Neiman Marcus Memory Mirror
In the first half of 2015, retailers embraced technology to ease the purchasing process and elevate the in-store experience for their consumers.
From smart mirrors and mobile payments to new social media networks that connect shoppers, multi-brand stores worked to surprise and delight their customers across channels. In addition, creative campaigns challenged norms and generated conversations.
Here are the top 10 retail efforts of the first half of 2015, in alphabetical order:
Models pose in image from spring 2015 campaign
Barneys’ model reunion
Department store chain Barneys New York celebrated iconic women in fashion with its spring 2015 advertising campaign that featured some of the most famous supermodels of all time.
The campaign, titled “Better Than Ever,” depicts a fantastical ladies getaway in Miami, with the women frolicking in the company of young men who attend to their every need. Bruce Weber, the photographer behind the shoot, has been responsible for many of Barneys’ most recent campaigns, including ones that featured unconventional models such as transgender individuals and the diverse residents of Los Angeles.
All of the models, including Christie Brinkley and Brooke Shields, ranged in age from their late 30s to mid-60s, about 15 to 40 years older than most fashion models today (see story).
Bloomingdale’s B-Roll
Bloomingdale’s “dance craze”
Department store chain Bloomingdale’s got consumers moving with a specially choreographed dance to celebrate the launch of exclusive collections.
The 100 Percent Bloomies “B-Roll” was introduced via a social video and Web tutorial, and consumers were encouraged to learn the dance and share their own video. This video allowed Bloomingdale’s to subtly show off its exclusive fashions in a memorable way (see story).
Harrods’ Pop-up Flowers
Harrods’ floral installation
Harrods participated in the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London to create an immersive branded experience outside of the store.
At the show, Harrods unveiled its first conceptual garden, created in partnership with designer Sheena Seeks. Through the medium of flowers, Harrods celebrated perfume’s collision of nature and science.
One side of the garden featured flowers housed in oversize scientific beakers and test tubes, representing the 19th century technique of enfleurage, in which flowers’ scents were captured in wax. The adjacent side showed the flowers reappearing and emerging as paper blossoms (see story).
Harrods also developed a storewide campaign called “Pop-up Flowers,” showcasing brands from departments such as beauty, home, food and fashion. The brands displayed floral offerings and present floral fragrances, master classes and visuals (see story).
Mr Porter collection for Kingsman
Mr Porter’s film fashion
Online menswear retailer Mr Porter explored its British sartorial roots through a capsule collection and content hub influenced by the feature film, “Kingsman: The Secret Service.”
Launched on Jan. 13, to coincide with London Collections: Men, which wrapped on Jan. 12, Mr Porter’s Kingsman capsule collection celebrated the “classic British gentleman’s wardrobe.” Connecting fashion heritage with popular culture, especially a film, may help Mr Porter relate to, and embrace a traditional Londoner’s wardrobe (see story).
To promote the collection, Mr Porter hosted a Google+ hangout and set up a branded GIF generator in a movie theater (see story).
Neiman Marcus Memory Mirror
Neiman Marcus’ smart mirror
Department store chain Neiman Marcus is changing the apparel shopping experience for consumers with a new digital mirror that remembers users.
The Memory Mirror takes a 360-degree video of a client modeling a particular outfit, allowing them to see clothing on themselves from all angles as well as save and share the visual. This interactive digital touchpoint will alter the in-store experience for Neiman Marcus’ consumers and further empower sales associates to provide customer service (see story).
Net-A-Porter’s The NetSet
Net-A-Porter’s social network
Online retailer Net-A-Porter launched a new social shopping application called The Net Set, available for iPhone, iPad and the Apple Watch. This represents the first time the retailer is joining its social media and shopping community in the same platform.
The Net Set will enable designers, brands, fashion personalities and consumers to interact with each other in real-time, sharing inspirations and their own senses of style in a two-way dialogue. The brands that sell through Net-A-Porter will be able to foster more personal relationships with their fans and engage them directly through the medium of Net-A-Porter (see story).
Promotional image for Nordstrom’s Instalog
Nordstrom’s text message purchasing
Department store chain Nordstrom is expanding its mobile commerce capabilities with a new feature that enables shopping via text message.
The retailer claims its TextStyle is the first of its kind for a department store in the United States, allowing for a secure, one-to-one buying experience between a consumer and a sales associate. Consumers are constantly connected to their phones, so this enables Nordstrom to serve them in a personal way no matter where they are.
With TextStyle, consumers will receive personalized, private messages from a salesperson, containing product information and a photo of merchandise. If a consumer is pleased with the item and wants to make a purchase, they only need to reply with the word “buy,” along with their unique 10-digit code.
Nordstrom then fulfills the order using the client’s Nordstrom.com account details, and the merchandise is shipped using standard free delivery (see story).
Exterior of Printemps
Printemps’ floral anniversary celebration
French department store chain Printemps is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a multichannel campaign that simultaneously points to its past and present.
Launching March 20, “Happy 150 Printemps” plays off the retailer’s name, which means “spring” in French, with floral displays, artistic window installations, in-store events and a cartoon mascot named Rose. Flowers have been a consistent theme throughout Printemps since its founding, but this campaign seeks to show the innovative and creative nature of the store, rather than focusing solely on its past.
For the occasion, Printemps’ Boulevard Haussmann flagship was transformed with shining floral display, with more than 20 large-scale buds covering the façade. The awning over the windows were plastered with thousands of flowers, including roses, cherry blossoms and hydrangeas, which moved in a choreographed fashion to the beat of LED lights in shades of red, pink and white (see story).
Illustration from #SaksAtTheShows
Saks’ animated fashion month coverage
Department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue shared its perspectives on the global fashion weeks through a month-long social media campaign centered on stop-motion videos.
#SaksAtTheShows animated the four models from Saks’ spring Jet Set Beauty catalog, placing them at the center of the fall/winter 2015 fashion shows happening in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Giving these characters a life outside of the catalog helped to portray the atmospheres of each city as Saks traveled to attend the shows (see story).
Window display at Selfridges for Agender
Selfridges’ gender neutral campaign
British department store chain Selfridges broke down the societal and sartorial barriers between the sexes with a multichannel campaign centered on genderless fashion.
For “Agender,” three floors of the retailer’s Oxford Street flagship were transformed into “gender-neutral” shopping areas, and consumers could also shop the selection online, as well as interact with special digital content. To further communicate the concept and conversation, Selfridges worked with a number of creatives throughout March and April for in-store and online features crossing design, music and film.
Window displays tackle activities typically chosen based on gender, for instance sports played and careers. Others showcase apparel on forms that are ambiguous, such as hangers.
To celebrate the launch of Agender, Selfridges commissioned a song by Devonté Hynes and Neneh Cherry. This track, ‘He, She, Me,” was then used as the base for a short film (see story).
Final Take
Sarah Jones, staff reporter on Luxury Daily, New York