution for giving walls or decor a fresh new look at a fraction of the cost. Perfect for Living room, Kitchen, Bedrooms, Office, Laundry room or College dorm.

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When it comes to static cling window stickers, our premium window clings really are a top of the range solution. Not only is their static application second to none, but they are also an eco-friendly option that contains no PVC whatsoever and are 100% recyclable as a result.

They are perfect to display on glass windows without bubbling, but that's not all. They also work brilliantly on a wide variety of other surfaces such as wood, plastic, brick, metal and many others.

They use an electrostatic charge to cling to the chosen surface. This means that not only can they be used on either side, but also that they do not leave a sticky residue behind once removed. This enables you to relocate the window cling wherever you need to, safe in the knowledge that you will not damage the surface or the sticker itself.

You can order these static cling stickers in the specific sizes that we have listed, either with a transparent or opaque background. The transparent version is more versatile and can be displayed to be seen facing inwards or outwards, while our opaque version can only be viewed with it on the inside of the glass facing inwards. We can also produce custom shapes which is ideal for logos and lettering.

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Window Clings | Self Cling Window Stickers | Solopress UK

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When it comes to static cling window stickers, our premium window clings really are a top of the range solution. Not only is their static application second to none, but they are also an eco-friendly option that contains no PVC whatsoever and are 100% recyclable as a result.

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Five large stems of natural dried large ivory coloured pampas grass. Perfect for statement displays.

Total length: approx 90-100cm

5 stems approx per bunch.

This dried pampas grass are posted in a sturdy postage tube to ensure they arrive with you safely.

Please be aware the size of the stems/flower and tone and texture of the flower section will vary as these are a natural product, but most will be within the size ranges outlined above.

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Tall Natural Cortaderia Selloana Pampas Grass

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Five large stems of natural dried large ivory coloured pampas grass. Perfect for statement displays. Total length: approx 90-100cm 5 stems approx per bunch. This dried pampas grass are posted in a sturdy postage tube to ensure they arrive with you safely.

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We love the rustic, industrial look of these brass spot lights. Their brass bar attaches easily to a ceiling or wall and their flexible head allows you to focus the light. Available in three different finishes.

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Eco-friendly Noticeboard | Wonderwall Products Ltd

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Eco-friendly Noticeboard | Environmentally friendly noticeboards with an oak or aluminium effect fame | Various sizes & colour options | Free Delivery

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Haybale
£5.50 per bale.

Natural product can be put into composte after use,

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Hay Bale

Choosing the right hay is important for the health of your horse. Many different types of hay are acceptable in horse feeding programs. Here at Leighs Animal Feeds Store we have local availability of good quality hay. Enjoy a multi buy discount when you purchase 5 or more

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Choosing the right hay is important for the health of your horse. Many different types of hay are acceptable in horse feeding programs. Here at Leighs Animal Feeds Store we have local availability of good quality hay. Enjoy a multi buy discount when you purchase 5 or more

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Bailey, S. and Baker, J., 2016. Visual merchandising for fashion. Bloomsbury Publishing.

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Eco-Friendly Sustainable Printing | The Graphical Tree London

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We are committed to our responsibility to minimise our impact on the environment by using sustainable printing practices and materials in everything we do.

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The beauty of Redchurch Street is that it’s only really those in-the-know who go there, so if you’re looking for something far away from any tourist hotspot that captures the essence of what’s given Shoreditch its contemporary-cool reputation, then you’re in the right place. A fashion-lover’s haven, it’s peppered with clothing boutiques, concept stores, interior inspiration and hidden coffee and cocktail spots that will add a new dimension to your London repertoire.

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Cafe, Restaurant, Contemporary, $$ $

Despite its somewhat inconspicuous location, newly re-branded hotel, bar and dining space, The Boundary Project has long since been the destination on every Shoreditch local's lips. Perhaps it's due to its dreamy rooftop, artsy interior design and beautifully presented dishes that it attracts some of the city's most stylish, or perhaps it's because it's only really those 'in-the-know' who are likely to find it. Set to move further into the spotlight now that the summer months are approaching, it's the ultimate East London venue if you're looking for a relaxing rooftop drink in a spot seemingly worlds away from the closest London tourist.

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Why Redchurch Street Should Be On Every Fashion-Lover's London Radar

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Cafe, Restaurant, Contemporary, $$ $ Despite its somewhat inconspicuous location, newly re-branded hotel, bar and dining space, The Boundary Project has long since been the destination on every Shoreditch local's lips. Perhaps it's due to its dreamy rooftop, artsy interior design and beautifully presented dishes that it attracts some of the city's most stylish, or perhaps it's because it's only really those 'in-the-know' who are likely to find it.

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If you like your clothes stores to offer more than just rails of apparel, Aida is the Shoreditch outlet for you. Marketing itself as a neighbourhood hangout, it invites you to pull up a flea-market pew in its in-store café. Those just interested in clothes won’t be disappointed either: Aida is bursting at the seams with chic indie labels, from Minimum for girls to Knowledge Cotton for boys. It also covers the gamut of wardrobe needs, with T-shirts and beachwear among city-friendly daywear and occasion pieces. The merchandising (clothes spilling artily out of Scandi furniture and super-sleek industrial design) gives the place an exclusive boutique air, but prices are varied: ladies can bag a dress for £75, or splash out on one for £255, while gents can go for a basic shirt for £45, or go all out on a sharp, off-the-rack blazer.

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If you like your clothes stores to offer more than just rails of apparel, Aida is the Shoreditch outlet for you. Marketing itself as a neighbourhood hangout, it invites you to pull up a flea-market pew in its in-store café. Those just interested in clothes won't be disappointed either: Aida is bursting at the seams with chic indie labels, from Minimum for girls to Knowledge Cotton for boys. It also covers the gamut of wardrobe needs, with T-shirts and beachwear among city-friendly daywear and occasion pieces. The merchandising (clothes spilling artily out of Scandi furniture and super-sleek industrial design) gives the place an exclusive boutique air, but prices are varied: ladies can bag a dress for £75, or splash out on one for £255, while gents can go for a basic shirt for £45, or go all out on a sharp, off-the-rack blazer.

