WWB MAGAZINE MAY ISSUE 237

—E-COMMERCE RULESYour ultimate guide to multi-channel success—

—EASTERN PROMISEWWB reports from Chic Beijing —

—GOOSE CHASEWhy Canada Goose is upping itswomenswear stake —

—SHORT CUTSThe in-season collections to getin-store now —

MAY 2014, ISSUE 237£6.95—WWW.WWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

WOMENSWEARBUYER

THE E-COMMERCE ISSUE

wwb237 Main Document 08/05/2014 11:48

05WOMENSWEAR BUYER—MAY 2014

CONTENTS—

REGULARS

7EDITOR’S COMMENT

—8

NEWS—54

RETAIL FORUMThe latest news from the industry

—58

UP CLOSE AND PERSONALWith David Longshaw

—FEATURES

12FAR EASTERN PROMISEWWB reports from China’sprestigious fashion showcase

—14Q&A

With Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss

—50

LONG STORY SHORTThe in-season collections for s/s 14 to get in-store now

—COVER: SECOND FEMALE

E-COMMERCE SPECIAL19

THE GUIDE TO E-COMMERCE Expert advice for multi-channel success

—20

IN WITH THE CLICKThe key drivers in e-commerce growth

—22

SPINNING THE WEBThe dos and don’ts of appealing web design

—24

ALONG THE RIGHT LINESIndies reveal their e-commerce approach

—28

THE BIGGER PICTUREThe importance of high-quality product

photography —32

STOCK EXCHANGEHow the right Epos system can be a vital tool in

e-commerce sales—

35SHOW ME THE MONEY

Why choosing the right payment provider canmake all the difference at the checkout

—37

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVEREDManaging logistics effectively

—42

E-COMMERCE ESSENTIALSLeading experts reveal their top tips from SEO to

marketing —46

CLICKS AND BRICKSThree indies share their e-commerce

success stories —


COMMENT—

WITH ANNUAL GROWTH IN E-COMMERCE CONTINUING TO OUTPACE HIGH-STREET SALES, AN ONLINE PRESENCE ISLIKELY TO PLAY AN INCREASINGROLE IN MANY RETAILERS’BUSINESS MODELS. —

I’ve had many a conversation with indies from all market levels and backgrounds about the relevance of e-commerce to theirbusiness, with the debate ranging from thosewho swear that they don’t need it because it’s not applicable to their (often more mature and personal service oriented)customers to those who invest heavily in their multi-channel proposition and see it as a key driver for expansion.

While I appreciate where the e-commerce cynics are coming from, I leanmore towards those who feel that in order tofuture-proof their bricks-and-mortar business,retailers will have to consider a digital strategyand integrate online into their overall set-up.As a time-poor working mum, I am a self-confessed online shopping addict and,from groceries to fashion, I buy pretty mucheverything online, as the convenience factorplays a huge part in my hectic lifestyle. But it’snot just me who is glued to my laptop, iPadand iPhone. My three-year-old daughter hasbeen a whizz on the iPad since she was justover a year old, and operates the tablet like it’sthe most natural thing in the world. When Ilook at her, I see the future generation ofconsumers, who are growing up in a digitalworld where the internet will dominate nearlyevery aspect of their lives, whether that’sshopping online, learning and education or

maintaining social relationships. My daughtermay be still a little while off from whippingout (my) credit card, but today’s consumersalready very much fit that profile and, byignoring this, retailers may seriously limitthemselves in the future.

With all this in mind, we havededicated this issue to online retailing.Whether you’re thinking of setting up atransactional website or want to improve yourcurrent online operation, we have compiledthe “ultimate guide to e-commerce”,specifically tailored to independents, and wehope it will be a useful tool. What I personallyhave learned from speaking to the e-commerce experts for our various features isthat if you do venture into e-commerce, youhave to do it properly, and with appropriateresources, time and investment. The futuresuccess of fashion retailing, I believe, willdepend on a truly joined-up multi-channelexperience between bricks and mortar andonline, whereby consumers flip betweenshopping and browsing in-store and the webas they wish. And while there’s certainly still amultitude of established and thriving fashionindies out there who have successfullymanaged to shun the e-commerce world, thequestion is, “For how long?”

Isabella Griffiths, editor

EditorIsabella [email protected] —ContributorsVictoria [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]—Sub editorAmanda [email protected]—Design & productionMichael [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]—SalesSam [email protected] [email protected]—SubscriptionsLaura [email protected]—Production directorGill [email protected]—Portfolio directorNick [email protected]—Marketing directorStephanie [email protected]—Managing directorColette [email protected]—Reprographics/printingImageData Group 01482 652323

—WWB is published 9 times per year byRAS Publishing Ltd, The Old Town Hall,Lewisham Road, Slaithwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5AL. Call 01484 846069 Fax 01484 846232 —Copyright © 2014 WWB Magazine Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction of anywritten material or illustration in any formfor any purpose, other than short extracts forreview purposes, is strictly forbidden. Neither RASPublishing Ltd nor its agents accept liability forloss or damage to transparencies and any othermaterial submitted for publication.—

RAS Publishing is an ITE Group PLCcompany A Buyer Series Fashion BusinessPublication WWB is a fashion business publicationproduced by RAS Publishing Ltd. Other titlesinclude MWB and CWB.

08WOMENSWEAR BUYER WWW.WWB-ONLINE.CO.UK—MAY 2014

NEWS—

E-RETAIL SEES STRONGESTPERFORMANCE SINCE 2011

Results are indicative of continued stability in the e-commerce sector, withcustomer spend – rather than volume of online shoppers – up.

—

E-retail sales in Q1 of this year are up 17 per cent in comparison to Q1 2013,according to figures unveiled by therecent IMRG Capgemini e-Retail SalesIndex – the strongest growth in threeyears, representing an estimated £23.1bnspent online.

The results further support theongoing stability of the e-retail sector,which in March saw an annual growthof 18 per cent and a 15 per cent increaseon February. Consumers in the UK spentaround £7.8bn online during that month,up from £6.7bn in March 2013.

In terms of sector performance, anumber of key retail segments stood outduring the first quarter of the year, withaccessories seeing a 34 per cent increase and footwear growing by 22 per cent year-on-year. Clothing, meanwhile,recorded an increase of 21 per cent.

The upswing in sales, however, isbeing credited to people spending moreper purchase rather than more peopleshopping online. The average basketvalue hit £86 in March, and is thehighest rate recorded since Septemberlast year and compares with £77 inFebruary 2014 and March 2013.

Sales via mobile devices continue

to grow unabated, with m-commercerecording a year-on-year increase of 53 per cent in March, while conversionrates are also on the rise, with the averagerate recorded in March reaching a five-year high of 4.2 per cent.

“The solid growth represents thestrongest Q1 performance since 2011,with sales up 17 per cent year-on-year,”says Tina Spooner, chief informationofficer at IMRG.

“With online transaction valuesreaching the highest level recorded in sixmonths, and the average conversion ratefor March at pre-recession levels, theseresults not only demonstrate an overallincrease in consumer confidence, butalso that online shopping is becoming alarger part of our everyday lives.”

Chris Webster, VP, head of retailconsulting and technology atCapgemini, adds, “March’s Index is agood indicator of the current strength ofthe UK economy. It is interesting to seethat spending over the last three monthswas not limited to one sector or the resultof one particular influence.

“Rather, Britons are in goodspirits, have regained confidence in theeconomy, and using online as a means to

“With online transactionvalues reaching thehighest level recorded in six months, and theaverage conversion rate for March at pre-recession levels,these results not onlydemonstrate an overallincrease in consumerconfidence, but alsothat online shopping isbecoming a larger part of our everyday lives”

spend across the board,” he continues.“The sustained high conversion rate inMarch also demonstrates the huge stridesretailers have made in their onlineplatforms and are continuing to focus onimproving the customer experience.”


NEWS—

NAVABI LAUNCHESOWN LABELPlus-size e-tailer Navabi iscelebrating its fifth anniversarywith the launch of its first own-label collection. The debutoffer comprises five capsule stylesin recognition of the brand’sfive-year history, and transcendseveningwear and daywear withfigure-flattering cuts. Thecollection joins brands such asRoberto Cavalli, M Missoni andAnna Scholz on the website atwww.navabi.co.uk. The retailerhas also revealed plans to revampits online presence this year witha view to improving usability.—SOLID RECOVERY FORUK ECONOMYEconomic growth strengthenedacross the retail and servicessector throughout the month ofApril, according to the latest CBIGrowth Indicator. TheConfederation of British Industryreports a “solid growth” in retailactivity of 25 per cent comparedto 19 per cent in March – a sea-change in results followingan eight month low prior toMarch. The outlook for the nextthree months is now exceptionallystrong according to the CBI.—£4.5M NEW INVESTMENT FORSECRETSALES.COMFlash sales websiteSecretsales.com has secured£4.5m worth of investment fromventure capital firm PartechVentures and French privateequity firm 123Venture. Theinvestment comes followingsignificant sales growth for thewebsite, which achieved 70 percent net sales growth in 2013.“We are delighted to welcomePartech VI and 123Venture asnew investors, and pleased thatour existing shareholderscontinue to demonstrate theirsupport and commitment throughtheir participation in this latestfunding round,” says NishKukadia, CEO. “We are excited tonow focus on the next stage of ourambitious growth plans.”

PRIMARK PROFITS UP BY26 PER CENT

Primark has announced a rise in profits of26 per cent in the 24 weeks to 1 March. Thediscount high-street retailer, owned byAssociated British Foods, reported profits of £298m.

The surge in revenue has been attributed tothe retailer’s “aggressive growth strategy”,which has seen it open new larger storesacross the UK, bringing its total number ofoutlets to 269.

International expansion is also a focusfor the business, following its double-digitgrowth in Spain and Portugal and “verystrong” growth in Northern Europe.

Further expansion is forecast for thisyear, including the opening of a store inBoston, which heralds the brand’s arrival into the US.—

MODA WELCOMES EXCLUSIVE BRAND LINE-UP

A raft of domestic and internationalwomenswear brands is joining the line-up of exclusive signings at the next edition ofModa Woman, taking place on 10-12 August at the NEC in Birmingham.

Adini, Michaela Louisa and The MasaiClothing Company are among the labelswho have chosen Moda as their only UKshowcase, with the latter returning to thethree-day event after an absence of a coupleof seasons. Other newcomers to the eventinclude Hermann Lange, Bella Blue,Pachamama and Kiraku, while evening andoccasionwear section Moda Noir welcomesthe likes of Corrizi, Veni Infantino, MacDuggal and Rainbow Club to its ranks.

Meanwhile, Moda White – thededicated area for contemporary brands –sees the addition of Saskia and Ingenue, aswell as the return of Suzy D and Leo Guy,who made their show debuts last season.

A packed programme of catwalkshows, live debates as well as seminars and workshops dedicated to pertinent retail and industry topics round off thevisitor experience. —

The Masai Clothing Company


NEWS—

RETAILERS TO DESPATCH 920MILLION PARCELS IN 2014Deliveries from UK retailers willreach 920 million this year,according to a growth trajectoryby industry analyst IMRG. Thefigure is representative of theongoing growth of the volume ofparcels despatched by UK retailersthat is currently averaging 19.2per cent year-on-year.—INTERNATIONAL APPEAL FORUK APPARELUK clothing and footwearretailers are attracting moreinterest from overseas customers,according to the first quarterresults of Google’s online retailmonitor. Womenswear brandsand department stores inparticular have emerged aswinners, with searches for UKdepartment stores originatingfrom overseas increasing by asignificant 77 per cent thisquarter. “Apparel is a key driverof export for our UK retailers,and this is reflected in thereport,” says Peter Fitzgerald,retail director at Google. “Chinaand Russia continue to representa huge opportunity for retailers,with the fastest growth for UKapparel. In addition, ourfashion-led UK department storessee the fastest growth fromoverseas markets, demonstratingthe consumer trend towardsbreadth of choice andavailability.” The UK is now theworld’s second biggest online retailexporter, second only to the US.—JOHN LEWIS RETAINS TITLEOF UK’S BEST RETAILERJohn Lewis has retained its title asthe UK’s best retailer, followingthe Verdict Customer SatisfactionAwards, held last month at theLondon Stock Exchange. In itslatest customer satisfaction poll,Verdict Research reveals that thedepartment store chain is onceagain the nation’s number oneretailer. The survey of more than5,800 customers showed thatJohn Lewis obtained scores forservice that far exceeded anyother retailer. It also revealed thebest retailers by sector, as well asthe overall winner, with H&Mtopping the clothing list.

CHIC BEIJING MOVES TOSHANGHAI

Chic, the largest trade fashion event inmainland China, is to move from Beijing toShanghai in 2015. The annual show, whosemost recent edition took place on 26-29March, has been running in Beijing for 22years, with last month’s edition attractingaround 90,000 visitors.

Next year’s event, which will see Chicshortened from a four to a three day show,will be held on 18-20 March at a newly builtfairground scheduled to open in Shanghai atthe end of this year, and will run alongsideapparel fabrics show Intertextile.

The move from the Chinese capital to the city, largely regarded as the country’sfashion capital, will also pave the way for a new layout for the event’s 600-plusdomestic exhibitors. It will see brandssegmented by lifestyle rather than thecurrent division into womenswear,menswear and childrenswear halls.International brands will continue to show primarily in national pavilions.—

VAN DAL CONFIRMS BUY-OUT DEAL

Footwear manufacturer The Florida Group –owner of the Van Dal label – will be boughtby its existing management team when thebrand’s chairman, Simon Goodman, retireswithin the next couple of months. The movesecures the future of the British label, which isNorwich’s last remaining shoe manufacturer.

Led by current managing director TonyLinford, the brand’s new owner will aim to develop the label on an international level, boosting its presence as a Made inBritain brand.

“After so many years in the hands ofthe Goodman family, I feel privileged to betaking the helm of such a great business,”says Linford. “I am determined to build afuture for a company that is as distinguishedas its history to date, and the team and I haveexciting plans to take the company forward.”

