2010 was the year that the fashion industry really embraced and found its voice on social media – setting up personas on Facebook and Twitter and gaining phenomenal followings with the lure of exclusive content once only reserved for the elite of the fashion world. Gucci’s Facebook following now tops 4 million fans.  Burberry’s is almost 5 million.

But an industry that relies on constant re-invention isn’t going to rest on its laurels – we expect the way the fashion industry uses social media to move on in 2011.  Here are some of the key trends to keep a close eye on.

Expect to See Further Innovation in Existing Channels

Streaming a live catwalk show and behind the scenes footage is the least social media fashion fans expect these days. 2011 will be a year of further innovations by the fashion industry within existing channels to keep fans engaged, to build communities around brands and also to leverage social media to more overtly drive ecommerce sales.

For example, 2011 will see further developments in branded content that connects with customers on different levels and for different reasons than that which is purely product based. Look at Anthropologie’s ‘The ANTHROPOLiST’ or French Connection’s ‘Manifesto’ for different approaches to engaging with potential customers and communicating something of the brand’s philosophy in search of kindred spirits.

2011 will also see fashion brands do what they do on social media channels better, and with a greater level of involvement for their followers. For example, for AW11 Marc Jacobs Intl streamed both its MJ Collection and MbMJ shows in HD to increase the focus on the quality of Jacob’s designs. In addition, social media viewers of the show, which was streamed on the website, via smartphones and iPads and via Facebook, were able to ‘Like’ and comment upon pieces live both via Facebook and Twitter, with comments on the latter being shared live with the online audience.

Brands will also increasingly facilitate the social shopping phenomenon.  Consumers expect to be able to ’share’ favoured products on Facebook and Twitter, offer opinions and read the opinions of others. Brands have a vested interest in making these processes easier for their customers because they make commercial sense – Juicy Couture saw an 160% increase in product purchase conversion by adding social sharing and consumer recommendations functionality to their US site.

The Increasing Adoption of New Social Media Channels

Many fashion afficionados are innovators and to be found colonising some of the newer, more niche social media channels.  Fashion brands will increasingly follow them on to those channels.

Take Tumblr, a niche blogging platform but a highly visual one that is rapidly growing in popularity.  Tumblr has been adopted by a number of fashion bloggers because it’s much better suited to showcasing photography than Twitter or Facebook and better for interacting and sharing than its blogging software rivals. In fact, 180 of Tumblr’s top 100 blogs are fashion related. Fashion brands that have adopted the platform – including Oscar de la Renta and Alexander McQueen – have found it a productive platform for sharing their imagery and spreading the word virally via this highly influential audience.

Or how about BigLive – a new technology which combines  live streaming with chat room functionality that allows an online audience to be hosted and to participate via their prefered social media channels.  DKNY recently used the platform for a catwalk show and were so pleased with the level of engagement (1,200 participating viewers) they’re looking to use it again.

But new channels don’t necessarily need to be niche, or for that matter, online.  Burberry’s Prorsum LFW AW11 catwalk show was screened exclusively on London’s Piccadilly Circus sign.

Where Crowdsourcing and Social Meet

Crowdsourcing and social are being aligned to connect customers directly to designers.  The ‘crowdsourcing’ element involves ‘up and coming’ designers pitching their own ideas. The social element involves customers or members of the community voting on the designs that they’d like to see put into production.

An example of this is Le Lab from BrandAlley.co.uk.  Each month, designers pitch their ideas for a piece of clothing, be it a summer dress or the perfect summer T-shirt.  Consumers vote on their favourite pieces which are the ones that are produced and sold on the site.

In fact some sites, like Garmz, are totally based around this crowdsourcing/social concept, with the high-minded aim of connecting the real talent with the real consumer, without the ‘brand’ getting in the way.

We expect to see this aspect of social commerce grow and become more mainstream as it involves consumers and makes them feel like they have a stake in the brand. And it lessens commercial risk – items are only put into production that already have an audience.

Whatever happens in 2011, it’s clear now that investment in the realm of social media realises significant returns in this sector.  Companies need to do more than keep their ears to the ground in terms of the latest fashion trends. They clearly need to keep abreast of the latest opportunities in social media too.

By: Carla Burgess

Posted in Online, Social Networking | No Comments »

Some of the statistics from the recent report from shopping research company Shoppercentric make for grim reading for brands who have invested heavily in social media.

Despite the potential of the channel for brands – Facebook is used by almost 2/3s of women and over half of men – many consumers don’t see the point of connecting to and communicating with brands via social media.

For women, the social side of shopping is a large part of the appeal, so social media would seem to offer plenty of marketing potential. But most women have yet to engage with businesses via social networks.  Only 27% of women have interacted with retailers via Facebook and the situation worsens for brands without a retail presence - falling to 17% in this case.

It’s clear that for brands, many women can’t see the point of Facebook. Specifically, they don’t understand why they should visit a brand’s Facebook page rather than its website. And they feel that Facebook is a place to keep in touch with friends, not with companies.

These problems are more acute for non-retail brands, as women are simply not used to interacting with them directly, as they are for online or bricks and mortar retailers, so a greater leap of faith needs to be undertaken for women to connect with them via social media.

Perhaps of most concern is that fact that just 6% of people have used social media to make a purchase according to the research. 

So should you consign those carefully laid social media plans to the recycle bin and shift your investment to other channels that are going to deliver you greater returns? Not just yet.

A large part of the problem is that many brands on Facebook and other social media platforms are focusing on what social media can do for them rather than what value they can add for their customers.

A good starting points is Shoppercentric’s findings into why people make contact with brands via social media. The number one reasons is ‘to feel part of a group’, followed by ‘to share thoughts/join a forum’, ‘to find out what others have bought’ and ‘to find out news about the company.’

Brands need to use social media for what it is – a communication platform – and leverage the value it can add over and above a website. It’s an opportunity to build a community around a brand – to share the latest news, to ask for opinions and receive valuable feedback, to make people feel valued by offering exclusive loyalty rewards or privilidged information.

But brands need to remember it’s also a place that consumers go for entertainment, so sometimes they need to forget about metrics such as ‘drive to site’ and ‘conversions to sale’ and facilitate their followers having a bit of fun.

The other lessen from Shoppercentric’s report is that brands cannot expect their consumers to find them and connect with them on social media. As the research has spelt out – many can’t see the point.  Brands need to actively seek out their potential followers and give them tangible reasons to connect with them.

Finally, brands need to be realistic about the role that social media plays in the purchase decision.  It’s rare that social media will deliver the ‘last click’ prior to a purchase,  but it can help move shoppers along the purchase funnel to such a position that other activity can turn the interest that has been created into a sale. For example, social media might create interest in a newly launched product, hence leading consumers into the top of the purchase funnel. Or it may play a key part in a answering a potential client’s questions as they progress through the funnel.

So marketers shouldn’t be slashing their social media investment, but they should perhaps be reappraising it with a greater appreciation of how it can add value for their customers, rather than their brand, and with a realistic understanding of what part it can play in the journey from awareness to sale.

By: Graham Painter

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