Situated in Shoreditch, AIDA is a concept store with a deep sense of community at its core. The result of four sisters' vision to create a space that reflects the creative vibrancy of the area, AIDA combines menswear, womenswear and homeware with barista-style coffee and inspiring events.

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Aida Shoreditch | Shopping in Shoreditch, London

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If you like your clothes stores to offer more than just rails of apparel, Aida is the Shoreditch outlet for you. Marketing itself as a neighbourhood hangout, it invites you to pull up a flea-market pew in its in-store café.

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Final pitch to summarise report
A solid business plan and why this will be a success
Keep conclusion and recommendations to one page if possible

Clear relevant
Key milestones
Profitable
How long will it take to train staff

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high level introduction
executive summary
should be short as possible
executive summary 1 to 2 pages
include brief description of the product/servcie and why its neccessary
should adress the need for the customers.

describe target market
brief description of  audience who will spend money

briefly describe competition what differienates yourself - localilsation  sustainability

who will play a role in the launch
marketing team
sales team?
depop?
visual team?

who you working with to produce this?

planned launch
visual iniative
how you will start,
marketing
invites
etc

financial overview
current situation
startup
where ahs the money come from
covid benefits

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In this article, i found an example of fast fashion brands "stealing designs" from bigger designers.

In this article Kim Kardashian filed a lawsuit after super fast fashion brand Missguided

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MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock

UPDATE: Kim Kardashian's $10 million February lawsuit against fast fashion retailer Missguided has come to an end. The reality star was awarded $2.7 million in damages in a default judgment filed on Tuesday in a federal district court in Calif.

"Defendant Misguided USA Finance Inc. has failed to appear, plead, or otherwise defend in this action, and default was entered on March 29, 2019," court documents obtained by E! News read.

The documents further declared, "Pursuant to the Court's Order Granting in Part Plaintiffs' Motion for Default Judgment, judgment is hereby entered in favor of Plaintiffs and against Misguided USA in the amount of $2,700,000.00 in damages and $59,600.00 in attorneys' fees. Furthermore, Misguided USA is hereby permanently enjoined from using Plaintiffs' trademarks in connection with the sale, marketing or distribution of its products."

E! News has reached out to Missguided for comment.
_______________________________
Kim Kardashian is fed up with fast-fashion brands stealing original designs from "true designers."

The KKW Beauty mogul took to Twitter to air out her frustrations with certain Instagram-type brands, saying, "It's devastating to see these fashion companies rip off designs that have taken the blood, sweat and tears of true designers who have put their all into their own original ideas."

She added, "I've watched these companies profit off my husband's work for years and now that it's also affecting designers who have been so generous to give me access to their beautiful works, I can no longer sit silent."

While Kim didn't name the fashion brands on social media, she has, however, filed a $10 million lawsuit against Missguided for using her trademarked name and likeness to promote its product online.

E! News has obtained the documents detailing her lawsuit against the UK-based company, whose actions she claims in the suit are a "blatant and willful violation of her statutory and common law rights of publicity."

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Kim Kardashian Awarded $2.7 Million in Lawsuit Against Missguided - E! Online

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MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock UPDATE: Kim Kardashian's $10 million February lawsuit against fast fashion retailer Missguided has come to an end. The reality star was awarded $2.7 million in damages in a default judgment filed on Tuesday in a federal district court in Calif. "Defendant Misguided USA Finance Inc.

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A corporation is a golem. Unlike a flesh and blood person, it doesn't have a conscience---unless its founders and C-level execs imbue it with one.

Corporate leaders are increasingly opting to lead with conscience. Over 500 American companies , and 13,000 worldwide , have signed the UN Global Compact, which sets standards for members "to align strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals."

Smaller companies and retailers are also making daily choices that put social responsibility before profits, and with good reason. Let's look at why social responsibility matters for retailers, and how to lead with conscience.
The Data-Driven Case For Corporate Social Responsibility
Their findings support the theory that companies choosing to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) have higher profit margins and valuation, but lower risk. These benefits are amplified when the corporation already has high product differentiation, but at the same time, high CSR helps boost product differentiation. Companies with high CSR also have more stable returns on their assets, even as the GDP fluctuates. Systemic risk for such companies is "statistically and economically significantly lower."
The Heart-Driven Case for CSR: Toms
Toms has always been a do-gooder company, founded on the idea of giving away a pair of shoes for every pair sold. They offer consumers a chance to give, and their model is a hit. In the 12 years since he founded the company, Blake Mycoskie says they've given shoes to 86 million children. That alone is significant.

According to MSNBC, gun violence claimed 12,950 American lives in 2018, with nearly one mass shooting and 96 deaths each day. Gun violence is the second leading cause of death for American children and teens. Meanwhile, "ninety percent of Americans are for universal background checks," Mycoskie says.

Toms created a 30 second system that sends your legislators a physical postcard saying you support universal background checks. In the 12 hours following Mycoskie's announcement, 58,000 people sent postcards.

Additionally, Toms is giving $5 million to "organizations who are working hard on the ground every day to end gun violence," says Myoskie, calling it "the single largest corporate gift to end gun violence in the history of the United States."

What can we learn from Mycoskie and Toms? CSR takes a stand on salient issues, and pushes for broad impact.
The Spirit-Driven Case For CSR: Patagonia
"Our government continues to ignore the seriousness and causes of the climate crisis," said founder Yvon Chouinard. "It is pure evil." His strong choice of words suggests this is not a move motivated by the promise of long term gains, or to score brownie points with the public.