Meanwhile, Simon Goodman,grandson of the brand’s founder, AdelmanGoodman, says, “This is a strong leadershipteam that is ideally placed to take thecompany into the future, and I step down in the knowledge that the business is in safe hands.” —


NEWS—

BIRA BANK CELEBRATES £1MTURNOVERBira Bank – the specialistfinancial service for independentretailers – has celebrated its first£1m turnover month in March2014. The turnover indicates a 76per cent increase in directcomparison with last March,something that Bira attributes toa surge in member enquiries at atime when it is notoriously hardfor businesses to secure fundingfrom high-street banks. Part ofthe British Independent RetailersAssociation, Bira Bank is the onlytrade association owned bank inthe UK. The service specialises inproducts that benefit independentretailers.—TIMBERLAND APPOINTS NEWVICE PRESIDENT OF SALESFootwear and apparel labelTimberland has appointedMariano Alonso as its new vicepresident of sales in line with itsplans for accelerated growth thisyear and beyond. Alonso ischarged with delivering a new,aggressive sales plan for thebrand, and will see it focus itsefforts on internationalexpansion across its women’s and men’s subsidiaries.—SUNDAY TRADING LAWSUNDER DEBATESome of the UK’s biggest retailers– including department storeSelfridges – are backing aParliamentary offensive to scrapSunday trading laws thatcurrently restrict retailers toopening for just six hours onSundays. The bid has the fullbacking of Conservative MP andvice chairman of the All Partyparliamentary Retail Group,Philip Davies, who says, “I wouldlike to scrap the Sunday tradingrestrictions altogether. The skyhas not fallen in Scotland wherethere are no such rules. We areliving with a ridiculous anomaly– if people want to keep Sundayspecial that is fine, they can do so.It is about freedom of choice.”Some independent retailers havevoiced their agreement, arguingthat flexibility is vital toburgeoning small business.

RETAILER CONFIDENCEINCREASES

Retailer confidence is at “its highest levelsince the recession”, according to the BritishIndependent Retailers Association (Bira). The news comes following the secondconsecutive quarter of overall recovery, and reports that seven in ten independentretailers feel confident about the trading year ahead of them.

For the clothing and footwear sectorspecifically, sales this quarter represented agrowth of 2.71 per cent in direct comparisonwith the first quarter of 2013.

Some retailers still expressedfrustration at the slow recovery of theeconomy, however, with one clothing andfootwear retailer of the anonymous surveydescribing the proverbial corner to be turnedas “long and bendy”.

Overall growth across all retailsectors differed from region to region, withretailers in Wales reporting significant salesincreases of 16.69 per cent this quarter. Thosein the North East of England, meanwhile,reported losses of 2.68 per cent in directcomparison with the first quarter of 2013.—

MISSGUIDED CELEBRATES£55M TURNOVER

Global fast-fashion business Missguided iscelebrating hitting £55m turnover afterrapid growth since its launch in 2009, withambitious plans to reach the £100m turnovermark by March 2015.

The Manchester online fashion retailer hasbecome one of the UK’s leading online fashionoutlets for women aged 16-35, and is said toattract over eight million hits a month.

A key driver for the plannedaggressive growth will be the ongoingexpansion into new markets, with a locallanguage site now live in France, and afurther rollout to include Germany andSweden later this year. This will build on thelaunches in Australia and the US in 2013.

To keep pace with the developments,the company is pursuing a significant hiringstrategy, and recruiting for a number ofsenior management positions within thenext few month, having recently hired ahead of buying. —

FARFETCH SECURES £40MOF INVESTMENT

Global e-commerce website Farfetch has secured£40m of investment from private equity firmVitruvian Partners. The website will use thefunding to further its omnichannel strategyand international growth.

“This round of investment will help fuel anumber of our key strategic goals,” says JoséNeves, founder and chief executive officer ofFarfetch. “We are looking to facilitate ouromnichannel proposition, escalate thedevelopment of local language sites for keynew markets and accelerate engineeringdevelopments to help facilitate a dynamicresponsive experience.”—


PROFILE—

FAREASTERNEASTERNEASPROMISE

With a growing middle class and a keen interest in international brands, China is now inthe sights of an increasing number of European labels. Nick Cook visited Beijing tradeshow Chic to find out how more mainstream names are faring in a market previously

known for its love of luxury.—

he growth of a newly affluent Chinese middle class has beenwell documented. Following a decade-long boom in sales ofluxury goods to China’s elite, a filtering through of wealth to a

swathe of the population expected to account for somewhere in theregion of 600 million consumers within the next five years has pavedthe way for an influx of mid-market fashion brands.

Visit one of Beijing’s numerous and glittering shoppingcentres, for example, and you’re likely to find the likes of Zara, H&Mand Esprit sitting in prime position alongside the home-grown retailfascias unfamiliar to Western eyes, and which are now being given aserious run for their money by these Western chains. A less familiarsight, however, is the multi-brand stores that, here in Europe, remainthe key point of sale for so many mainstream womenswear brands.

However, at the most recent edition of China’s largest tradefashion exhibition, Chic, which took place in Beijing in March, thepresence of national pavilions from Germany, France and Italy sawbrands such as Eugen Klein, Damo, Pause Cafe, Nathalie Chaize,Fuego and Mariella Rosati using the event to investigate thepossibilities of the Chinese market. And in many cases they also tookthe opportunity to build on contacts established over previous seasons,either in China or at home in Europe. As any brand that’s either triedor indeed succeeded in the Chinese market will tell you, there is nosurefire route to success. But with the growth potential of traditionalWestern markets now stagnant or diminishing, China is becoming anincreasingly attractive target.

“Multi-brand retail is still a new concept in China, but moreand more stores are now opening up,” says Julie Gedeon, exportmanager at French womenswear label Pause Cafe, which was showingat Chic for the first time. The brand’s first encounter with the Chinesemarket, says Gedeon, came when it took part in a trade mission toChina, during which it made contact with a Chinese retailerspecialising in European brands with a chain of over 100 stores. “That

was three seasons ago, and we’ve sold very well through these stores, andtheir customers seem to love the collection,” she says. With multi-brandretail still in its early stages, however, it’s finding more suitable outletsthrough which to develop the brand that remains the challenge.

Frederic Lener, general manager of French outerwear labelLener, is confident that there is a market for the company’s productsin China. But, like most of the European brands targeting thecountry, he knows that success is unlikely to happen overnight. “Wecame to Chic three years ago but, although we met a lot of people,nothing concrete came out of it,” he says. “Now there are a lot moreoverseas brands in China and we’re also more in contact with Chinesecompanies visiting France, so the opportunities are there. Comingover to China isn’t about the orders; it’s about the people you meet.”

Although brands such as Lener are open to the idea oflicensing as well as wholesale sales, the potential of multi-brand retailis something that both Chic’s exhibitors and its organisers are keen tosee grow. Chic’s seminar programme, for example, featured a numberof presentations on multi-brand retailing, with guests includingPeter Caplowe – co-founder of Hong Kong fashion trade show TheHUB –who has been working with Chic on promoting the multi-brand concept to businesses in the region for the last twelve months.

“Interest in the big name luxury brands has slowedsignificantly,” says Caplowe. “That level of luxury isn’t seen as ‘cool’anymore, and the Chinese government has introduced new anti-corruption laws that prevent public officials from wearing high-end designer labels, or exchanging them as gifts.

“But interest in fashion hasn’t waned, so consumers who are into fashion are looking for new brands,” he continues. “Giventhat not every brand is in a position to open a chain of standalones,the only place they’re going to be able to find these brands is in multi-brand stores, and it’s something that retail business are quicklycoming to realise."

T


INTERVIEW—

Q&A

—As CEO of Canada Goose, and grandson of the man who founded the business, Dani Reiss

knows a thing or two about top-end outerwear for extreme weather. Tom Bottomley grabs himon a flying visit to the all-new showroom in London to talk parkas.

—

Dani Reiss


INTERVIEW—

Tom Bottomley: What marks your downparkas out from anyone else’s?Dani Reiss: There are a lot of things thatseparate our jackets from the rest. Firstly, theyare authentic, and it’s about the actual use ofour products, and then it’s about thematerials we use. If you go to the coldestplaces on earth, such as Antarctica, Siberia orAlaska, you will see people wearing ourproducts because we are the real deal. We usethe best down in the world – CanadianHutterite –which we get from farmers inthe Canadian prairies. All our blends containsome Hutterite. Nobody else has scientificblends of down that they’ve perfected over theyears to work in harmony with the fabrics,creating such extreme warmth.

TB: How have you seen your women’sbusiness grow?DR: Women’s is now 50 per cent of thebusiness worldwide, and 40 per cent in theUK. It has grown significantly over the lasttwo years. At one time, most of our sales weremen’s styles, but today we see women’s salesgrowing at the same pace. We do offer morefashion-forward pieces as part of our outdoorluxury Branta collection. Branta uses themost luxurious, yet still inherentlyfunctional fabrics and finishes to createsleeker urban styles for those consumerslooking for a more polished look.

TB: What is the bestselling jacket forwomen, and why? DR: The Trillium is an overall Europeanfavourite as the fit is trim and many womenlike the mid-length cut. I think in the pastit’s been hard for women to find a high-performance, warm winter coat thatalso looks great, and the Trillium hits themark on fusing function with fashion. Morerecently, our lightweight collection hasbecome popular. Take, for example, theversatility of the HyBridge Lite jacket – it’s anamazing travel companion as it weighs lessthan half a pound, and easily packs downinto a handbag.

TB: Where does Canada Goose havestores in the world? DR: Currently, we’re 100 per cent wholesale.We’re launching an e-commerce platformthis year in Canada, and then rollout plansfor the rest of world will follow. We’ve had ashop-in-shop in Harrods for over a year thatdoes very well for us.

TB: What’s your connection with thefilm industry?DR: We call ourselves the unofficial jacket offilm crews. That’s because any film set you goto around the world –where it’s cold – fromthe last three decades at least, you wouldgenuinely see Canada Goose jacketseverywhere. You’d think we were sponsoringthem, but we’re not. We’re just the jackets ofchoice because we do the best job! Lately wehave started to sponsor film festivals. It’s away of celebrating our authenticinvolvement in the film industry. We don’tpay for endorsements or product placements.People wear our products because they wantto. Our jackets are also used in films toauthenticate freezing locations.

TB: Was the original business foundedon making private-label products forother brands?DR: Back in the day, yes. My grandfatherstarted the business in 1957. He was animmigrant from Eastern Europe, andoriginally a cutter in other people’s factories.Then he founded Metro Sportswear, whichmade general outerwear for the local marketin Canada. My father got involved in thebusiness in the 70s. He grew the down businesson the private-label side. He also invented a“down machine” for filling the jackets. It wasquite revolutionary at the time, and was amachine that we used up until very recently.He started producing jackets for famousnames such as Eddie Bauer, LL Bean andTimberland. He also started the Canada Goosebrand. It was all about his passion for makingincredible products for the coldest places onearth, and it developed a cult following.

TB: What’s the summer market like foryou?DR: We don’t have a summer line as such, butwe do offer different lighter-weight productsthat do well for us in spring. The HighbridgeLite jacket has been very successful,particularly in the UK. People ask us about“summer-specific” product, but we’re carefulto make everything we do a “best-in-class”product, and also “made in Canada”.

TB: Would you ever dilute the brand andintroduce product at cheaper price pointto hit a wider audience?DR: No. We’d rather go upmarket that down-market. It’s more fun and challengingto make better things, and we only want tomake things that we’d wear ourselves.

TB: Do women tend to want more of a“fashion-led” design, or are they equallyinto the functional aspects of CanadaGoose outerwear? DR: Sure they want to look good, but it’sreally about wanting a real brand thatdelivers on the promise of being the best andthe warmest. One of the biggest innovationshas been developing the right cuts and fitsfor women. For a long time, Canada Goosewas perceived to be a men’s company only,and women who wanted our product wouldbuy smaller versions of those jackets. In thelast five to seven years we really invested inperfecting women’s fits, and that’s why todayit represents 50 per cent of the businessworldwide. We make women look amazing.

TB: Did you ever think selling a parkafor over £800 would be a problem in theUK market? DR: No, never. We are committed to producingthe best jackets in the world, so we only usethe best materials, from our proprietarycustom down blends and waterproof,windproof and breathable four-way stretchfabric to smaller details such as the placementof buttons, grab straps and zippers. All thesematerials come at a premium price. We arealso made in Canada, and every jacket ismade by an artisan. Together, these elementscreate a high-value product. Our customerssupport this approach and demand for ourproducts continues to outstrip supply.

TB: What sort of growth have you seenover the past decade?DR: It’s now over 3,500 per cent. A lot comesdown to our marketing, but number one isthat the brand is a “product” story. Thecompany has gone from being worth CAN$3m (£1.6m) to well in excess of CAN $150m(£81.5m). In the UK, our growth is currently230 per cent year-on-year.

TB: Where does particularly well for youin the UK?DR: We sit at the intersection of function andfashion, giving us a unique distributionposition that is spread across the region’s bestoutdoor and fashion retailers. Our top indiesinclude Matches, Browns, Accent and Jules B.All these retailers have a reputation forsourcing “best-in-class” products.

“IF YOU GO TO THECOLDEST PLACES ONEARTH, SUCH ASANTARCTICA, SIBERIAAND ALASKA, YOU WILLSEE PEOPLE WEARINGOUR PRODUCTSBECAUSE WE ARE THEREAL DEAL”


E-COMMERCE GUIDE—

THE INDIEGUIDE TO

E-COMMERCE

WWB’S INDISPENSABLE MULTI-CHANNEL RETAILING MANUAL,PROVIDING INDEPENDENT RETAILERS WITH HELPFUL TOOLS ANDEXPERT ADVICE ON ISSUES SUCH AS WEB DESIGN, PRODUCT

PHOTOGRAPHY, PAYMENTS, LOGISTICS AND RETURNS, AS WELL AS THEINSIDE STORY FROM RETAILERS WHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATED

E-COMMERCE WITH BRICKS AND MORTAR. —


MULTI-CHANNEL—

IN WITH“THE CLICK”

With e-commerce sales continuing to rise, more and more players are competing for aslice of the online cake. Indies are also increasingly embracing multi-channel retailing

and, with the right amount of investment and commitment, the rewards can besignificant. Tom Bottomley looks at the factors driving the sector.

—

recent survey among independentretailers carried out by WWBrevealed that of the 88.8 per cent of

the retailers who said they had a website, animpressive 63.1 per cent said it wastransactional, while a whopping 97 per centof retailers surveyed stated they would like togrow their e-commerce arm. And althoughthe competition only getting tougher, it seemsthat online retailing is big business indeed.

One couple that has taken the onlinebull by the horns is Julian and Rhona Bladeswith their North-East based Jules B business.Their investment into e-commerce came in2009, at a time when they were looking toexpand their bricks-and-mortar side butfailed to secure new premises – somethingthat Julian now seems thankful for.

“There was a demise in footfall, andwe had two ways to approach it,” he says.“One was to become bigger shop-wise, theother was to go down the internet routewhich, at the time, we knew nothing about.We had our hearts set on developing a retailsite next to our existing shop in Jesmond. Itwas a considerable size, but we got gazumpedat the last minute by Waitrose. It didn’t seemgood at the time, but now it’s the best thingthat ever happened.”

