Can You Trust the Editorial Integrity of Personal Style Blogs? A Closer Look at How Bloggers Make Money - Fashionista Once the provenance of earnest fashion fans on the fringes of the industry, blogs have evolved into legitimate media sources and, more importantly, big moneymakers. Just look at today's WWD story highlighting "hot fashion bloggers" like Bryan Boy and Susie Bubble. The feature goes on to detail how each notable blogger makes their money, how many monthly page views their sites get, and presents an important question: "Bloggers sitting front row have become commonplace—as have partnerships with leading brands and fashion houses that often blur the nature of what they do: Reportage and criticism or marketing and promotion?" Whether it's by partnering with brands, styling shoots, receiving payment (or free product) for writing posts or getting commission on the sale of items they post about, some bloggers are seriously cashing in on their influence. So when is writing about a product, received for free, a form of paid endorsement--or even an advertisement--and when is it merely a review?
British Fashion Council - Value of Fashion - Value of Fashion Report The ‘Value of the UK Fashion Industry’ report, commissioned by the British Fashion Council,defines the industry and analyses the true breadth and economic value of the UK fashion industry for the first time. The industry’s direct economic contribution to UK GDP was collated by analysing the industry’s profits and wages (known as gross value added (GVA)) across a wide range of fashion products and items – including womenswear and menswear through to handbags and shoes – plus the contribution of fashion education, fashion marketing and fashion media. The report also highlights the pivotal role of cutting edge British design, and showcasing events such as London Fashion Week [^], in driving innovation and growth within the industry itself, as well as attracting millions of visitors from across the globe to the UK every year. Download and print the report [^] Or read it here...
Accessed 6th February LIKEtoKNOW:IT British Luxury Market Set To Double In Five Years 08 May 2013 Sarah Karmali THE UK luxury market is expected to double in size over the next five years. It's thought that the sector will be worth £12.2 billion in 2017, in comparison to £6.6 billion in 2012. The findings were reported in the 2013 UK Luxury Benchmark study conducted by Walpole - a non-profit British industry group - and market research company Ledbury Research. "Despite the backdrop of the Eurozone crisis and a difficult economic environment, the UK luxury industry remains extremely robust and is forecast to grow significantly in size," said Julia Carrick, chief executive of Walpole. Over 80 per cent of the labels surveyed forecasted an increase in sales for 2013, reports The Business of Fashion. "Behind some buoyant numbers, this year's results reveal the key theme of innovation for the British luxury market," said James Lawson, director of Ledbury Research.
Accessed 6th February Visual Search Set to Make World of Imagery Instantly Shopable - BoF - The Business of Fashion LONDON, United Kingdom — From a perfect biker jacket that scrolls into view on Instagram to a striking floral printed top spotted in the street, the kind of visual inspiration that generates purchasing intent for fashion items is literally everywhere. But the consumer journey from inspiration to transaction — identifying, locating and ultimately buying the item of interest — has traditionally been fragmented and full of friction. Now, visual search technology, leveraging sophisticated algorithms originally developed for security applications, promises to radically shorten the path from inspiration to transaction, allowing anyone with a smartphone to immediately identify and purchase the products they encounter — online, or in the physical world. In recent years, a range of start-ups, including ASAP54, Snap Fashion, Slyce and Style-Eyes, have tapped the promise of visual search to launch “Shazam for fashion” apps. BoF: What’s wrong with finding fashion with traditional search?
UK Luxury Market Set to Double Over the Next 5 Years, Says Study LONDON, United Kingdom — A study of the UK luxury sector expects the industry to nearly double in size over the next five years to £12.2 billion in 2017 from £6.6 billion in 2012. The 2013 UK Luxury Benchmark was jointly produced by Walpole, a non-profit industry group representing the British luxury industry, and Ledbury Research, a market research firm specialising in the luxury sector. Researchers surveyed senior management and executives of companies spanning the luxury industry, including apparel and accessories, travel and hospitality, and jewellery. “Despite the backdrop of the Eurozone crisis and a difficult economic environment, the UK luxury industry remains extremely robust and is forecast to grow significantly in size,” said Julia Carrick, chief executive of Walpole, in a statement. Brands are also looking to push into emerging economies.
Accessed 3rd February 2014 Shoppers Save Time, Money With Customisation - BoF - The Business of Fashion NEW YORK, United States — Technology may finally be solving the thorny problem of buying clothing online – that you cannot try things on. Through scanners and data mining, consumers are now able to get a custom fit, saving them time and money because they do not have to order multiple items and return what doesn’t fit. The majority of these new systems do not cost a thing for the buyer to use. Given that the average woman has $550 worth of unused clothing in her closet, according to a recent survey by VoucherCloud.net, a retail coupon site, shoppers could use a little help paring down their purchases to things they actually like and will wear. One virtual try-on system is made by FaceCake, based near Los Angeles. “You don’t have to tell it anything,” says FaceCake Chief Executive Officer Linda Smith. This creates cost savings in various ways. With other software-based tools, a little user information is needed, but it can go a long way. Some technologies do use measurements.
Primark sales leap by 12% | Business Primark defied heavy pre-Christmas discounting on clothing and the big switch to online shopping to finish 2013 in style. The cheap fashion chain – which does not sell online – yesterday revealed a 12% leap in sales in the 16 weeks to 4 January, indicating a 4% rise in sales once the benefit of new stores is stripped out. That performance put it well ahead of rivals such as Marks & Spencer and Debenhams and is in line with that seen by other "value" retailers such as Aldi and Lidl, who have all grabbed sales from more established rivals without the aid of an online store as cash-poor shoppers seek out a bargain. Profit margins also rose as Primark's owner Associated British Foods (ABF) said the chain had discounted less than a year before, despite unhelpful weather which hit some rivals hard. "We got the stock right," said John Bason, finance director of ABF. Two more beneficiaries of the big switch online emerged yesterday – Ocado and N Brown.
Accessed 26th January 2014 Charlotte O'Malley My dissertation explores how online social media can be used by fashion retailers to create and progress relationships with consumers in order to obtain brand loyalty. The possibilities of technology within a branding context is something that I have long been passionate about. The process of this dissertation has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of an area that has become increasingly significant to fashion marketers. Abstract: In recent years online social networking has made significant changes to the way in which society communicates. Working on an understanding that at their core online social networks are concerned with the creation and maintenance of user relationships; this dissertation explores the relationships created between fashion brands and customers within online social networks through the establishment of key loyalty and relationship drivers, in order to establish whether the platform is successful in creating brand loyalty.