Chouinard adds what he sees as the necessary solutions: renewable energy, sustainable small scale agriculture that supports working families, and the protection of public lands and waters, which he says are "all we have left."

Marcario, a practicing Buddhist, took the reigns in 2014 after what she describes as a midlife crisis traveling to India and meditating in a cave. She struggled to reconcile her spiritual practice and her work. "I'm really good at making profits for shareholders," she mused. "How could I convert that into something actually meaningful and good for people and the planet?"

Soon she was CEO and losing sleep over the Trump administration's environmental attacks, even though Patagonia stood to profit from them. She sent out late night company wide emails reinforcing the company's environmental commitments and calling upon staff at all levels to double down on them. Under her leadership, Patagonia even sued the Trump administration for their attack on Bears Ears National Monument.

Marcario's personal commitment to the company's espoused values, Chouinard's impassioned rhetoric, the severe $10 million maneuver backing it, and the consistency of Patagonia's campaigns all suggest a corporation operating with genuine social conscience.

What can we learn from Patagonia? CSR requires real sacrifice in honor of firmly held values.
Taking Cues From Toms and Patagonia for Your Own CSR Strategy
While it's all but proven that CSR is profitable, that's never been the point. Exemplary leaders like those at Toms and Patagonia remind us that guiding companies with conscience isn't just a business move, it's about imbuing your company with humanity.

But she touched on the deeper level, too. "Maya Angelou said that if you're going to cultivate one virtue, you should cultivate courage, because it's the one you need to cultivate all the other ones. That is very much in need right now."

"We can give money, and other companies I'm hoping will join us too," Mycoskie adds, "but most important is we give every American an opportunity to act."

When you structure your company to support social responsibility, follow their examples by making sure the issues you address are salient, the corporate sacrifice is real, and the impact is far-reaching.

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What Retailers Can Learn About Social Responsibility From Toms And Patagonia

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A corporation is a golem. Unlike a flesh and blood person, it doesn't have a conscience---unless its founders and C-level execs imbue it with one. Corporate leaders are increasingly opting to lead with conscience.

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The world is on fire and retail is to blame. At least partially.

Global warming is likely "the result of human activity since the mid-20th century and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented," according to NASA, and is evidenced by a global rise in temperature, warming oceans and extreme weather events.

Over the last 40 years, the United States has sustained 246 weather and climate events where the cumulative costs reached $1 billion or more each - and together caused more than $1.6 trillion in damage, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. Already this year, as of April 9, the U.S. experienced two weather disasters with losses exceeding that milestone - and such events have been clustered together in recent years. Last year, the country saw the fourth-highest number of billion-dollar events, behind 2017, 2011 and 2016, and the fourth-highest tab for them ($91 billion), behind 2017, 2005 and 2012, according to NCEI.

Retail has both played a part in the perpetuation of climate change and absorbed its impact. Supply chain and sourcing have already changed due to weather patterns, and according to at least one estimate, the apparel industry releases half a million tons of microfibers into the ocean per year.

But, there is a current of revolution on the horizon, with companies caving to consumer pressure to improve processes and prove that they are adopting sustainable practices. A 2017 study by Cone Communications found that 63% of Americans want businesses to take the lead on driving social and environmental change in the absence of government regulation. Additionally, shopping habits have also slowly started to shift, as consumers look to options like clothing and furniture rental as alternatives.

Retailers are in a good position to make decisions that could put the larger consumer goods industry on a more environmentally sustainable path. "Climate action must come from the ground up," Lynn Scarlett, co-chief of external affairs at The Nature Conservancy, has previously said in a statement about tackling climate change . "Already, we're seeing the greatest momentum come from people who are facing every day challenges due to climate change."

Changing weather, changing supply chains

But the reality is that individual weather events don't much jolt retailers' short-term bottom lines, either way. The immediate concern is, and should be, on safety, for customers and store staff, according to Paul Walsh, global director of consumer weather strategy for IBM.

However, retailers may want to take note of the havoc severe weather wreaks along the supply chain. "Anyone with a supply chain is going to be affected by climate change," Paul Dillinger, head of global product innovation at Levi Strauss & Co., told Retail Dive in an interview. "I t's as much of an issue for us as for the Pentagon."

On the other side of the equation, retailers who do nothing to address environmental issues could be in for big losses. According to CDP, which helps companies measure and respond to the impacts of climate change, $4 trillion worth of assets will be at risk from changes to the Earth's weather by 2030.

Global climate change also has implications for inventory - the apparel that should be in stores, and at distribution and fulfillment points at which time of year is changing - according to a Planalytics report on climate change and supply chain conducted for the National Retail Federation. That research found that retailers and brands that "remove the historical impacts of weather can drive a 20-80 basis point annual improvement in profitability just in inventory management ... by increasing total enterprise forecast accuracy between 2 and 6 percent on average, and up to 50 percent for specific product categories," according to the report.

"More and more it's viewed as critical and fundamental to prepare for and execute against the weather volatility that we've seen," Walsh told Retail Dive in an interview. "The fact that IBM bought The Weather Company is one sign. There's an overlap - in sustainability efforts and resiliency efforts and the integration of weather and insights. So when we start to see these tremendous swings of weather - that kind of volatility is hard to keep up with. The way you do keep up with it is to leverage these technologies to be able to respond on an enterprise scale."

Apparel efforts to clean up

The dirty secret in the world of apparel is its continued negative influence on the environment. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an organization involved in advocating for a circular fashion cycle, it is estimated that by 2050 the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world's carbon budget.

"Most of these impacts are a direct result of apparel's reliance on hard coal and natural gas to generate electricity and heat," according to the report. Countries including China, India and Bangladesh are the largest manufacturers and heavily rely on coal-based energy.