Having reconsidered their strategy,Jules B’s internet business started off small,but very quickly they saw encouraging signsusing Google’s “pay per click” advertising,with solid return on investment. “For every£1,000 we spent, we could get £10,000 back inturnover,” says Julian.

The business may have been growingorganically, but it was also growing at aphenomenal rate. “We invested all the timeand, once I saw this recipe working, I wasn’tafraid to throw money at it because you couldquantify your return,” he says. Five years on,Jules B is turning over around £6m on thenet, with a forecast for the coming year at£7m, and is employing around 45 people.The nine Jules B shops (six women’s andthree men’s) are an integral part of thebusiness, effectively not only shops but

warehouses with their own “fulfilmentrooms”, where goods are sent out to thecustomers based on an Epos system that picksand allocates the stock per store.

It’s fair to say that the phenomenalgrowth of e-commerce has permeated everyelement of the retail sector, offering not justthe big players, but also independents ampleopportunity to get a slice of the online cake.What’s also now changing the goalposts isthe growth of shopping from mobile phonesand tablets. John Mercer, senior analyst atmarket research specialists Mintel, says,“Smartphones have the potential to changeshopper behaviour. It means consumers areconstantly shopping and they can turn‘down-time’ into browsing and shoppingtime. It means they are better equipped tocompare products, prices and retailers.”

A new study by IMRG, theInteractive Media in Retail Group, the UK’sindustry association for e-retail, has revealed

that 11 per cent of retailers expect more than50 per cent of their online sales to come viamobile by the end of 2014, a figure up fromjust four per cent of retailers in 2013 – whichshows just how fast times are changing.

But having a transactional websiteworks both ways and can also stimulatefootfall into store. Interestingly, BrunoBerthezene, managing director of SolocalGroup UK, a leader in local digital marketingservices, says that 34 per cent of UKconsumers were found to look at a productonline before making a purchase in-store – atrend called “reverse showrooming”.

He also says that in spite of thegrowth of online commerce, the majority ofUK retail purchases still take place inphysical stores today. “Customers have astrong preference for buying in shops,allowing them to touch and see items or tryon clothes before deciding to purchase, andalso get their goods immediately without

A

“Smartphones have the potential to change shopperbehaviour. It means consumers are constantly shopping,and they can turn ‘down-time’ into browsing andshopping time. It means they are better equipped tocompare products, prices and retailers”


MULTI-CHANNEL—

having to wait for a delivery,” saysBerthezene. “Independent retailers can standout by offering their customers thecombined advantages retail e-players canoffer such as online catalogues, productinventory, online payment and so on, withthe advantages of having a physical storethrough click and collect, for instance.Customers are increasingly looking forflexibility in the act of purchase, and want tobe able to choose how, when and where theywill pay for their item and receive it.”

According to market analyst Verdict,growth in the clothing and footwear onlinemarket is forecast to slow in the coming fiveyears to 2019, with a rate of 80 per centcompared to 165 per cent growth in thepreceding five-year period due to thematurity of retailers’ online operations.Though it might not be such phenomenalgrowth, as is the case with online fashiongiant Asos, it’s hardly to be sniffed at.

Giulio Cinque, owner of independentwomen’s and men’s boutique Giulio inCambridge, has so far not taken atransactional website route. Instead, he workswith Farfetch, the e-commerce company thatwas launched in 2008 to act as a platform forindependent boutiques worldwide to realise

their global sales potential with minimumrisk. They simply take a percentage of sales. “Ican’t comment on the traffic I would getglobally if I did have my own transactionalwebsite, “ says Cinque. “But I can tell you thatwith Farfetch I’m now shipping to 30different countries, and it represents 30 percent of our turnover after just three years.”

Cinque says an advantage of using a site such as Farfetch is that it offers a ready-made infrastructure with a speciallybuilt digital management system, includingall the marketing. “It’s given me a realopportunity to ‘get out there’,” says Cinque.“It certainly provides a small fish in a bigpond the opportunity to have a muchstronger presence without the hugeinvestment required by independentsstanding alone in the worldwide web.”

Whichever way indies choose to tapinto e-commerce, there’s no doubt that therewards can be significant – but only ifretailers are committed to making a properinvestment in terms of finances, resourcesand time.

According to Julian Blades, a lot ofretailers don’t take having an internetbusiness seriously enough, and they don’tunderstand the complications involved with

running a website. “It’s very involved,” hesays. “When I look at some of mycontemporaries who started off with websitesat the same time as us, they underestimatedthe level of investment that is required.

“Our timing, from when we started,was also quite clinical, because we could groworganically,” Blades continues. “Now there isa lot more competition in the marketplace.After 28 years of retailing, within five yearsthe internet has become 60 per cent of thebusiness turnover. But we have a marketingdepartment and people employed just toconstantly do affiliate advertising. We also have people employed to do ‘pay per click’. We have four full-timephotographers and four content writers, aswell as packing staff and so on. Without all of that, you may as well not bother gettingout of bed.”

There’s no doubt that fashion e-commerce is here to stay, and it’s clear thatgoing forward it will become much more ofa cross-channel experience of bricks andmortar and their online counterparts.Customers will increasingly demandflexibility and diversity in the way they shop,switching between purchasing clothes onlineor just browsing and “showrooming”, andvisiting a bricks-and-mortar store to buy orvice versa, and it’s something retailers willhave to put more emphasis on.

Cinque seconds this. Internet salesthrough Farfetch may represent 30 per centof his turnover, but he believes it’s all relativebecause bricks-and-mortar sales have shrunk.“What it’s done is contribute to maintainingan acceptable turnover,” he says. “I think it’simportant to have ‘bricks and clicks’. We’remaking a big effort to love our customermore in-store and, because we have the shop,we have an emotional attachment with ourcustomers. Whereas when you think aboutthe likes of Net a Porter, you think of awarehouse. So we feel strongly about ourbricks-and-mortar business, and that’s whatwe’re putting a big focus on.” Spoken like atrue retailer.


WEB DESIGN—

SPINNINGTHE WEB

Launching a transactional website can be a valuable extension of a bricks-and-mortarstore, but for many indies it can be a daunting task. Isabella Griffiths quizzes Tim Johnson, director at leading e-commerce provider Visualsoft, about the key

to a successful multi-channel operation and the pitfalls to avoid. —

or many smaller businesses, the worldof e-commerce can be a minefield,and indies in particular often struggle

with where to start when it comes totranslating their bricks-and-mortarexperience into a viable online arm.

“You need to treat the launch of atransactional website like you would theopening of another shop, both in terms of investment and what you would do tomake that additional branch work,” says Tim Johnson, director at e-commerceprovider Visualsoft, which specialises in the design, build and marketing of onlinestores, and who has worked with more than 500 independent businesses across avariety of industry sectors, including fashionindies such as Jules B, Havetolove, Cricketand Psyche.

“A typical mistake that indies make isthat they build a website and just expect it togenerate lots of business, but that’s not how itworks,” he continues. “You get out of it whatyou put in. In a bricks-and-mortar store, youwould merchandise properly, market theshop properly, cross-sell and up-sell, and youhave to do the same online. A lot of stores try e-commerce, it doesn’t meet theirexpectations and they write it off, but therewards are still up there for grabs – you justhave to do it properly.”

For many indies thinking aboutlaunching e-commerce or indeed improvingtheir existing set-up, the question of howmuch investment is needed is often the mosttricky one. “A minimum investment isaround £3,000 for a functional start-up site;if it’s less, it’s usually not a good enoughsolution,” says Johnson. “Obviously, for more advanced sites, the cost goes upproportionately with features and additionalfunctionality. For existing websites thatrequire a redesign or relaunch, we aretypically looking at an investment ofbetween £5,000 and £10,000.”

Keeping the website functional, easyto navigate and user-friendly arefundamental rules every retailer venturing

into e-commerce should adhere to. Johnsonsays, “Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. A lot of indies over-think the design and want tobe different. For instance, you usually havethe basket in the top-right corner, so don’t try to place it in the bottom-left, for example,as it ends up being a case of style overfunction and can easily alienate customers.You have to follow the fundamental rules ofa bricks-and-mortar shop online, too. In abricks-and-mortar store, you wouldn’t putyour front door in the back and the till in thewarehouse just to be different, so why wouldyou do that online? There are certainindustry standards that customers expect and are used to.

“On the internet, your customer isonly ever two clicks away from yourcompetitors,” he continues. “Users will onlyspend a few minutes on the website, so youhave to create as few steps from product tocheckout as possible to convert the visit into asale. Functionality, usability and ease ofnavigation are key.”

Johnson advises retailers to thinkcarefully about the design of their webpresence and the image it portrays about thebusiness. “Online users will make anassumption about the quality of your onlinestore within three to five seconds of clickingon your site, so you have to ensure that youpresent a trustworthy and professional

environment, especially when you work inthe branded and premium sector,” he says.“So think about good product presentationand photography, the amount of productavailable and how you merchandise it.

“A lot of indies also get it wrong bywasting much of their homepage on talkingabout their bricks-and-mortar store insteadof a strong product presentation,” Johnsoncontinues. “The reality is that most of youronline visitors are not local, and they don’tcare about your bricks-and-mortar store –they are on your website because they want tobuy your product so, again, make it as easy aspossible. By all means put a picture of yourstore on the ‘contacts’ page to add credibilityto your operation, but don’t be tempted towaste the homepage on it.”

Ultimately, the success of an e-commerce arm depends on many factors,but Johnson advocates that, if done properly,it is an investment that is set to enhance abusiness and put it on a good footing forfuture growth, as e-commerce continues torise. And with mobile commerceaccelerating the online marketplace evenfurther, he recommends that retailers alsothink about the future developmentpotential of their sites.

“Mobile technology is the key driverof the future; between 30 and 50 per cent offashion websites generate their traffic

F


WEB DESIGN—

“On the internet, yourcustomer is only evertwo clicks away fromyour competitors.Users will only spend a few minutes on thewebsite, so you haveto create as few steps from product to checkout aspossible to convert the visit into a sale.Functionality, usabilityand ease of navigationare key”

HAVE A PLANEven if you don’t have an incrediblydetailed business plan, it’s wise to have anidea of what you expect your store toachieve in its first year and map out whatactions you need to take to make ithappen. Be realistic, and be prepared tochange your plan along the way inresponse to a fast-moving sector.

SECURE YOUR DOMAINYou need to purchase your store’s domainas soon as possible to make sure you don’tmiss out on a name that’s easy toremember and appropriate for yourbusiness.

GET BRANDEDYour new online business will need a logothat will feature on your store, as well asrelated material such as invoices andemails, so it’s important to get aprofessionally designed logo that projects the right image for your store andcan be easily applied to everything andanything you might need depending onthe growth of your business. Investing in a strong identity early on can avoid theneed for expensive redesign costs laterdown the line.

SET UP A MERCHANT ACCOUNTA merchant account is a type of bankaccount that allows you to accept paymentfrom shoppers’ credit cards. If you don’talready have a merchant account, speak toyour bank about getting one set up.Alternatively, some payment gatewayproviders can supply them.

APPLY FOR A PAYMENT GATEWAYTo process online payments, your storeneeds a payment gateway to allow thesecure transfer of credit card funds fromshoppers to your merchant account. Theapplication for a payment gateway cansometimes take several weeks, so it’s bestto begin the process as early as possible.

CONSIDER CONTENTSuccessful stores feature more than justproducts, so it’s important to think aboutthe additional content of your storesooner rather than later, as it can take timeto put together great copy for yourreturns policy, store history and About Uspage etc. In addition, for some content

such as your terms and conditions of saleor your site’s privacy policy, you may needhelp from your solicitor or a businessdevelopment agency.

MAKE DATA DECISIONSTo put together a clear structure for yournew store, your e-commerce provider willneed to know what type of products you’llbe selling and how they can be brokendown into sub-departments, and roughlyhow many products you’ll have available tobuy. Also, you’ll need to know how youplan on adding product data to your store(manually, or via spread sheet import orEpos integration).

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERSThe more you can learn about your targetmarket, the better, as the data can informwhat you stock, how your store looks etc.Find out what your potential customerswant from a store, what they don’t and,ultimately, what motivates them to buy.

IMPRESSIVE IMAGESWhen selling online, the quality of yourproducts are often judged on the qualityof your images, so shoddy pictures are aquick way to lose potential customers. Itmight be worth engaging a photographerwith the right experience to deliverproduct shots that are attractive and show a good level of detail.

SIZE UP YOUR COMPETITIONIt’s useful to do market research and lookat potential competitors selling online, andmake note of their pricing, approach andaesthetic so you can use the information toinform how you will – or won’t – do thingswith your own online store.

CONSIDER PROMOTIONS ANDMARKETINGLike any retail business, merely existingisn’t enough to attract customers. It’sessential that you think about whatpromotions and incentives you’ll offer, andhow you will market your business on anongoing basis once it’s launched.

PICK THE RIGHT PROVIDERHundreds of retailers lose a huge amountof time and money on their online storesbecause they don’t carry out due diligencewhen choosing an e-commerce provider.

through mobile devices. On some sites it’s as much as 70 per cent, especially whereit’s backed by a strong social-mediacampaign, because people spend hours ontheir phones and tablets on social media,”says Johnson. “So if you’re making aninvestment in a website, it’s worth thinkingabout future proofing it for the mobilecustomer also.”

Responsive design – where the siterecognises whether it’s being viewed on adesktop, tablet or mobile device and adaptsthe viewing experience accordingly – may bethe buzzword here, but Johnson says that thisis often costly, and that more budget-friendlyalternatives do exist. “Responsive design isquite expensive, but if you’re on a budget, wenormally recommend to build your websiteand include a mobile site, so both arecovered,” he says. “It is a good compromise,and a lot cheaper to implement.”

Complex as the world of e-commercemay be, Johnson is convinced that it’s theonly way to go for any business wanting tosurvive and thrive. “The future is definitelyonline – that’s a reality,” he says. “If storesdon’t adapt, they will be left behind, whetheryou like it or not. A new generation ofconsumer is coming through that has grownup with the internet and mobile devices, andthis will continue to drive and shape theretail sector.”

For more information and further tips and advice on all things e-commerce, call Visualsoft on 01642 633 604, email [email protected] or visitwww.visualsoft.co.uk.

THE E-COMMERCE START-UP GUIDE by Visualsoft


OPEN TO QUESTION—

ON THE RIGHT LINESWhat are the secrets to a successful online operation? WWB quizzes key indies about

their approach to prosperous e-commerce. —

JAN CLIFTOwner, Feva,Cheltenham, Gloucester

How long have you had yourtransactional website, and whatpercentage of your business doesit make up?