Last year, shoppers received a reality check when stories surfaced detailing an apparel industry practice in which some brands regularly destroy merchandise. The backlash started in July 2018, when luxury fashion house Burberry revealed in its annual report that it was burning items to protect its brand integrity. Soon after, news trickled out that many companies allegedly had been doing the same , including Urban Outfitters, Eddie Bauer, Michael Kors, Victoria's Secret and J.C. Penney. The news sparked a wave of consumer outrage and became a touchstone for those calling for industry change.

Despite some calls for boycotts of the brands that got tagged - and the resulting announcement from Burberry that it would stop burning excess goods - the industry still has a long road ahead to address the full impact its global supply chain and general practices have on the planet. Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) reported that an average of 81 pounds of clothing per person is thrown away annually, with 85% of what is discarded going to landfills.

According to research by Quantis, the most direct way to improve the apparel and footwear industry's part in climate change is to focus on renewable and efficient energy across the supply chain. Setting an industry-wide target of 60% renewable energy by 2030 would bring a 39% reduction in climate change, according to the report. Changing business models to adapt to climate change could also have a positive impact on the job market: A report by the Business Commission found that sustainable business models could create 380 million new jobs by 2030.

Calls for action in general around climate change have ratcheted up as predictions for the future impact grow more dire. A report by the Global Fashion Agenda stated that if production and consumption of apparel continues, "fashion's environmental footprint will continue to contribute to the negative impacts on the planet" through water usage, carbon emissions, use of chemicals and waste generation.

The pressure to be a sustainable brand

The impacts of climate change have also affected how brands market their products, as a shift toward conscious consumerism tips shoppers in favor of environmentally friendly brands. Over half of U.S. shoppers consider a company's values when making a purchase, according to a Forrester report emailed to Retail Dive, and 75% of consumers are concerned about helping the planet in their day-to-day lives, per a Gartner L2 report.

That's brought socially responsible certifications to the forefront in some ways, as companies look to prove that they're running better-for-the-environment businesses. B Lab's B Corp certification is a popular one for companies trying to show off their sustainable status, and many of those businesses are digitally native brands like Allbirds, Casper and Leesa. Bigger brands like Patagonia and Athleta have also achieved certification, but it's hard to find any on the list that aren't serious about their sustainability initiatives, according to Anthea Kelsick, chief marketing officer of B Lab.

"The commonality amongst all of them is that they are brands that are mission-driven and purpose-driven," she told Retail Dive in an interview. "In terms of trends, we are finding it's less of a trendy thing these days and more of the status quo. More and more of the companies that are approaching us have that built into their DNA already."

Avedis Seferian, CEO of Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), a social compliance certification body for apparel, footwear and other sewn products, has also seen growth in the number of businesses looking to certify factories. According to him, there are 2,700 factories that currently have a WRAP certificate, with close to 2.5 million employees. Those numbers are growing year over year, and he places much of that growth on the power of third-party certifications, and on businesses themselves for becoming more interested in being socially responsible.

"The reality is that if you're checking your own supply chain, there is a credibility gap there. You have a vested interest in making sure these factories pass," he said of retailers who do audits of their own factories. Hence the benefit of an independent program, which does not hold any biases toward a given retailer. The interest in the environment, both from consumers and from business leaders, is also leading to a mind shift in how companies approach certifications and social responsibility, according to Seferian.

"We are seeing the smaller ones, though, recognizing that you've got to get this thing right from the get-go," he said. "In the past, you'd set up a company, you'd go with the flow and find the cheapest vendor and kind of just get yourself established before you started looking at social responsibility. Now that's not the case anymore. Now it's baked in."

While those certifications mean a lot from one business to another, consumers aren't always doing the research to find out which brands are environmentally friendly and which aren't. At the same time, retailers and brands increasingly want their customers to know, Supriya Jain, principal at Gartner L2, told Retail Dive in an interview. That's meant incorporating sustainability into quarterly metrics and making information on environmental practices front-and-center for shoppers.

However, a sustainable brand image can be easier to maintain for small startups than for, say, a big-box retailer. It's harder to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of the consumer journey as a larger brand, Jain said, but that doesn't mean they're not capable of it. In fact, the conscious consumerism movement has also encouraged retailers that already have sustainable practices to start publicizing those more so shoppers don't have to look far to figure out if they're buying from an environmentally friendly brand.

"[There are] brands that are realizing that they're already doing so many things in that vein, but never realized that they should be publicizing it," Jain said. "'We have all these things that we could be talking about, but we don't put it front-and-center on the online experience or in our emails.' So it's more like: 'How can we actually just tell those stories better and lead with the initiatives that we already engage in?'"

The future of retail amid climate change

Given the effects of climate change already felt by retailers, many have taken steps as a result.

Companies are beginning to operate with the idea of a circular mind, in other words, putting items back into circulation before the end of their useful lives. According to a Gartner L2 report emailed to Retail Dive, 18% of businesses were investing in the circular economy, and that number increased to 26% in 2016 and 28% in 2017.

Rent the Runway was a catalyst in normalizing apparel rental, and other companies have followed suit. Direct-to-consumer brands Fernish and Feather have built business models around furniture subscription services, and now larger retailers, such as and Ikea are offering similar options. Outdoor retailers have also built sustainability into their businesses: The North Face last year unveiled its Renewed line , which features damaged and refurbished items, and REI last week announced an expansion to its gear rental services.

Retailers are "working with global resources to make sure they are not only making their products in a sustainable way, but also that they are socially responsible in the creation of those products, providing jobs for people who need them and not impacting the working conditions of those employees," Michael Brown, a partner in the consumer and retail practice of global strategy and management consultant firm A.T. Kearney, said in an interview with Retail Dive.