In 2007 we launched a low-cost websitewith limited functionality. It precededour Epos system and was a bit“homespun”; a big mistake as ourcustomers had become accustomed tosophisticated online shops. After threeseasons, we suspended the site andrelaunched last summer with a biggerrange, dramatically improvedfunctionality and much greater customerappeal. It’s early days, but our webbusiness is building monthly, although itis still a small percentage of our turnover.

We obviously can’t compete with themajor players, but we believe you candevelop a decent site for a fraction ofwhat they spend. Our basic site costaround £7,000 to build. But on top ofthat there are running, productionand maintenance costs of around£10,000 a year.

At the moment we sell exactly thesame brands online. We know fromcustomer feedback that many use thesite to “browse the shop” beforecoming in to buy, so it’s important tohave consistency. However, we willreview this at the end of the season, asit’s clear that some products and brandsare better suited to online purchasethan others. Also, the online customerprofile can be quite different to our in-store customers.

Our online store was launched inNovember 2012 to bring MariannaBoutique to a wider audience andremove the constraints of the physicalstore’s opening times. We wanted to give existing customers the freedom toshop whenever they like, giving newflexibility to a well-loved brand. While it’s still early days for our e-commerce site as it enters its secondyear, relative to our overall turnover,online sales represent a small but rapidlygrowing percentage.

The website cost less than £5,000. Onreflection, we have learnt a hugeamount since we launched at the end of2012, and there are many things wewould do differently.

We aim to sell around 80 per centof our collections online. We can berestricted by the availability ofgood-quality images of ourproducts, and work hard toovercome this while keeping an eye on managing expenses.

We launched the bricks-and-mortarstore in Wilmslow in September2010, and followed this with theonline launch in March 2011. Threeyears on, our online transactionsaccount for around 10 per cent ofour overall revenue.

Over £10,000. We have to continuallyinvest in the online business to maintainsuccess. We have technical developmentcosts, apportionment of PR and socialmedia investments, online marketingand affiliate commissions.

We offer our customers the samebrands and products online as we doin-store. Black White Denim centresaround helping our customers lookeffortlessly stylish. We carefullyconsider every brand and collection we buy each season, ensuring they all work together to make it easy forour customer.

We have had it for around three years,and it makes up 60 per cent.

We invested over £10,000 in the website. Everything in-store is online and viceversa. We make sure that as soon assomething is delivered it goes onlinestraight away.

What level of investment didyou make?

Are you selling the same brandsas in-store?

EMMA LLOYDOwner,

Marianna Boutique,Ipswich

JO DAVIESFounder,

Black White Denim,Cheshire

JOANNA NICOLAOwner,

Oxygen Boutique, West London


OPEN TO QUESTION—

There is no doubt that we will put moreemphasis on online. At the basic level it’sa broader showcase for our shop. Beyondthat, it becomes another important saleschannel. All commentators are saying thatonline sales are continuing to grow and,as a result, you have to question thetraditional retail model. At my mostpessimistic, I fear for the long-term futureof the single-location independentbricks-and-mortar boutique.

Yes, we have to. We will see what we canachieve within a sensible budget, butdevelopment costs are coming down. Wecan never emulate the market leaders,but there are one or two great indie sitesout there, and we would hope to getclose to them.

It’s difficult to say, as it’s heavily dependent on howmuch investment we make online. I would hope wecould ultimately sell more online than in-store.

We have seen a massive increase inonline sales in 2014, and are in excess of50 per cent of our annual target, whichwe are thrilled about. Lively socialmedia, marketing campaigns andconsumers’ ever-growing appetite foronline shopping have driven this.

We have significantly invested in therebuild of the Marianna website, and arecurrently in the final stages of itsrelaunch. Our new, highly responsive e-commerce platform will enable amore robust marketing strategy forincreased online sales generation.

Many of our customers show strong loyalty andappreciation of personal service, and enjoybrowsing the rails of our exclusive hand-pickedScandinavian collections in-store. We don’t believethey will ever tire of this shopping experience andreceiving tailored style advice. However, if we cancontinue to extend the Marianna shoppingexperience to new and returning online customersbeyond East Anglia, we envisage this could equateto around a quarter of our overall turnover.

Blackwhitedenim.com is growingslowly but steadily. We invest time andenergy into understanding our onlinecustomer, making sure we are offeringthem the same quality customerexperience, just as we would if they werein our store.

We are constantly looking at ways wecan improve the online experience forour shoppers. Some are visual changes –from photography to productdescriptions – and others are lessobvious, back-end and search alterations.

Our aim is that by the end of 2014, the onlinebusiness with be worth 25 per cent of the overall business.

Yes. We are really trying to grow the online business with moremarketing and PR. We are also looking at brand cross-promotions and Google advertising.

Yes, we hope to carry on growing the siteinternationally, and are placing furtherbudgets into advertising.

I think it will carry on growing more than bricksand mortar. I envisage in the next year it will makeup 70 per cent of our sales.

Is your e-commerce armgrowing, and what is drivingthis growth?

Are you planning furtherdevelopments to your website?

What percentage of your business do youenvisage the website to become over thenext few years – and in relation to yourbricks-and-mortar store?


PHOTOGRAPHY—

THE BIGGERPICTUR E

The quality of photography can be a crucial factor in the success or failure of an e-commercebusiness, so getting the product presentation right should be top of the agenda for any onlinebusiness. Isabella Griffiths chatted to two leading experts in e-commerce photography about

the dos and don’ts and how to make your products stand out online. —

n e-commerce, the quality of a websiteand product presentation is the onlineequivalent of the fascia and shop

window of a bricks-and-mortar store andinstantly tells a story about how credible andprofessional a business is. Appealingphotography is therefore part and parcel ofhaving an attractive website. But it’s not justabout aesthetics – presenting products inhigh-quality images can be the decidingfactor between an empty basket or a sale. It’stherefore crucial for anyone with an onlinepresence to consider the strength of theirproduct presentation – and not just as anafterthought.

“Good product photography is vitalfor any online store, but even more so for awomenswear site. You’ve got to come as closeas you can to replicating the in-storeexperience online,” says John Whalley, groupcreative director at Photolink Creative Group,one of the leading agencies specialising inproduct photography, design and strategy fore-commerce businesses.

“A lot of start-ups or smallerbusinesses make the fundamental error ofunderestimating the importance of theirphotography,” he continues. “But one badpicture can destroy any first impression, andis ultimately a reflection of your brand andstore. You have got to be ambitious when itcomes to product presentation. If you look atthe best websites out there, they are investingmore and more money into productpresentation, and that’s for a reason, becausethere is a direct link between goodphotography and conversion rates.”

This is mirrored by Lee Friend, CEOand executive producer at Packshot and itsfashion arm Fashot, the UK’s largest providerof professional photography to the e-commerce sector, with studios across theUK and several international bases. “A lot ofbusinesses forget to budget for photography,especially smaller ones that are facing bigstart-up costs,” he says. “But it’s somethingthat needs to be taken seriously and seen aspart of the overall investment. The

e-commerce sector – especially fashion – is socompetitive nowadays that no business,regardless of size, can afford to lag behind.The difference between good and greatproduct presentation is not that dramatic but,if your presentation is bad, it instantly showsand can have a big impact on your sales.”

It’s often the cost factor that leavesretailers unsure about their approach toproduct presentation and tempts somebusinesses into cutting corners – at thewrong end, as both experts agree. “In termsof investment, there is no one size fits allapproach; it depends on each individualbusiness,” says Whalley. “But professionalphotography is not as expensive as peoplemight think, especially when you consider

the impact on your sales. Professional studioshave the set-up and can process any volumeof images. It goes without saying that themore styles we process, the more costeffective it gets. But even smaller businessesshouldn’t be scared of approachingprofessional companies, as they might besurprised just how worthwhile it is.”

Friend agrees, “It essentially boilsdown to a simple mathematical exercise as to what kind of photography set-up you canafford and what is right for your business. Ifit costs you £15 to shoot your garment, but itonly retails for £20 or £30, then the figuresdon’t stack up. But if you’re selling a £300dress, a £15 investment does makecommercial sense, as the better your

I

John Whalley

Lee Friend


PHOTOGRAPHY—

photography, the more likely it is that youwill sell it and avoid returns.”

While employing the services of aprofessional photography studio may be theideal scenario, it’s not uncommon forretailers to opt for an in-house set-up. And,while both Friend and Whalley don’t disputethat this can certainly work for businesses,too, they do warn that it also needs to bringprofessional results, as a visible DIY approachcan be detrimental. “There are advantages toboth set-ups,” says Whalley. “A professionalstudio like ours processes thousands ofimages every month and has years ofexperience, so there is a certain methodologyto what we do that can’t be easily replicated ina back room of a store somewhere.

“There are different layers ofexpertise that come into play, too – not justthe photography aspect itself, but also thesample management and ensuring that eachstyle is correctly presented, styled, labeled andaccessorised properly etc,” he continues.“There’s nothing worse than not knowinghow to style and accessorise a garment foronline and it showing on the picture. Thedifference between an amateur andprofessional result is also in post-production– we put a lot of effort into ensuring colourbalances and an accurate representation of agarment, which is crucial in avoiding adisappointed customer and returns.”

This is mirrored by Friend, “There’smore to successful product presentation than

just the image – it also needs to be captionedproperly, have appealing product copy and beprofessionally SEO embedded etc.”

In terms of presentation styles,approaches vary from site to site betweensimple product shots, ghost-effect cut-outs,garments on mannequins, models or 360-degree rotation to catwalk and othervideos. According to Friend, eachpresentation style has got its advantages, witha mixture of methods the most desirable,though he concedes that not every businessneeds an all-singing and all-dancingapproach, as long as the overall effect isprofessional, clean and consistent. “You don’talways need something fancy, and you don’talways need 10 images per garment to create

“A lot of start-ups orsmaller businessesmake a fundamentalerror byunderestimating theimportance of theirphotography. But onebad picture can destroyany first impression,and is ultimately areflection of your brandand store. You have got to be ambitiouswhen it comes toproduct presentation”

Fashot

Fashot

>>>


PHOTOGRAPHY—

good product presentation,” he says. “Thereare advantages to all of the different stylesused across fashion sites – a simple productshot on a mannequin can work perfectly fine.It often gives better results than a model,because you can’t pin a model! As long as theproduct is presented clean and professionally,the effect is the same.

“A model shot or video is good forshowing how a garment hangs, but itobviously creates additional costs in terms ofmodel, styling and make-up etc,” hecontinues. “There’s also an argument for andagainst using faces of models in shots. Asidefrom the obvious styling issue, you have toconsider whether a model – and what kindof model – is right to represent the clienteleof your business. Obviously, if you’re an Asos-type store and your target group is theyoung market, then a 20-year-old model willprovide a good reflection of your audience.But if you’re dealing with an older clientele,having a young model can often have analienating effect. Essentially, customers wantto see the front, the back and any keydefining features of a garment in a detailshot – these are the basics that you need to getright. Use white backgrounds and clean shotsand as unobstructed as possible. Someretailers go for fancy backgrounds andgimmicks – keep it clean and leave thedramatics to your web design.”

Whalley paints a similar picture. “Theperfect scenario is to have a mixture of styles,”he says. “In terms of stills, you need the front,the back, a detail shot and one hung on amodel or a mannequin.

“The next stage would be to produce avideo, whether it’s a catwalk or just a simple360-degree turn, so the consumer canappreciate how the garment hangs andmoves,” he continues. “Video drives mostconversions – it has been statistically proven.Recent research has shown that 57 per cent ofconsumers say they are more inclined to buysomething after watching a video of agarment. In terms of costs, video is far less ofan expensive step-up than people mightimagine, because of the technology thatnowadays exists on cameras. It’s very easy forus to switch to video mode while we’reshooting, so the investment in video is far less significant than people might assume.There is a common misconception amongsmaller retailers that they can’t do what thebig guys are doing. But the results thatbusinesses can get even on a smaller scalearen’t too far removed from what the marketleaders are achieving.”

Whalley agrees with Friend that aconsistent methodology, however, is key inthe overall presentation online, whatever thefinal set-up may be. “Inconsistency is the

main thing that can damage the confidenceof a shopper,” he says. “It often happens whenretailers use a mixture of supplied and ownimages, which can make a site look messy andthe product unappealing. You need to have astyle and process, and it needs to be consistent.You wouldn’t present messy merchandise in-store, so why would you do it online?”

Whalley’s top tips for anyoneventuring into e-commerce are based aroundfour core rules: 1. Try to recreate the physicalin-store experience as effectively as possibleonline – that means having good silhouetteimages, 360-degree overviews, garments onmodels or mannequins and close-ups to get abetter feel for a style; 2. Take advantage oftechnology and make it work for you – deliversomething that you couldn’t do in-store, suchas advice from the head buyer or designer,

style guides to trends and branded films etc.Make it informative and inspirational; 3. Give your customer the confidence to shopwith you online – it’s sometimes difficult fora consumer to reach the final decision to buy,so provide more information, better productdescription and demonstrations to give themthe assurance to click and buy; 4. Deliver agood overall experience – make the siteusable, fast and efficient and present Dress Awith different views and angles, and expectto do exactly the same for Dress B, so yourstyle is consistent and strong.

“Retailers get so caught up in heavyinvestment in SEO, PPC (pay per click), leftor right navigation or fancy web design thatthey loose sight of the fact that the only thingthat’s really going to close a sale is whether aproduct looks appealing or not.”

“A model shot or videois good for showinghow a garment hangs,but it obviouslycreates additionalcosts in terms ofmodel, styling andmake-up etc. There’salso an argument forand against usingfaces of models inshots. Aside from theobvious styling issue,you have to considerwhether a model – andwhat kind of model –is right to representthe clientele of your business”

Fashot

Fashot


EPOS—

STOCKEXCHANGE

Simon Roberts, web consultant at Cybertill, the UK’s leading specialist in Eposmanagement, considers the challenges independent retailers face when managing theirbricks-and-mortar store and e-commerce site as one, and what can be done to create a

seamless retail experience.—

ne of the biggest challenges forfashion retailers today is successfullymanaging their store and website as

one. Customers want a variety of convenientways to buy and return goods from retailers,such as Click and Collect – a service somemay think isn’t necessary, or easy to do.

Firstly, think about this from acustomer’s perspective. I would wager thatthe majority of you shop online, and I wouldalso wager that most of you have used Clickand Collect, whether it is for groceries or forother purchases. Why? It is convenient. Andfor those who say it cannot be done, there aresystems specifically for independent retailersthat make selling online and in-storeseamless and offering services such as Clickand Collect second nature.