Patagonia announced earlier this month that it is now focusing on "mission-driven companies that prioritize the planet," and is being more selective in the companies it chooses to make its iconic corporate vests for, according to a Bloomberg report. The company is hoping to attract more companies that have the B Corp designation, something that Patagonia also holds. Additionally, more than 6,000 Amazon employees published an open letter on Medium addressed to Jeff Bezos and the Amazon board of directors, calling for the company to rethink its approach to climate change, and pointing to reasons Amazon's Shipment Zero may be insignificant in creating real change.

"We're a company that understands the importance of thinking big, taking ownership of hard problems, and earning trust. These traits have made Amazon a top global innovator but have been missing from the company's approach to climate change," the letter said.

But are these efforts enough to curb the overwhelming effects of climate change? Maybe not.

"Consumers, especially millennials, are indeed more loyal to sustainable brands, and indicate some willingness to pay a green premium," Pei Yun Teng, A.T. Kearney's global director of social impact, said in an email to Retail Dive. "However this premium may fade, as sustainability has moved beyond niche to mainstream, and becomes a basic expectation for consumers. It is critical that brands are authentic here: simple greenwashing can easily be exposed and backfire, and consumers are certainly ready to punish "bad" brands that violate their trust."

The Series

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Clouds on the horizon: What climate change means for retail

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11. Lululemon

Lululemon is putting the power of stock inventory management in the customer’s hands. Instead of asking an ‘educator’, aka ‘store associate’, for help, customers can scan a barcode on the hangtag with the Lululemon app which links directly to the product page on the commerce site.

It then uses RFID to do a real-time inventory check across all the stores, sorted by locations in proximity to the customer. This kind of service is enabled by the confidence in the RFID accuracy.

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In retail, the 'Internet of Things' (or IoT) is the technology that will drive truly connected, omnichannel experiences. It's the technology that connects a customer's mobile to a store window, a sales assistant's tablet to an e-commerce site, an RFID clothing label to a smart changing room.

IoT is the relationship between harnessing detailed volumes of customer data and being able to create highly nuanced CRM programmes. It's also the technology that's transforming the way retailers locate and track their stock to near 100% accuracy.

Intrigued? Read on for our top 25 examples of IoT retail technology in action.

Image Credit: Corinne Ruff
1. Nordstrom Local
A new offshoot from the American department store mega-brand, Nordstrom Local is a 3000sqft concept store designed as a 'neighbourhood hub' for Los Angelinos. In place of a full stock inventory it has manicure stations, a juice bar, comfortable hangout space and a suite of personal stylists on hand.

Customers call ahead to book an appointment and are invited to build a Pinterest-style inspiration board. This board is then sent to a stylist via mobile who requests an array of matching options from the nearby Nordstrom department store. Each morning, the dressing rooms are set up with the personalised outfits ready for customer appointments. An on-site tailor makes alterations and customers can also pick up their online orders.
2. Amazon Go
The route-to-buy is becoming ever-shortened. Amazon's physical stores will arguably demonstrate the most frictionless transaction process to date. With Amazon Go, customers (currently employees only) place items in their baskets and simply walk out of the store when they finish 'shopping'.

Tags on the products, in the baskets and at the store entrance are read automatically by the peripheral technology and the customer's Amazon account is charged without the need to queue at the checkout. The electronically tagged merchandise also pledges to be a more effective anti-theft prevention device.

Image courtesy of The Dandy Lab
3. The Dandy Lab
London start-up, The Dandy Lab, created a pop-up designed to deliver a highly connected consumer journey. The store used sensors, Wi-Fi routers and data analytics from Cisco to connect the dots.

A flat screen connected to an NFC (near field communication) terminal for an instant 'read out'; tablet screens were embedded into shelving; a styling wall was connected to a webcam and a Cisco DX70 video conferencing system enabled customers and staff to communicate directly with product manufacturers and suppliers about designs and alterations.Through Cisco's Connected Mobile Experiences (CMX) analytics package, The Dandy Lab could deduce how many passers-by came into store via Wi-Fi signal.
4. Ocado
When Ocado launched its automated packaging service in February 2016, it was the largest of its kind. Using a wireless control system, Ocado has been able to control and co-ordinate the movements of millions of grocery store items and thus accelerate the bagging process when an online order is made.

Over 1,000 robots scan over thousands of crates containing a selection of 47k+ items. It's an insight to the hidden, highly choreographed systems that are working furiously to fulfil our appetite for fast, accurately timed deliveries and points to one of the most impactful uses of IoT technologies.
5. Intel Retail Sensor Platform
In 2015, Levi's partnered with Intel on a 'proof of concept' exercise aiming to deliver near real-time inventory monitoring in the Levi San Francisco store, a concept now marketed as the 'Intel Retail Sensor Platform'.

A plug-and-play device is installed in-store providing an RFID antenna service, with RFID tags placed on all the items in store. The antenna constantly scans the sales floor, providing an accurate account (close to 100%) of SKU's at any one time. It also provides alerts when stocks are low.

Image courtesy of Costa Coffee
6. Costa Coffee
The International Vending Alliance (UVA) partnered with Intel to develop a smart vending machine solution with features such as cashless payments and interactive digital screens for the customer, remote temperature monitoring and loyalty-card connectivity for the vendor.

Costa Coffee has deployed such services across host stores. The machines provide real-time data including notifications on when to re-stock, when to collect cash, and when to address faults. As a result, overstocking losses are mitigated and the customer has a premium coffee vending experience.
7. MIT Drone Inventory System
Earlier this year, the team at the MIT Media Lab developed RFly, a fleet of drones that are capable of flying around dense warehouse spaces to monitor inventory.Once again, the humble barcode is replaced by RFID tags that speed up identification as they can be detected from tens of metres away with accuracy to the nearest 10 centimetres.

According to a report in Forbes - in 2013, Walmart lost $3 billion in 2013 sales due to out of stock merchandise while its inventory grew at a faster rate than sales - a hint at the transformative power such tracking systems could have.
8. BASF Wine
In the BASF wine store in Germany, shoppers are able to quickly hone in on their taste preferences. They enter their likes and dislikes on tablets when they arrive in-store. The bottles that match those preferences then light up on a digital shelf.

The idea is to take the stress out of having to select from a vast choice, without having to interrogate each bottle in depth. In return for a curated selection, as the bottle is lifted the retailer is also able to track how long the customer spends examining the bottle and subsequently purchasing or replacing the item. The technology was created in partnership with Hybris Labs.
9. MyMagic+
Part experience, part retail upsell tool, the Disney MyMagic+ band has been widely praised as a mass market wearable. The smart MagicBand bracelet pairs with a My Disney Experience App for guests visiting one of the theme parks.

Not only does it include FastPass+ access to rides and key functionality for hotel rooms, it helps make guest spending easy and seamless whether it's selecting dining reservations or setting up 'tabs' in store. It's designed to track guest behaviour to maximise spending.

Image courtesy of Tory Burch
10. Tory Burch x Fitbit
We could list many examples of branded 'wearables', but Tory Burch was one of the first in the run of luxury smart bands, partnering with Fitbit to create a chic fitness tracking experience.

For the next phase in the designer smart band movement, we envisage accessories that alert you when you're near a store and send you personalised offers based on your proximity, bespoke to that band.
11. Lululemon
Lululemon is putting the power of stock inventory management in the customer's hands. Instead of asking an 'educator', aka 'store associate', for help, customers can scan a barcode on the hangtag with the Lululemon app which links directly to the product page on the commerce site.

It then uses RFID to do a real-time inventory check across all the stores, sorted by locations in proximity to the customer. This kind of service is enabled by the confidence in the RFID accuracy.

Image courtesy of OfferMoments
12. OfferMoments
OfferMoments has developed dynamic billboards that change as you walk by. They turn digital screens into an interactive experience with adverts customised to you.

For retail this means that the mannequin in your window display could carry a sensor that 'talks' to the smartphones of passersby enabling you to send them a personalised advert or offer. Or it could mean smart digital screens that use facial recognition to identify the customer and change their display to something tailored to them based on customer data.
13. Starbucks
Starbucks chose to test beacon technology in its home tome of Seattle. The beacons would push notifications on the newest brews in-store, as well as personalised promotions in a bid to persuade customers to convert to the higher costing, 'premium blends' retailed at the coffee shops.

According to RT Insights, the tactic is effective too as 6 million mobile promotion redemptions occur at Starbucks every week.

Image courtesy of Sephora
14. Sephora Innovation Lab
Sephora, widely regarded as a 'best practice' beauty retailer, has its own innovation laboratory dedicated to exploring the integration of digital and physical shopping.

Located in a converted San Francisco Warehouse, the laboratory includes a full-size model of a Sephora store where they have beta tested everything from in-store beacon technology to the Sephora To Go mobile app, Sephora Flash (a kind of 'Amazon Prime') to a video-tutorial led Beauty Workshop station.

Image courtesy of Home Depot
15. Home Depot
Home Depot is applying IoT to create a next level customer engagement program via its mobile app. The app invites shoppers to look for items via a 'visual search' function, quickly locate inventory on their arrival in-store, quickly compare similar items, tap into experts surrounding their specific DIY projects and see how items will look inside their own homes.
16. Macy's
Over 4,000 beacons are currently installed across 700 Macy's stores as part of a business wide investment in omni-channel retail technologies. As well as a means to push notifications to customers, the technology has been deployed around peak shopping opportunities.

For example, for last year's Black Friday, customers were invited to install an app and play a digital scratch-and-win game in order to unlock $1 million Macy's gift codes and other prizes.

Image courtesy of Rebecca Minkoff
17. Rebecca Minkoff
A 'classic' example of IoT in action, Rebecca Minkoff was one of the dressing room innovators with smart mirrors enabled to 'read' information from RFID tags placed on items brought into the cubicles.

The mirrors would convert to screens inviting customers to request new sizes, summon store assistants with ease and even find complementary items to go with the style. In return, the store benefits from 'try vs. buy' data as well as intel on how customers are styling looks.

Image courtesy of Intercom
18. Shopgate Live Chat
Shopgate, the mobile shopping app developer, has partnered with messaging platform Intercom to devise a retail first - Intercom Live Chat. This new type of communications platform is based on the 'Chatbot' principle but now allows users and store associates to start in-app conversations.

The app taps into an entire customer support team that allows the retailer to see which team members are working with which customer and re-assign staff if required (e.g. to deal with better language capability). It pays into the insight that the customer feels more comfortable speaking to a 'real' person when dealing with customer service.

Image courtesy of Athleta
19. Athleta GiftNow Card
Athleta (part of the Gap family) will be the first retailer to offer GiftNow Cards in its stores. In place of traditional gift vouchers/certificates, the GiftNow concept is an e-gifting service whereby shoppers can buy any product in-store or online as a gift.

The gift-receivers are then able to redeem their GiftNow card online for a specific product, rather than a cash figure. They're given the option to choose their preferred colour and size or even exchange for a different item entirely.

Image courtesy of Under Armour
20. Under Armour
US sports apparel and accessories company Under Armour is experimenting with big data to create hyper-personalised products for its customers.

One example it is beta-testing is a smart chip that embeds into shoes and connects to one of a number of existing apps - MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal or Endomondo - to reveal complex data about the way a person runs. This data would then be fed into creating a revised and customised piece of footwear.

Image courtesy of Avery Dennison
21. Avery Dennison
Label-maker Avery Dennison is mapping out a future where your clothing tags double up as VIP passes. They partnered with fashion label Rochambeau and London IoT start-up EVRYTHNG to create Bright BMBR - a bomber jacket embedded with a NFC chip and a personalised QR code.

The jacket would then unlock VIP experiences across New York, personal exhibition tours and club entries. Through this project the partners were imagining not only a connection between online store and offline store, but real-world, lifestyle experiences too.