As a retailer, there are a number ofways you can manage your store and website.One option is to either buy or lease a multi-channel system – this is a combinedEpos and e-commerce system.

Alternatively, you can install an Epossystem and link it to a separate e-commerceplatform. A general recommendation wouldbe the former, with a proviso that the multi-channel system must offer live stocklevels across the business. Live stock levelsmean that retailers only sell the stock theyhave, and customers can shop online inconfidence knowing what they buy isactually available. If you do choose to have aseparate Epos and e-commerce system, youneed to check how often the Epos systemupdates the stock levels to the e-commercesite, as you will want this to be as close to realtime as possible.

Of course, there are good reasons to have a separate Epos and e-commercesystem, otherwise businesses would not do it. But it will mean working with twoseparate suppliers and managing how theywork together.

So for those retailers starting off whodo not have a website, and have yet to invest in

an Epos system, where should they start?Before beginning to look for, or at, systems,make a list of what you want an Epos and e-commerce system to do. Also think aboutwhat information you want from the systemto manage your business.

There are certain things a fashionretailer must have. For example, they need tomake sure the Epos and e-commerce systemcan manage matrix products, ie products thatcome in different colours and sizes. It maysound obvious, but there are systems that donot drill down to that level of detail.

Primarily, it is about the informationa retailer pulls out of the Epos system thathelps them manage their business – orders,stock levels, most profitable products,fulfilment and optimisation of stock on theshop floor, promotions and loyalty.

There is a whole host of functionalitythat fashion retailers often need, and the keyword for these requirements is “flexibility”: • Can you run promotions in-store and not

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EPOS—

online, and vice versa? • Will you charge different prices for the

same products in different stores or online? • Will you have a points scheme, discount or

reward-based loyalty programme? • Will you run a wide variety of promotions,

will you want to be able to track customerspend in-store and online?

• Would you offer different customersdifferent prices, eg VIP customers’ specialpricing on new lines and productlaunches?

• How will you manage orders, identifyoutstanding orders and part-orders? Willyou need to be able to calculate yourforward ordering levels?

• Would you like payment alerts forsuppliers, and manage the return of faultygoods in the Epos system?

• Can it offer staff clocking in and out so youcan manage paying staff accurately? Whatabout e-commerce?

• Will you offer Click and Collect, customerreviews and the ability for customers tocreate wish lists from products on yourwebsite?

• How about suggested purchases forcustomers, and the ability to promote anew season’s line before it arrives?

These are just a few points, but everybusiness is unique, so it is important that youspend some time thinking aboutfunctionality and what information you willwant from the system that will help manageyour business.

When buying anything for a businessyou have to consider your future needs andnot just the here and now. It’s akin to whenyou look at new premises – if the locationcan’t grow with you and you believe youmight outgrow it in six months, youwouldn’t sign a five-year lease for it. It’s the

same when buying an Epos and e-commercesystem. Will it be able to grow with yourbusiness? For example, if you open a newstore, is it easy to install another system? Willyou be able to see live stock levels at bothstores through the till? If needs be, speak to other fashion stores with the challengesthey face.

In terms of upgrading to integrateonline, if you just have an Epos system inyour store, it all depends on your system.Some Epos providers, such as Cybertill, canalso supply their own e-commerce platform,so the system should work seamlessly. Otherproviders partner with specialist e-commercesolutions. A recommendation would alwaysbe that when speaking to an Epos or e-commerce provider, ask how they link toan e-commerce or Epos system. Whenlinking to a separate e-commerce and Epossystem, there is usually some software or anapplication that sits in between them that“translates’” the information and data thatpasses between the software.

With an e-commerce system, you alsoneed to understand how you can “optimise” awebsite so it ranks well for relevant searchesin Google and other search engines. Anyhalf-decent e-commerce platform shouldcome with tools for you to optimise it. If itdoes not, steer well clear. If you are not surehow to optimise or improve a website’sperformance, ask the provider. Can they helpand provide a service? If you want to use athird party, some retailers will haveacquaintances that can offer the service. Firstand foremost, check what work they havedone in the past, whether their customertestimonials are good, and ask them toappraise the optimisation tools on e-commerce systems.

Some web experts make weboptimisation – also known as Search Engine

Optimisation (SEO) – sound like a dark art.Let me assure, it isn’t. The most importantelement for any e-commerce website is good,relevant and unique content. Get that rightand you will begin to notice the difference inyour web rankings. This in turn will boostthe number of visitors to your site, and thatshould see an uplift in transactions.

So with all this in mind, what sort of budget do you need? As with everything in life, you generally get what you pay for. Ifyou want a basic Epos system that helpsmanage stock levels in-store, you can getthem. But if you want to manage your shopand website as one, and have more tools and functionality, you will pay more for amulti-channel system.

“When buying anything fora business, you have toconsider your future needsand not just the here andnow. It’s akin to when youlook at new premises – ifthe location can’t growwith you and you believeyou might outgrow it in sixmonths, you wouldn’t signa five-year lease for it”


PAYMENT—

SHOW METHE MONEY

Making the online checkout process as easy, quick and secure as possible has to be thepriority for multi-channel retailers. Isabella Griffiths chats to experts from leading

payment solution providers about the key to hassle-free online transactions. —

o you’ve got yourself a website and areready to start trading online, but onecrucial piece in the e-commerce jigsaw

is still missing – enabling a secure andefficient checkout. To process payments overthe internet, your store needs a paymentgateway to facilitate the secure transfer ofcredit card funds from shoppers into yourmerchant account. “A payment gateway sitsbetween your website and your bank,encrypting all your credit and debit card datato ensure it cannot be read by anybody else,”says Michael Lane, channel and productdirector at global independent paymentmanagement company Secure Trading. “Itshould be able to process all major credit anddebit cards, and you can also decide whetheryou want to accept alternative paymentmethods or different currencies.”

According to Maria Prados, VP globalretail at WorldPay, another leading globalprovider of payment and risk services,finding an experienced and professionalpayment provider is key in setting up theprocess. “The complexity of the onlinepayments landscape is the greatestchallenge,” she says. “Payment types, speedand fraud are all different online [to bricksand mortar]. It’s important to partner withan experienced payment provider who canhelp make it simple.

In addition to initial set-up costsrelated to the integration and compatibilityprocess with the store’s website, retailers haveto bear in mind that there will be ongoingoverheads relating to each transaction byaccepting different payment methods andcard providers. While it’s important for anybusiness to keep an eye on overheads and coststructure, Gareth Poppleton, MD of RetailMerchant Services, one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent payment serviceproviders specialising in SMEs, warns thatthe costs should not be the only factorretailers are taking into the equation. “Costsare obviously important for small businesses,but don’t sacrifice cost for the service andprofessionalism you receive, as this directlyreflects on your image and your customer’sexperience,” he says. “A credible company willoffer different packages suited to the size and

needs of your business butensure that the paymentsprocess is transparent,efficient, cost-effective and,above all, quick and secure.”

Prados agrees thatthe user experience is key.“The payment process needsto be straightforward andconsistent across channels,”she says. “It should besimple to convert sales – forinstance through one-clickpayments – and after-salesprocesses such as refundsshould be equally simple.

“Online paymentsneed to be secure, relevantand simple,” Pradoscontinues. “Security is a must for retailers, asit is closely linked to brand trust. Relevancymeans offering what the shopper wants, intheir preferred payment method, currencyand language. Simple is ensuring the process isalways straightforward and easy to complete.”

Additional consideration needs to begiven to the fact that it’s likely your websitewill attract international orders at some point,therefore it pays to consider and facilitateoverseas transactions, too. “The beauty ofe-commerce is its scope,” says Lane. “On thehigh street, a retailer is restricted to selling tocustomers that can physically access the shop.But, online, goods can be sold to consumersacross the globe. This can be an intimidatingprospect for many independent retailers, butadvances in technology have meant thewhole process can be carried out seamlessly.”

Prados concurs. “Given theincreasingly globalised nature of e-commerce,a payment strategy that focuses on the needsof customers around the world is essential tomaximise transaction acceptance and expandglobal reach,” she says. “Currencies,languages, look and feel, cultural issues,shopper expectations and preferred paymentmethods that locals know and trust are just afew considerations retailers should be awareof. It’s also important to understand the after-sale service, such as delivery, returnsand contact centres.”

Prados’ top tips when it comes topayment processes are clear. “1. Think aboutpayments right from the very beginningwhen defining the website; 2. Think aboutthe right provider for the long-term, not justtoday; 3. Get the best solution, not just thecheapest; 4. Don’t assume one size fits all –each channel is different and each country isdifferent; 5. Don’t over-complicate things –simple works best; and, finally, don’t forgetwhat your shopper wants.”

With the continued growth of e-commerce, online transactions are set tobecome increasingly sophisticated andflexible, changing the payments landscapeeven further. This is something that,according to Prados, retailers will have tokeep adapting to in the future. “We’ll seeelectronic payments continue to grow,overtaking cash,” she says. “For e-commerce,alternative payments such as non-cardmethods including e-wallets, mobilepayments etc, will overtake cards.

“Our recent Global Guide toAlternative Payments report predicts thiswill happen by 2017,” Prados continues. “Asonline shoppers get savvier, they will expectmore and more from the checkout process.Retailers will have to deliver a trueomnichannel proposition at checkout,offering a consistent experience acrossdifferent channels and devices.”

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LOGISTICS—

SIGNEDSEALED

DELIVEREDFor retailers expanding into e-commerce, choosing the right delivery partner is essential when it comes to the successful completion of online purchases.

Christina Williams investigates the options available to the small store owner. —

rom browsing an entire collectionfrom the comfort of her own home tothe flexibility of 24-hour availability,

the online shopper certainly has a host ofadvantages available that give her the edgeover the bricks-and-mortar counterpart.

However, as popular as online retail has become, there is one aspect of e-commerce that simply cannot competewith actual shopping, and it’s the reason for60 per cent of abandoned virtual shoppingbaskets* at the point of checkout. Delivery –and all its associated complications – is thestumbling block for many a would-be onlineshopper, and it’s the final challenge forretailers looking to sell to a host of keencustomers who want their products, and whowant them right now.

In response to the growing demandfor the delivery of goods that rivals theimmediacy of physical shopping, thelogistics sector has undergone somewhat of arevolution in recent years. Tracked delivery,express services, clicking and collecting and

Collect + are just some of the advancementsthat have been made by providers as logisticsfirms get increasingly innovative in theirquest for offering the utmost in convenience.For the retailer, however, the ever-expandingportfolio of options can make choosing the right partner difficult and, if there’s one thing all logistics providers agree upon, it’s the importance of choosing theright associate.

“A courier should be seen as theextension of a retailer’s offering rather than aseparate entity,” says Tara Barnes, head ofsales and marketing at APC Overnight. “Theonline retail sector is as competitive as ever,and being able to manage and meet customerexpectations is something that couldultimately make or break any retailer’s future success.”

When it comes to delivery and theimpact it can have on a retailer’s futuresuccess, the statistics make for soberingreading. Three out of four customers areunlikely to return to an online retailer if they

have a bad delivery or returns experience*.This means retailers have one chance and onechance only to get it right. So, first andforemost, what are the essentials?

“For the small retail business,assuring customers that their orders willarrive on time and in good condition isabsolutely essential, so the most importantfactor to consider in choosing a deliveryprovider is the reliability of its service,” saysBarnes. “The management of customerexpectations is also key, so it is perhaps moresignificant to deliver orders on time than it is to deliver them quickly. That meansgiving customers an accurate account ofwhen they can expect their delivery, such asthe real-time tracking service offered byAPC Overnight.”

Of course, customer expectations –and priorities – can vary depending on thedemographic in question; something thatshould be taken into account at the outsetaccording to parcel carrier Yodel. “The firstthing retailers need to do is identify who they

F

Dick Stead

Dwain McDonald

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LOGISTICS—

are marketing their service to,” says DickStead, the company’s executive chairman. “Ifyour customers are predominately teens oryoung people, they will generally buy a dresson impulse the night before a big event, andtheir main priority will be receiving thatdress the next day.

“So offering a ‘safe place’ delivery –where a parcel is left in a specified locationsuch as a shed – is essential,” he continues. “If your consumer demographic is primarilyoffice-based, their priority will be having the option of collecting a parcel at theirconvenience outside of normal workinghours, and this is where Collect + comes into its own.”

Collect + is an increasingly populardelivery option, whereby couriers work inpartnership with a network of conveniencestores and petrol stations to allow customersto pick up their parcel at a locationconvenient to them.

“We work with 5,500 conveniencestores, and it’s the fastest-growing area of ourbusiness,” says Stead. “I don’t think it willovertake home delivery, but it certainlycomplements it. For the retailer without awide, geographical spread, it allows them toreplicate the business model of click andcollect, which is offered by most high-streetchains. In effect, they gain 5,500 of their own‘outlets’ from which customers can collecttheir purchases.”

It’s a nationwide spread rivalledperhaps only by the Post Office – the firstport of call for many a small retailer as theymake their first foray into the world of e-commerce. With 10,500 branchesnationwide, the Post Office offers customers the option of collecting from their localbranch, as well as offering the sameconvenience for returning an item; somethingthat cannot be overlooked when around aquarter of all fashion purchases are returned.

According to Tim Cowen, however,the appeal of the Post Office runs deeperthan its geographical spread. “Royal Mail is awell-known brand that customers recognise

and trust,” says the director of businessrelations at the Post Office. “Eighty six percent of shoppers say they trust Royal Mail*,and 76 per cent say that delivery by RoyalMail would make them revisit an e-tailer*.Customers like to know who will bedelivering their items, so it’s important toselect the provider that matches your brand –remember that they will be representing youin the final mile of the journey.”

Dwain McDonald, CEO at courierDPD, agrees that the performance of adelivery provider reflects upon the retailer,but argues that good service goes above andbeyond the safe delivery of a parcel.“Customers are much more sophisticatedthese days, and they definitely see smarterdelivery solutions as one way ofdifferentiating between retailers,” he says.“DPD’s Predict service notifies recipients oftheir one-hour delivery window by text oremail, and customers can then track theirdriver in real time all the way to their frontdoor. They are also able to access five ‘in-flight’ options – something 10 per cent ofour customers take advantage of – wherebythey can change the delivery date, requestdelivery to a specific neighbour or specify adelivery date, even when their parcel is intransit. The driver will then sendconfirmation via text, along with aphotograph of where the parcel has been left if relevant.”