Image courtesy of Mastercard and Swarvoski
22. Mastercard x Swarovski
MasterCard and Swarovski recently launched a virtual reality shopping experience for the Atelier Swarovski home decor line. The VR app is designed to completely immerse shoppers inside a virtual 'home'.Users log in and begin a secure sign-in session with their Masterpass account credentials - Mastercard's digital payment service.

They are then invited to browse and purchase the pieces directly from the VR experience by moving the headset up and down and 'gazing' to add-to-basket.

The app is also designed to offer a further layer of storytelling with inspiration, designers' journeys and information on the manufacturing process.
23. EON-ID
EON-ID describes itself as the first 'intrinsically incorporated' RFID system. EON-ID thread™ woven into textiles connects products directly to the IoT.

As well as enabling a 360-degree customer experience across all channels, the raison d'être at the heart of the innovation is to improve the efficiency of the supply chain and 'next life' tactics, whether it be sale, donation or recycling.
24. Bllush
Bllush is designed to inspire e-commerce shoppers with shoppable, authentic content. The star feature of the service is 'Story', a programme that provides current stories about fashion, trends, how-to guides and news coverage which are then shoppable with links to purchase similar items from your own store.

Image courtesy of Sprucebot
25. Sprucebot
Created by Spruce, the barber-shop/style consultancy/boutique, Sprucebot is a cloud-based digital assistant that actually helps run the store. The technology is built into every part of the business, from helping customers book appointments in a chatbot-like function, to enabling customers to pay by simply walking out of the store Uber-style.

The key function is to support the sales staff by giving them access to each customer's profile and prompting them to update it after each visit. This makes it possible to offer a much more personal experience.

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25 top uses of the Internet of Things in retail - Insider Trends

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In retail, the 'Internet of Things' (or IoT) is the technology that will drive truly connected, omnichannel experiences. It's the technology that connects a customer's mobile to a store window, a sales assistant's tablet to an e-commerce site, an RFID clothing label to a smart changing room.

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RECOMMERCE ON THE RISE

Research predicts that the second-hand market (ReCommerce) will double within the next five years. The pandemic may have even accelerated this further, with some reports suggesting a 39% annual growth rate. Prior to the pandemic, resale was already growing 25% faster than the broad retail sector.

Resale presents a more affordable option, which is particularly appealing to Gen Z consumers. However, with some consumers increasingly motivated by sustainability over price, there will also be a boom in the sale of second-hand luxury items as part of this growing movement.

88% of consumers surveyed during the pandemic said they have adopted a new thrifting hobby, and 79% plan to cut their apparel budget in the next 12 months – making ReCommerce an appealing option for those that still want to buy fashion items.

In 2019, big brands including Burberry and H&M introduced rental and ReCommerce models.

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Consumer sustainability trends 2021: What trends to watch - Ethical Hour

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Consumer sustainability trends 2021 - what trends can we expect to see? Sustainability expert Sian Conway looks at 2021 trend predictions.

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Consumer sustainability trends 2021: What trends to watch

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We are constantly bombarded with news and articles about VR being the next big thing in retail and how it will soon transform the shopping experience.

However, we’re still at the beginning of the journey. There is a need for more developments in this space. The technology does not live up to customer expectations and is not accessible enough to become mainstream yet. According to research from Perkins Coie, respondents identify the user experience as the top obstacle for mass adoption of VR (41%), reflecting ongoing concerns with technical limitations and performance issues, as well as bulky hardware.

We still can’t imagine shoppers at home, sitting on a sofa and putting on a headset to go shopping, which is why VR is not scalable at the moment. However, many brands and retailers experiment with this technology to attract more customers in-store and to eventually create the store of the future which will have limited physical space, but unique, immersive experiences.

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A major technological revolution is underway in the retail world. Always-connected customers are craving an omnichannel experience when they're shopping. As retailers focus on creating shopper- and experience-centric stores, they're experimenting with immersive technology to introduce futuristic experiences.

Before we dive in...

Virtual reality is a 3D, computer-generated environment that people can explore. This technology creates an entirely artificial world where people can manipulate objects or perform a series of other actions.

VR is the most immersive experience because it blocks out the real world, making the user unaware of the environment around them. For this kind of virtual experience, customers must have special headsets which are still quite expensive.

Is VR the next big thing in retail?

We are constantly bombarded with news and articles about VR being the next big thing in retail and how it will soon transform the shopping experience.

But what does "soon" mean? And is that really the case?

We can't deny that VR has arrived and we are witnessing some of the biggest companies experimenting and introducing immersive experiences for their customers. According to Spiceworks, 75% of the world's most valuable brands have created some form of virtual or augmented reality experience for customers or employees.

However, we're still at the beginning of the journey. There is a need for more developments in this space. The technology does not live up to customer expectations and is not accessible enough to become mainstream yet. According to research from Perkins Coie, respondents identify the user experience as the top obstacle for mass adoption of VR (41%), reflecting ongoing concerns with technical limitations and performance issues, as well as bulky hardware.

We still can't imagine shoppers at home, sitting on a sofa and putting on a headset to go shopping, which is why VR is not scalable at the moment. However, many brands and retailers experiment with this technology to attract more customers in-store and to eventually create the store of the future which will have limited physical space, but unique, immersive experiences.

However, we're still at the beginning of the journey. There is a need for more developments in this space. The technology does not live up to customer expectations and is not accessible enough to become mainstream yet.

Back in 2016, IKEA introduced the Virtual Reality Kitchen Experience enabling customers to walk around real sized, make-believe 3D kitchen and interact with objects. Customers were equipped with two wands, which let them navigate freely, change the color of cabinets or drawers, and even cook virtually. When they collected feedback from people on what they wanted to do more of, the most wanted feature was - meatballs. Sadly, that isn't much of a surprise, at this point customers look at virtual reality as entertainment, not product visualization technology and there are many reasons why that is so.

Today we want to demystify VR in retail and help you mitigate some of the risk factors associated with this new, cutting-edge technology.

Let's get to the bottom of this and elaborate why it's still too early for VR in retail.

1. Expensive equipment
The most obvious downside of VR is that it requires hardware, so it is not easily scalable until most customers have such devices in their homes, which is not likely to happen any time soon due to the user experience (technical limitations and performance issues), content offering and price of the equipment. A report from IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Augmented and Virtual Reality Headset Tracker found that shipments of AR and VR headsets was down from last year. The report showed that shipments of VR and AR headsets were down 30.5% year over year, totaling 1.2 million units in the first quarter of 2018. The main reason for this according to IDC is that headset makers are no longer giving their products away for free (this was the case with Samsung that was offering free VR headsets with its smartphones two years in a row). However, experts predict that the VR headset shipment growth rate will increase from 24% in 2018 to 44.6% by 2022.

According to Statista 4.65 million VR devices were shipped in 2018 (compared with 3.7 million in 2017). Sony took the biggest piece of the pie, with 2 million VR devices.

According to Perkins Coie, the third biggest obstacle to mass adoption of VR technology (after user experience/bulky hardware and cost) is the content offering (e.g., lack of quality content, amount of content available). There has to be enough compelling VR content so customers can see the value in making the hardware investment. The need for high-quality and not just visually pleasing content will be more critical than ever.

Let's clear things up - A low poly asset is a 3D polygon mesh that has a small number of polygons, so it often appears blocky and lacks detail, but it still demonstrates the basic shape. High poly assets, on the other hand, have an enormous amount of polygons, which in conjunction with physically based materials can generate a photo-realistic look. At this stage, VR technologies mostly utilize low to medium poly assets. When it comes to retail, and especially industries that rely heavily on visual senses like the furniture industry, high poly, photorealistic visuals are a must if you want to shift the purchasing journey online. Low poly assets can't instill confidence in the purchasing decision.

Low vs. High Poly

The store of the future will be a blend of the digital and physical world, combining the convenience benefits of e-commerce with the product exploration benefits of brick-and-mortar. Traditional retailers have realized the importance of digital merchandising and the power of first digital impression, while internet pure-plays found out that even having a small, gallery-like store can have a significant impact on the business. For instance, earlier this year La-Z-Boy acquired Joybird to build its online presence, and Interior Define opened its first physical store.

Businesses today need to be aware that multichannel does not equate to omnichannel. The omnichannel challenge which many companies struggle with today is about having consistent and relevant content across all of their channels.

As illustrated above, the main business challenge with VR is that wide user adoption is not expected to be seen any time soon. One of the main obstacles here is the expensive headset equipment. We can all agree that a scenario in which shoppers can be at home, sitting on a couch and then choose to put on a headset to go shopping is still something that we can't quite imagine. Even though companies invest heavily in making this a reality, the process will take some time. For now, companies are experimenting with immersive experiences powered by VR technology in-store, as they try to create the store of the future.

Forget about the 'wow' factor. Customers are looking for relevant shopping experiences. If you use VR to create pointless interactions, you will damage your brand, and you will lose customers. Take care of the basics first and then experiment with immersive technologies. If you are ready to launch a VR experience, make sure it's relevant and worthwhile. If you want to use VR to sell more and to visualize products, you have to create relevant, engaging experiences to ease a customer's decision-making process. Otherwise, customers will only use your VR set for fun, but it won't help you sell more.

Gen Z is the most passionate generation for all things VR. But the question is: are they your target audience and do they have the purchasing power needed for your industry? If you are a furniture retailer, then Gen Z is far from your target because they are not the decision-makers when it comes to furniture. As time passes by, consumers who grew up during an era of rapid technological development like Millenials and Gen Z will be the leading decision-making generations with the highest purchasing power. That will be the time to offer immersive shopping experiences to grab customer attention.

VR is still in the experimental phase (especially in retail), so it is more suitable for brand image programs, rather than measurable results and ROI. Currently, it is more brand-centric than customer-centric. It will be interesting to see how things will develop in the future. At this stage, from a technology ROI standpoint, VR is more suitable for branding initiatives and marketing programs centered around creating buzz.

Two years ago, one of the world's largest e-commerce companies in furniture, home furnishings, and decor, Wayfair opened an innovation lab - Wayfair Next - to develop and refine interactive 3D experiences. One of their first experiments with VR was the Patio Playground, an app that lets customers get a virtual view of how furniture might look in an outdoor setting. Their second VR app - IdeaSpace - enables customers to explore a variety of unique spaces and shop in an interactive environment. Thanks to their constant investment in new technologies, Wayfair has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in AR/VR. A few days ago they announced the launch of Wayfair Spaces, an interior design and room planning app that invites consumers to explore professionally designed rooms and visualize products in their homes at scale through mixed reality. For starters, there are several hundred products to choose from, with plans of adding even more in the future. For now, it's just a visualization app, with no e-commerce component. Aside from the constant technological innovations, this year they've finally embraced the power of omnichannel, opening their first physical store a few months ago.

Source: Wayfair Technology Blog

The bottom line is... VR is in a stage of hype. Big players experiment with the technology, and the smaller companies follow, bute can't deny that there is significant potential for VR in retail.

However, there is a need for more relevant content, more use cases, and better assets quality to make sense for customers to buy a VR headset, thus paving the way for VR to become mainstream.

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7 Reasons Why It's Still Too Early for VR in Retail

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A major technological revolution is underway in the retail world. Always-connected customers are craving an omnichannel experience when they're shopping. As retailers focus on creating shopper- and experience-centric stores, they're experimenting with immersive technology to introduce futuristic experiences. Virtual reality is a 3D, computer-generated environment that people can explore.