Such flexibility opens up a whole newhost of options for the retailer wanting tomaximise the appeal of convenient deliveries.It’s an avenue that is well-trodden by one ofthe country’s most-established couriers,MyHermes, whose Parcel Manager serviceprovides the ability to send an email to theend customer at defined trigger pointswithin 20 minutes of the parcel scan.

“The service provides the client withthe opportunity to link their brand with thedesignated delivery company, and providesthe end consumer with better informationabout their parcel delivery,” says JonathanBennett, head of marketing. “We also recruit

couriers from within the area where theylive so, if a customer is at work nearby, theyare often happy to make the detour to ensurethe customer receives their parcel as quicklyas possible. We are proud to have a 95 per centfirst-time delivery success rate against theindustry average of 83 per cent.”

MyHermes places so much emphasison the importance of the relationshipbetween courier and retailer that it assignseach of its clients a business developmentmanager, whose primary role is tounderstand the retailer’s business and ensure that they are using the most suitabledelivery service.

It’s an approach shared by Yodel, thedelivery company that was formed whenDHL Domestic merged with former carrierfor fashion retailer Littlewoods HDNL. Theresult is a large, corporate carrier with a focuson small business, as Stead explains. “Theinteresting thing about Yodel is that we dealwith clients from the individual sending ajumper to his or her cousin right up to someof the biggest clothing retailers in thecountry such as Very and Isme,” he says. “To that end, I don’t know of any logisticscompany that offers more options than we do from our local courier networkthrough to our man with a van serviceincluding geocodes, which can be tracked via Google Maps.”

For Stead, however, the flexibility of options is only representative of howquickly a business can grow and develop once e-commerce comes into play, deliveredof course by the right courier. “Once upon atime, fashion companies started off on amarket stall before perhaps opening a store, and then several more stores beforesetting their sights on internationalexpansion,” he says. “Now all companies can go global from day one thanks to e-commerce, and nothing makes us happierthan seeing our Yodel clients flourish intointernational players.”–*Source: Delivery Matters, April 2013, Hall & Partners

“Customers are much more sophisticated these days, and theydefinitely see smarter delivery solutions as one way ofdifferentiating between retailers”

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RETURNS—

RETURN TOSENDER

Dealing with returns is part and parcel of multi-channel retailing, but can be a strainon resources and logistics. Isabella Griffiths investigates why stores of all sizes have to

factor returned goods into their business plan.—

n average of 25-40 per cent of goodsbought online are returned, withfashion – and womenswear in

particular – among the product categorieswith the highest returns in the e-commercesector, bringing with it a whole host oflogistical and financial issues. Returns can becostly and time-consuming and have aserious impact on a business’ profitability, soit’s essential that retailers calculate this intotheir financial forecasts.

“Returns can be a big headache for e-commerce players,” says Nick McLean,director of products at data analytics andorder management platform eCommera.“Factors such as cost of stock, inventorymovement and the overheads of managingthem are all creating additional issues, andyou should factor this into your overall costs,particularly if you are in a high returnscategory such as fashion.

“Ultimately, you have the doublechallenge of firstly making an outboundrepayment to the customer, in addition topayment on delivery and perhaps returnspostage,” he continues. “Secondly, you have towork out how to re-sell the item as quickly as

possible, requiring receipt of goods, appraisal,putting away, update inventory and so on. Itcan easily take five weeks in the UK betweenreceipt of payment and return itemavailablity for re-sell – three to five days forcustomers to receive the item, and often 30 days’ notice period. That 30 days ofunknown stock status represents significantworking capital.”

This is backed up by Sean Hallows,operations director at logistics providerClipper, which recently launched a dedicatedreturns management service calledBoomerang, working with customers such asAsos and John Lewis, as well as an increasingnumber of smaller stores and brands. “Onaverage, 25 per cent of everything fashionretailers send out comes back,” he says. “Thatmeans 25 per cent of a retailers’ inventory isnot available for sale. For any retailer, this isthe last thing they want.”

Reducing returns and handling theprocess effectively is therefore essential inminimising the effect on a store’s workingcapital and ultimately profitability. “Howreturns are handled can have a significantimpact,” says McLean. “If goods returned to

the store are re-sold in-store, this is lowimpact, but moving product aroundconstitutes one of the highest costs in retail.So if returns need to go back to a warehouse, asignificant incremental cost of shipping isincurred. Also, in fashion, goods are oftenworn and then returned, making it difficultand sometimes impossible to re-sell, bearingthe additional risk of increased mark-down.Plus, fast fashion makes the time window forre-sale quite small.”

Returns may pose a significantchallenge to retailers, but both Hallows andMcLean agree that they are not automaticallya bad thing, but just a reality of the multi-channel set-up that retailers have todeal with. “Returns are not necessarilynegative,” says McLean. “If you encouragereturns to store, you drive incrementalfootfall, provide opportunity for personalinteraction and can generate betteropportunity for selling a substitute orupselling a product. If all of that is dealt withwell, it can generate greater revenue andrepeat business. Look at the generous policiesof Zalando and Asos – if the frequency ofpurchase is high, returns should be modeled

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RETURNS—

as part of doing business.” This is mirrored by Hallows. “Returns

are just part of the business model,” he says.“When shopping online, customers willmake returns, and this is particularly true infashion because customers cannot try itemson. When shopping in-store, a woman maytry on a size 10, 12 and 14, but she will onlypurchase one. Online, she will purchase allthree with every intention of returning two.That doesn’t reflect on the retailer or thewebsite – it’s just the DNA of onlineshopping. Also, returns are easier onlinebecause they are anonymous; it’s a far cryfrom queuing up at the customer service deskof a store and explaining why you havechanged your mind. It’s fast and convenient –or it should be – and that is why people areshopping online in the first place. With thevolume [of product] that is going online, ifyou are going to be successful, returns and thecustomer service element associated with thatis just something that you have to deal with.”

Indeed, the way a store handles itsreturns is directly linked to the overallshopping experience of a customer and thesatisfaction with the service received. A clearand jargon-free returns policy that iscommunicated prominently on the website,outlining exactly the cost of return – if any –to the customer is as paramount as defining aspecific time frame in which returns areaccepted. Different stores offer differentreturns policies, and ultimately it is up to theindividual retailer to decide whether theywant to offer a free delivery and returnspolicy, or offer full refunds versus in-storecredits or exchanges. But where a refund isgranted, it’s important that it is processed asquickly as possible. Often, an easy and “noquibbles” policy – where reasonable – is abetter way of handling a return and ensuringa satisfied customer who is willing to shop on

the site again. Above all, it’s essential toensure all staff who are involved in thereturns process are just as clear on the policyand procedures to ensure a smooth and slickoperation and customer service that reflectswell on the store.

“There is no one-size-fits-all policy,”says McLean. “It needs to be seen as part of anoverall proposition and customer experience.Retailers need to think about it at a granularlevel. For example, offer free returns forcustomers who regularly spend high valuewith you with few returns, but charge forcustomers who spend little and return all the time.”

Hallows adds, “People generallyperceive [a good] customer experience as

ordering an item and getting it delivered thenext day. But returns are so integrated intothe online model of trading that the lastpoint of contact with the retailer is likely tobe the returns process and experience. That istrue in 25 per cent of cases and is relevant tosmaller retailers as well as the big companies.Also, the speed at which a return is processedis one of the key deciders in whether acustomer will come back to shop at aparticular retailer. Customers expect toreceive a full refund quickly, and a customerwho is refunded quickly can start shoppingagain more quickly.”

While returns will remain par for thecourse of e-commerce, there are ways ofminimising them to a degree. And clearproduct imagery along with detaileddescriptions and measurements can be a crucialelement in providing an accurate depictionof a fashion style, particularly in a multi-branded environment where internationalsizing can vary significantly between thecountries of origin of different labels.

Technology, however, is playing a bigpart in all of this, with increased usage ofhigh-quality photography, videos andcatwalk films key. Furthermore, newinventions such as virtual fitting rooms arebeing increasingly implemented, aiming toovercome the issue of customers purchasingmultiple sizes. “Around 50 per cent of itemsbought online are returned for reasons of fit,”says Tim Donnelly Smith, marketing directorat virtual fitting room provider Fits.me. “Thisis unsurprising, as it’s difficult for retailers tocommunicate this to a vast array ofdifferently shaped individuals.

“Since price, colour, texture andquality are the same, uncertainty regardingfit is the only real reason to buy more thanone size of the same garment,” he continues.“And it’s understandable – only around 10per cent of people fall unambiguously intoone size when using a size chart. For most, atleast one of their measurements will beborderline and/or suggest a different sizefrom their other measurements. A fit toolcan remove this uncertainty by letting theshopper see what the different sizes will looklike on them.”

According to Donnelly Smith,however, increasing conversion rates has a fargreater positive impact on profits thanreducing returns. “Reducing returns is anatural consequence of improving theaccuracy of the buying process,” he says.“Take care of the [customer’s] buying process,and the returns rate will take care of itself.”

There’s a general consensus among e-commerce experts that return rates willremain stable or rise in line with underlyinggrowth in e-commerce revenues. So retailerswill have to accept returns as a day-to-dayreality of multi-channel retailing – andremember that a sale is not final unless anduntil the customer decides to keep thepurchase for good.

“Returns are notnecessarily negative. Ifyou encourage returns tostore, you driveincremental footfall,provide opportunity forpersonal interaction andcan generate betteropportunity for selling asubstitute or upselling aproduct. If all of that isdealt with well, it cangenerate greater revenueand repeat business”

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“It’s getting harderand harder to standout in the cut andthrust world of e-commerce. The low start-up costs anddirect access to the mass audience of theWorld Wide Web means that it’s easier thanever to start an online business and achieve alevel of success that would have been almostimpossible a decade or two ago. On the otherhand, this means that more and more peopleare setting up shop, making it tougher tostand out from the crowd.

The rising expectations of theconsumer are making it even more difficult.As business becomes more focused on theconsumer, the individual’s voice has becomemore powerful. This is amplified by socialmedia, online reviews and blogging, all ofwhich nurture an increasing focus on theimportance of self. Even the OxfordDictionary’s Word of the Year in 2013mirrored this – ‘selfie’; something defined byboth technology and the individual.

This new breed of empoweredconsumer means retailers must tailor theirapproach on a person-by-person basis. Nowthat 32 per cent of users will abandon a webpage if it doesn’t load in under five seconds,online retailers have an increasingly shortamount of time to engage a customer. Thismakes personalisation the key to success forsmaller online brands. After all, you arecompeting directly with retail giants.

Think of something as simple asbeing on a product page for a jumper. Thanksto their previous experiences with Amazonor eBay, a user expects to see an array of other,similar jumpers recommended – maybe even


E-COMMERCE GUIDE—

E-COMMERCEESSENTIALS

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—

Personalisation: Your site’ssource of success

MIKE HARRIS, VP Emea at marketingacceleration companyMonetatewww.monetate.com

related accessories. If this isn’t the case, ornon-relevant items are shown, consumerswon’t wait around to trawl through youronline inventory.

Going without any kind ofrecommendations is one option but, withconsumers’ decreasing attention spans andthe competition using these techniques, it’snot likely a consumer is going to head back tothe previous page and begin browsing again.Instead, they will move to another site. Thishighlights the importance of havingsomething as simple as a recommendationsystem that keeps the user focused andmoving through your site. The moreinformed the recommendation is – whetherthrough personal preference, age or byknowing the local weather – the higher thechance you will make a sale.

Another vital element ofpersonalisation is making sure that youronline retail shop has the appropriate devicesupport. Mobile and smart devices areintegrated into our everyday lives; many ofus don’t leave the house without a phone, and it is now a part of the shoppingexperience. Many people browse online shops on their handheld device, and it isincreasingly common for purchases to bemade through them.

In Q4 of 2013, only 73 per cent ofvisits to an e-commerce site were from atraditional device (laptops and desktops),with 14 per cent from tablets and 12 per centfrom smartphones. On first glance, thesefigures might not seem all that shocking, butconsider that in the same period of 2012,traditional devices made up 82 per cent oftraffic. With the increasing adoption of 4Gallowing faster access to online stores, thiswill continue to grow.

These statistics further support our‘selfie’ theory. Consumers are internallyfocused and motivated – they want to shopwhenever, wherever and on whatever devicethey choose, all while expecting the samelevel of seamless service across all platformsand channels. This is true whether they aredealing with Amazon or a small business

operating from a bedroom.Although this consumer demand

might seem daunting at first, there aresolutions out there. With the explosion ofconsumer technology and better use of big data, there has been an expansion of toolsthat will assist retailers in betterunderstanding their customers and allowthem to take action based on those insights topersonalise and improve the experience.Designed to meet the needs of retailers andmarketers, little to no technical experience isrequired.

Personalisation has the ability totransform an e-commerce site and make itstand out from its competitors. To run asuccessful online store, the rise of the selfmeans that the customer needs to be cateredfor as an individual, making selecting theright technology critical. The onlineenvironment has created a paradigm shift –where traditionally you would go local for apersonalised shopping experience, largerbusinesses and their use of big data arecreating the opposite effect online. It is timefor small businesses to get in the game andreclaim personalisation as their own.”

“Another vital element ofpersonalisation ismaking sure that youronline retail shop hasthe appropriate devicesupport. Mobile andsmart devices areintegrated into oureveryday lives; many ofus don’t leave the housewithout a phone, and itis now a part of theshopping experience”

“This is the questioncurrently on the mindof many retailers. It’sundisputable thatmobile devices are changing the face of retailas we know it, from the flexibility of havinghand-held devices that deliver a host offeatures, such as mobile PoS, graphical productordering of extended ranges and customerrelationship management. But the challengefor retailers is getting the right balance ofmobility and fixed PoS touch points.

Mobility brings with it manybenefits; motivating store staff to interactwith customers, improving the customerservice and as a result sales, but can it deliverthe same impact across all retail sectors withvarying target audiences?

It was uncovered at NRF that 18-35year olds, known as the millennialgeneration, are not impressed with thestereotypical in-store service that we havebecome accustomed to. They crave forretailers to be both inventive and joined-upwith their offering, and expect store staff tobe helpful, knowledgeable and equipped tobe able to interact in the way the consumerwants rather than how the retailer hasinteracted traditionally.

Mobility certainly has the power tomotivate store staff and add value by armingthem with accurate stock data, productknowledge and customer information.However, is it everyone’s cup of tea? Retailersmust consider their entire target audience,including the mature shopper and cater to allneeds. It is not simply retro fitting a website

“When it comes to the‘how’ of translatingour in-store excellence online, we must firstknow our purpose. Our purpose, our passion,our mantra – whatever we call it – isessentially what defines the excellence thatwe offer our consumers, and this shouldguide the ‘how’.

Is it that you’re passionate about arange of choice, particular colourways andtailoring details, or that your products allecho one particular style? It’s important to take time to plot out what constitutes thatuniqueness about your brand. Then, and onlythen, can you determine what it is that needsto be translated into a digital experience.

In the same way, a consistentapproach to translating your brand intomulti-channel is dependent on a deepunderstanding of your ‘why’. We believe thatif you take the time to truly understand whyyou do what you do, you will create one experience across any variety of channels, effortlessly.

Because all your ideas come from onecentral source, they come more naturally,rather than having to conjure up differentideas for different channels.

The problem-free transition thatNet a Porter demonstrated moving into the‘physical’ realm with its shoppable magazine,Porter, is a great example.


E-COMMERCE GUIDE—

How to translate your“bricks-and-mortar brand”online

JOANNACRUICKSHANKS, co-founder of Folk, a digital agency thatbuilds e-commerceand brand websiteswww.wearefolk.com

Should I convert to mobilePoS, or keep a degree offixed PoS?

ROY PATRICK, multi-channel productdirector at computerhardware companyMicros www.micros.com

“It’s undisputable that mobile devices are changing theface of retail as we know it, from the flexibility of havinghand-held devices that deliver a host of features, such asmobile POS, graphical product ordering of extendedranges and customer relationship management. But thechallenge for retailers is getting the right balance ofmobility and fixed PoS touch points”

“In order to craft aconsistent customerjourney across channels,we must create oneunited experience thatenables consumers toshop with ease, at speedand through the mostuseful means”

In order to craft a consistent customerjourney across channels, we must create oneunited experience that enables consumers toshop with ease, at speed and through themost useful means.

Key factors impacting the quality ofthis experience include the degree to which aconsumer can interact with differentchannels interchangeably for browsing,buying and returning, and the extent towhich you translate your brand personalitythrough characterful interactive concepts.

When it comes to driving sales andprofits across multi-channels, the focusshouldn’t deviate far from what we’vediscussed already.

We have a saying at Folk that weadopted from thought leader Simon Sinekabout inspiring others – that people don’tbuy what you do; they buy why you do it.

When you craft everything startingfrom the “why”, the sales and profits will bedriven by a tribe of people who love yourbrand because they feel much moreconnected to it, rather than experiencing it asa separate entity serving a function.

It won’t be long before selling forselling’s sake becomes old hat, and retailerswill be powerless to part consumers fromtheir hard-earned cash.

Crafting an experience that takesadvantage of the likemindedness betweenyour brand’s purpose and the purpose of yourconsumers will be the future of retail.

At Folk, we have a different way oflooking at customer loyalty, which we callthe Brand Universe.

Instead of dedicating efforts tostretching the two per cent conversionminority, we focus on engaging the 98 percent of disconnected passers-by, throughinspiring content that communicates yourbrand story.

From this audience, we nurtureconnections to secure new customers, repeatcustomers and, in time, brand evangelists. We recognise that every touch point is anopportunity to connect with a consumer, andyou should, too.”

>>>

“Did you know thatinternet advertising is the most popularadvertising medium in the UK? It’s nowmore popular than TV and newspaperadvertising.

There are some good reasons whymany businesses are putting more of theadvertising budget into online advertising.For one thing, the number of people you canreach with internet advertising is far greaterthan most other forms of advertising and it’sfar cheaper to reach all those people.

Another point in its favour is that it’s


E-COMMERCE GUIDE—

deliver far better results. As an example, Les 100 Ciels, a clothing boutique, invitesvisitors to ‘join the community’, creating asense of humanity. A pop-up, such asAustique’s email sign-up box, is anothergreat method for data capture as it often leadsto as much as a tenfold increase in thenumber of subscribers.

After the initial appeal forinformation, the next challenge is creating aflow of content to engage new customersdigitally. Typically, only five per cent of asite’s new visitors ever return, and only threeper cent go on to make another purchase.This means that brands must work harder tostay relevant to their audience and help tofoster more loyalty.

There are a number of revenue-driving email examples, such as asneak peek of new products, style guides(what to wear with what?), VIP clubs forcustomers who frequently make purchases orhigh-value orders, and more. ChildsplayClothing takes customer loyalty to the nextlevel with its online loyalty scheme byoffering a 30 per cent off code solely to VIPcustomers. However, exclusive contentdoesn’t have to be discount-based – benefitssuch as free delivery, faster shipping orexclusive sales are also effective. The key ismaking customers feel they are appreciated.

It can be challenging tocommunicate in a relevant way to a largenumber of subscribers. If you could addresseach one of them individually, yourmarketing would be more effective. Byutilising automation tools within yourdigital marketing platform, you canpersonalise messages on a large scale. HudsonShoes, for example, uses a date-based triggerto reach out to customers on their birthday,offering them an exclusive discount code as aspecial gift.

Creating these messages will all be fornothing if retailers don’t stay tech savvy.Nearly half of all emails get opened on amobile device, so emails that don’t displaywell on a mobile device are essentially wasted.

How can I effectivelyadvertise my business on the internet?

MIKE SEDDON,author of SimplyAdwords and founderof AdwordsManagement service companyInternet Jetstream www.internetjetstream.com

“Fashion mavensconstantly look aheadto the next big trends on the catwalk, but arefashion marketers doing the same? For thepast few years, the growth of online retail hassurpassed sales increases on the high streetand, accordingly, brands need to embrace thisdigital revolution in their customercommunications.

When developing an effective digitalmarketing strategy, some brands fall at thefirst hurdle – capturing data. Brands thatincorporate an enticing sign-up on theirwebsites will build a larger database ofpotential customers and their subscribers willbe more likely to engage with them. Becauseemail marketing is directly linked with sales,the number of subscribers a brand has is akey revenue driver.

A tantalising message, rather thanthe standard newsletter sign-up method, will

Digital fashionmarketing: Who’s getting it right?

KESTREL LEMEN,marketing strategistat Bronto Software,which provides amarketing platformfor retailerswww.bronto.co.uk

“Typically, only five per cent of a site’s newvisitors ever return, and only three per centgo on to make another purchase. This meansthat brands must work harder to stayrelevant to their audience and help to foster more loyalty”

into store. The interaction is totally different– but one thing all customers have incommon is that they desire a betterexperience. Individual needs differ, soachieving equilibrium and relevance isimperative.

Other areas to contemplate are thelocation and size of the store. Realistically,what value-added services can be offered ineach store? Is it an option to start on onedevice and continue on another, creating abasket with the customer on the shop floorand then paying with cash at a cash drawer?How about the returns of goods, printing ofreceipts and gift wrapping? These must all betaken into consideration. If you convert to 100per cent mobile PoS, where in the storewould it reside?

Taking all this into consideration, it’simportant that retailers think strategicallyabout the rollout of mobile PoS – not only onan individual but store-by-store basis – butalso understand the customer and their needsto decide on the best mix of fixed and mobilefor that store.”

It’s important that marketers considercreating emails using responsive design,which will adjust the message to fit thedevice it is being viewed on, or anothermobile-friendly design method. By utilisingresponsive design, emails adapt well tomobile phones – for example, the call toaction appears larger.

As illustrated, the rise of digitalinteraction completely changed therelationship between consumers and fashionretailers. But it’s clear that an innovativestrategy, combined with the right marketingplatform, can foster long-term customerrelationships and significantly increaseonline profits.”

“Online shopping ispopular. Evencustomers who like toshop in physical shops often spend timeonline before they visit a physical shop.

So how do we ensure that ourprospects find our websites? The answer is toget on the first page of the search engines forthe products you sell. There are two ways todo this – optimise your website via SEO oradvertise via Pay Per Click.

The ideal situation is to appear in the‘organic search results’ due to goodoptimisation, as this is free, and use PPC as aback-up. Personally I use both and it works.

Without SEO, search engines will notlist your web pages high in their results. Evenwith SEO there is fierce competition for thetop place, with millions of pages competing.The good news is most sites don’t takeoptimisation seriously. Unfortunately, many web designers either lack a realunderstanding of SEO or want to chargeextra for it.

Designing and building a websitewithout integral SEO is a bit like selling

far easier to measure success. When youadvertise online, you can directly track howmany people the advert brings to yourwebsite, and you can track how many sales itgenerates. That isn’t easy to do with otherforms of advertising.

By far the best way to advertise on theinternet is to use Pay Per Click advertising(often referred to as PPC). Unlike other formsof advertising, with PPC you do not pay foryour ads to be seen. You only pay whensomeone clicks on your ad and comes to your website. Hence the name Pay Per Click.You literally pay for each click (ie visitor toyour website).

This is what makes PPC advertisingvery attractive. You are paying only if your adsuccessfully encourages someone to visit yourwebsite. With most other forms of advertising,you pay for your ad to be placed somewherewhere you hope people will see it. PPC givesyou more control over your advertisingbudgets as you only pay for success.

By far the most popular services to usefor PPC advertising are Google Adwords andFacebook’ s own advertising platform.

When you use Google to search foranything, you may have noticed that thereare websites listed across the top in a slightlycream colour and also down the right-handside of the screen. These are ads created usingGoogle Adwords.

Advertisers simply choose the wordsthat they want their ads to appear forwhenever those words are typed into Google.These words are called keywords. So if yousell red trousers, you could choose “red” and“trousers” as your keywords.

Adwords is an excellent way to bringbuyers to your website, since your ad willappear to them at the point they are activelysearching Google looking for your products.


E-COMMERCE GUIDE—

SEO (Search EngineOptimisation) for fashion retailers

STEFAN DREW,online marketingspecialist and regular BBCcontributor www.StefanDrew.com

shoes without heels – they are not extras;they are essential.

When people search online they tendto be specific. For example, a search for ‘shoes’results in 371 million results. A search for‘men’s black velour handmade shoes’ gives 10million results – a huge reduction, provingthat specific is better, but there is still a lot ofcompetition.

However, there is a way to get in thetop few pages of results, and that is to payattention to detail in your SEO. Most peoplemake no effort over this, a few make aneffort and those in the top results have madethe most effort.

The secret is to optimise around 200 details that make up the Google searchalgorithm, such as writing good web pagecontent designed to be read by people and not search engines, as well as page titles,headlines and ‘meta tags’ eg the meta pagedescriptor, image tags and so on. The only problem is Google keeps the exactdetails secret.

Step one is to profile your typicalcustomers and understand what they searchfor and how they search. What keywords dothey use to search? Probably not what you as aretailer would use.

Ensure you cover the items listedabove. This will give you a better site than the98 per cent of people that don’t bother.

Only then consider getting experthelp. Find someone with a track record thatyou can verify and not someone who blowshot air. A few marketers offer regular freetips on their websites. These are worthreading before employing anyone.”

If you use Facebook, you may havenoticed the ads down the right-hand side ofyour Facebook screen, and they also nowappear in your news feed.

Facebook advertising worksdifferently to Adwords. In Adwords, you bidon keywords, but in Facebook you bid ongroups of people. These groups are selectedbased on a variety of criteria such as age,gender and location. So if you know yourtarget audience is men aged 50-plus who livein London, you can create ads in Facebookthat will appear only to that audience.

If you know people search for yourproducts on Google, clearly Adwords is anexcellent choice for you. If your productsappeal to a defined demographic, Facebookadvertising is something you should consider.Of course, you won’t know until you test it,and that’s usually the best approach.”

“There are some very goodreasons why manybusinesses are putting moreof the advertising budgetinto online advertising. Forone thing, the number ofpeople you can reach withinternet advertising is fargreater than most otherforms of advertising, and it’s far cheaper to reach all those people”

“When people searchonline, they tend to bespecific. For example, asearch for ‘shoes’results in 371 millionresults. A search for‘men’s black velourhandmade shoes’ gives10 million results – ahuge reduction,proving that specific isbetter, but there is stilla lot of competition”


CASE STUDIES—

BRICKSAND CLICKS

WWB profiles three of the UK’s key independent retailers who have made the successfultransition from bricks and mortar to online, looking at their multi-channel set-up and

the lessons they have learned along the way.—

Six years on from its launch, the online operation of The Dressing Room now accounts for almost a third of the company’s overall turnover. For owner Deryane Tadd, having a transactional website operating alongside her bricks-and-mortar store has become an essential part of retail,and it’s something that is now integral to her business model.

“Becoming a multi-channel retailer has been instrumental inthe growth of the business,” she says. “After trading in-store for nineyears, we are still achieving double-figure growth in the bricks-and-mortar store, and I can guarantee that we wouldn’t bedoing that if we didn’t have a website. The web sales, meanwhile, nowaccount for around 30 per cent of our overall turnover and are growingyearly, so there is great growth potential. I predict that the web willaccount for 35 per cent of overall turnover by the end of the year.”

It’s a statistical analysis that would encourage any retailertowards trading online, but the operation of a successful website hasnot been as simple as uploading some stock images. On the contrary,the launch of the website – and its ongoing maintenance – iscomparable to opening a second store, according to Tadd.

“Everything at the front end of the site is maintained in-house – all the artwork, product uploading, content writing, social

Deryane Tadd, owner, The Dressing Room, St Albans, Hertfordshirewww.the-dressingroom.com

media and blogs,” she says. “It works well for us, but it is labour-intensive when we are uploading anything from 20 to 100products a week, all of which have to have relevant content and SEO[search engine optimisation] written from them. You cannot makeexcuses for poor images or content writing, so you do need to give itthe time it requires.”

The identity of The Dressing Room’s online arm is taken soseriously that the retailer’s web team attends all of the same stylingtraining sessions as the in-store team in order that they are equippedto give style advice and excellent customer service over the phone andemail. Epos systems are integrated to ensure the highest possible levelsof stock accuracy, with online customers benefiting from real-timestock availability to avoid disappointment wherever possible.

It’s an investment that Tadd didn’t ever underestimate, but shehas been pleasantly surprised by the rewards reaped by the company.“The biggest surprise has been how much the website has had apositive impact on the business as a whole,” she says.

The plan now is to continue strengthening The DressingRoom as a multi-channel business, and to continue its growth bothin-store and online. Specifically, the retailer is looking to increase itsinternational sales on a long-term basis.

“Our sales are predominately national at the moment, withinternational sales accounting for around 10 per cent of overall sales,”says Tadd. “This is something we are looking to increase, but thebudget is not there at the moment. The investment into the site hasbeen large and is ongoing, but it is predominantly in the technicalsupport, staffing and the marketing of the website. The manpowerand budget involved to keep it maintained has been a real learningcurve, but I have learnt from all of our experiences and made betterdecisions going forward.”


CASE STUDIES—

With estimated growth for the current financial year at 35 per cent for www.gemini-woman.co.uk, it’s fair to say thatthe transactional arm of Stratford boutique Gemini has been asuccess. So much so that owner Claire Wright is aiming for thee-commerce side to account for 70 per cent of the overallbusiness within the next two years, up from an alreadyimpressive 52 per cent currently.

Wright launched her transactional website in October 2008and, although the first couple of years were a steep learning curve, shesays that the site has become a key driver for growth of the business,particularly in light of declining footfall on the high street and herbricks-and-mortar store. “We’ve seen good growth year on year, andthe website has definitely been a valuable addition to the business,”she says. “But I have to say that I never envisaged the amount of hardwork that is needed to get products to market compared to opening ashop. Our biggest mistake was to use a marketing company to buildour first website, and we wasted 18 months [until we got the conceptright]. I would have to say that if I was doing it all again, I would domore research into finding a good web developer.”

Wright decided to go for an in-house set-up, and recruited adedicated team to handle everything from photography and uploadsto SEO and marketing etc. “We’re doing everything mostly in-house,allowing us to be reactive to daily demands. For instance,photographing and editing each item takes around 30 minutes, so wecan control costs better having it in-house.”

Without disclosing actual figures, Wright says that theinvestment in the running of an e-commerce business should not beunderestimated, as costs are ongoing as the site and demand grows.“The development of the site never ceases, and our investment isongoing,” she says. “It’s been significantly more than I originallyanticipated and planned for; roughly 50 per cent of the first two yearsturnover, and 20 per cent of turnover ongoing.”

The offer online differs from the brand mix in-store, due tothe cost of product uploads, with some of Gemini’s key brands such asHobbs, French Connection and Great Plains, who also run their ownwebsites, having a low representation online, though 100 per cent ofstock is offered on other key brands. And that’s not all – Wright islooking to trial a “showrooming” concept, whereby she’s droppingthe amount of stock held in-store, and consequently reducing thesquare footage of her bricks-and-mortar boutique in favour of thewebsite, with future plans to have specific premises for online offices,studios and warehousing.

Having successfully adapted multi-channel retailing, Wrightshares a tip for anyone starting out on the e-commerce venture.“Decide if you want to enhance your shop sales or have an onlinebusiness that can be your biggest store,” she says. “If you are seriousabout an online store, you need to commit to creating a specific onlineteam and do things properly. There are no short-cuts.”

Claire Wright, owner, Gemini,Stratford-upon-Avonwww.gemini-woman.co.uk

Should a potential consumer in Scandinavia carry out a Googlesearch for a Paul Smith dress, one of the first results on thepage will be Psyche – the Middlesbrough department storelocated over 1,000 miles away. For owner Steve Cochrane, it’sthe justification for the £60,000 he invested into the store’swebsite earlier this year, and one of the reasons the website isresponsible for 20 per cent of the retailer’s overall business.

“Affiliate marketing has been the key for us,” says Cochrane,who first launched a transactional website in 2002. “Pay per click andSEO are so essential that we have hired an online marketing personspecifically for the role.”

The online marketing manager is accompanied by adedicated online customer service team, all of whom are trained tohave the same product knowledge as the store’s bricks-and-mortarstaff. The delivery of service, regardless of geographical miles, istestament to the effectiveness of Psyche’s international presence, butpromoting the business on a global platform can be addictive,according to Cochrane. The online marketing has been so successfulthat he advises other retailers to cap their budget when it comes tooptimising results for Google searches.

“It’s easy to get carried away with things such as GoogleAdwords when you see it is working and driving traffic to the site,”he says. “But if you’re not careful, money can run away with you.There is a steep learning curve with online because it is such adifferent model to bricks and mortar.”

It’s a curve, however, that Psyche has conquered. Followingthe relaunch of its site earlier this year, the business now predicts thatthe website will be accountable for 30-40 per cent of its sales by theend of the year. More importantly, it’s a growth that has not been atthe expense of the retailer’s core bricks-and-mortar model; on thecontrary, Psyche is looking at opening a second store in a differentcity in the near future. “People will look at the website and then comeinto the store to buy,” says Cochrane. “We are happy with thedirection in which the website is going, and how it is fuelling theoverall business.”

Despite the website’s success, however, Cochrane’s eyes havebeen opened to a new category of risk related to the innovative crimesof web-based sales. “I have been surprised at the level of crime online,”he says. “We have had people buy goods and then send fakes back asreturns, and there is a level of online shoplifting – where people use astolen credit card to buy a large amount of stock – for which there is verylittle policing. The law is great when it comes to stealing from a store,but there needs to be an increase in the help available for online theft.”

Despite the risks, however, Cochrane is in no doubt that thewebsite has been – and will continue to be – an essential element ofcontemporary trading. “It’s a great addition,” he says. “Website saleshave remained consistent at 20 per cent but, following the relaunch,we are looking forward to doubling that by the end of this year.”

Steve Cochrane, owner, Psyche,Middlesbrough, Teessidewww.psyche.co.uk

NEWS • RETAIL • BRANDS • OPINION • FEATURES • PRODUCT • EVENTS

THE ESSENTIAL RESOURCE FOR THE WOMENSWEAR INDUSTRY.

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13:59 Page 1


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BELLFIELD

Bellfield gathers inspirationfrom all four corners of theglobe for s/s 14, presenting arange of jungle geometric printsand splashes of neon throughoutone of its most diverse collectionsto date. The seasonal focus onprints is complemented by arange of new denim washes and a selection of outerweardesigned with cooler summerdays in mind.Wholesale prices: £4-£22.50Turnaround: Three to five daysContact:www.justconsultancies.co.uk, 020 7739 7620

CIRCUS

Making its debut this season,Circus is a dedicated short-orderlabel produced by the designersbehind Brighton brand PrettyVacant. Sharing the samenostalgic handwriting as its sister label, Circus turns to 40s,50s and 60s style to create aboutique collection with vintage influences. Wholesale prices: £10-£18.Turnaround: Two weeks Contact:www.vacantclothing.co.uk,01273 670455

AAIKO

Taking inspiration from theroots of its name, which canmean beloved in Japanese ortough in its Germanic form,Dutch brand Aaiko offers arange of contradictions to createits unique character. This season,Dark Romance, VirtuosiShadows, Dame de Coeur,Essential Softness, PreciousCamouflage and Crown Jewelsare the key stories within the collection. Wholesale prices: £25-£100Turnaround: One weekContact: www.doublehagency.com, 020 3432 6387

AMARI

Amari turns to its immediatesurroundings for springinspiration, incorporating thespirit of the flower meadows andopen heathland of the SouthWest into its designs. Scarlet,popsicle pink and sherbet yellowmake for a summery colourpalette, which complements the fresh floral prints of the new season. Wholesale prices: £5-£20Turnaround: Two days Contact: www.amariuk.com,01566 779477

LONG STORYSHORTWith s/s 14 in full swing, it’s time to freshen up your offer with some on-trendtop-ups. WWB opens a new chapter on the brands available to get in-store now. —


SHORT ORDER—

JOIN CLOTHES

Greek label Join Clothesspecialises in the layering ofbreathable fabrics, offeringdesigns in cotton, jersey, silk and silk chiffon. Drapedsilhouettes make up the brand’sstyle signature, with many items designed in a versatile, one-size format. Wholesale prices: £22-£105Turnaround: Three weeks Contact: www.joinclothes.gr,020 8349 7287

LAVISH ALICE

Clean, crisp and effortlessly coolare the style signatures of LavishAlice this season as the brandtakes inspiration from thecatwalks of New York, Paris and London. All Whites is one of the label’s six stories, focusing on a range of simple yet detailed outfits encapsulatingboth minimalist style and power aesthetics. Wholesale prices: £6.50-£12Turnaround: One weekContact: www.lavishalice.com,020 7253 5552

GARCIA

Now in its fourth decade, Garciahas established a signature stylewithin the womenswearindustry as an elegant brandwith effortless styling. Thisseason sees a focus on thebaseball jacket silhouette, as wellas fitted dresses, trench coats andbiker styles. Wholesale prices: £4-£70 Turnaround: One weekContact:www.doublehagency.com, 020 3432 6387

ICHI

Continuing with itscommitment to the innovativecombination of fabrics, shapesand colours, womenswear labelIchi turns to the jungle for springinspiration. Interpreting theleafy canopy of the tropics forthe contemporary urban jungle,the brand builds upon its reputation for bringingplayful prints to the forefront of the season. Wholesale prices: £4.89-£50.Turnaround: Three to five daysContact:www.justconsultancies.co.uk, 020 7739 7620

DEAD LOVERS

Focusing on bold prints andfierce graphics, Dead Loversbuilds upon its debut last seasonwith an extended collection fors/s 14. The brand’s signaturegraphics are complemented bysleek silhouettes, includingnewly introduced cut-outbodycons and maxi shapes. Thelabel also launches its debutrange of swimwear this spring. Wholesale prices: £4.99-£69.99Turnaround: Five to ten days Contact: www.brandsapart.com,0161 834 4422

EMILYANDFIN

Boutique British labelEmilyandfin presents a series of bold, original prints for s/s 14in a range of pastel hues. Button-down dresses, full skirtsand modest tops featurethroughout the range, whilenew, longer lengths make for acollection designed withwearability at its core. Wholesale prices: £10-£28Turnaround: Delivery within twoto three daysContact: www.emilyandfin.co.uk,020 7812 9992

>>>


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PIT

Established last year, Dutch labelPit aims to bridge the gapbetween fast fashion and luxuryready-to-wear labels. This seasonsees the brand diversify its rangeof workwear, evening, partywearand special-occasion styles.Statement necklaces andjewellery complement the core collection. Wholesale prices: £20-£35Turnaround: One weekContact:www.doublehagency.com, 020 3432 6387

PRETTY VACANT

Best known for its unique fabricprints, Pretty Vacant is awomenswear label with a focuson contemporary silhouettes.The brand has explored asymbiotic relationship withmusic since it was established in2005, and has designed its mostrecent offer for s/s 14 arounddirect customer feedback sourcedfrom its own standalone store in Brighton. Wholesale prices: £8-£20Turnaround: Eight weeksContact:www.vacantclothing.co.uk, 01273 670455

MI-PAC

Accessory label Mi-Pac combinesfashion and function through itssignature backpack, which isavailable in a range of finishesand colourways inspired byfabrics typically used forgarments. Launched in 2012, the brand diversifies for spring with a new range ofinnovative designs. Wholesale prices: £3.35-£7.50Turnaround: Three to five daysContact:www.justconsultancies.co.uk, 020 7739 7620

NANCY MAC

Inspired by 40s glamour anddesigned to flatter, Nancy Macfocuses on opulent materials thisspring. Lace dresses, silk shrugsand velvet tea jackets are key,while cuts are typically vintagein line with the brand’s signaturestyle. Core designs such as theclassic lace dress are available in a new spring palette of aqua,reef and rose. Wholesale prices: £44-£72Turnaround: Next day deliveryContact: www.nancymac.co.uk,01273 891616

LAVAND

Established in 2008, Lavand setsits sights on the internationalmarket this season with its latestrange of day and eveningwear.The Spanish label focuses ontactile styles in femininesilhouettes with etherealinfluences across its styling. Wholesale prices: £10-£80Turnaround: One weekContact:www.doublehagency.com, 020 3432 6387

LOUCHE LONDON

Bringing an array of textures,candy colours and fresh florals to the forefront of the newseason, Louche London returnswith a diverse collectionincluding dresses and jerseybasics. Since its launch in 2007,the brand has established itself asa contemporary label with adiscreet vintage influence, andmaintains its hallmark quirkydetails for s/s 14. Wholesale prices £5-£55Turnaround: From two daysContact: www.louchelondon.com;020 7091 1886


SHORT ORDER—

WHISTLE & WOLF

Pink is at the heart of this season’srange as Whistle & Wolf turns tobrights and pastels for a newsummer-inspired palette. Printsare bold, with digitally printedroses taking their place alongsidemore statement designsincluding Bambi-inspiredcharacters and an all-over jungleprint. Silhouettes, meanwhile,incorporate a nostalgic influencewith a nod to the 50s prom shapeand other flattering cuts fromdecades gone by. Wholesale prices: £18-£26Turnaround: Two weeksContact: www.whistleandwolf.com

WIZARD JEANS

British denim label Wizard Jeansdiversifies its collection for s/s 14with the introduction of its latestcandy colours of turquoise, pink,lemon, white, stonewash blueand blue-and-white pinstripe.The brand’s popular Marilynsilhouette remains key for thenew season, and is availablealongside a wide range of othercuts and rises including boot-cuts and straight legs. Wholesale prices: £37-£62Turnaround: Next-day delivery if ordered before middayContact: www.wizardjeans.com,07768 816420

SASKIA

Timeless separates are the focus for Saskia as the branddevelops its commitment to theethical production ofwomenswear for s/s 14. Thisseason specifically sees the label introduce itslightweight cardigans in a range of bright new shades in a diversification from thebrand’s more muted hues. Wholesale prices: £21-£36Turnaround: Two weeks Contact: www.saskia.co.uk, 01843 446336

VOODOO VIXEN

Sold in over 400 stockistsworldwide, Voodoo Vixen mixespastels with floral prints for s/s 14, bringing its signature flirtydresses, leg-lengthening shortsand vintage cardigans to theforefront. Key styles this seasoninclude the ladybird-printedcrop top and high-waisted shorts,targeting the festival-goer as well as the holidaymaker and daytripper. Wholesale prices: £8.50-£19.95Turnaround: ImmediateContact: www.voodoovixen.co.uk,020 770 23155

RAGGED ROBIN

Launched this season, RaggedRobin is the creation of retailerClare Serjeant, who struggled tofind the right quality jersey labelfor her own womenswear store,Fox & Feather, in Bristol. The debutline features designs in printedjersey, produced in conjunctionwith artist Amber Elise, whosedesigns are hand-printed onto thefabric in Bristol. Wholesale prices: £10-£16Turnaround: Top-up orders can beplaced via the brand’s website for afast turnaround.Contact: www.raggedrobinuk.com,0117 329 2575

RAINS

Hailing from the rainy nation ofDenmark, Rains celebrates thebeauty of unpredictable seasonswith its range of waterproofouterwear and accessories.Spanning jackets and practicalcovers for precious accessoriessuch as computers and tablets,the brand embraces allmeteorological elements ofspring with its collection ofpractical yet stylish solutions. Wholesale prices: £8.40-£37.80Turnaround: Three to five daysContact:www.justconsultancies.co.uk, 020 7739 7620


FORUM—

Harrogate ladieswear boutique Snooty Froxrecently welcomed iconic clothing andhandbag designer Zandra Rhodes to thestore to launch her new collection ofvintage-inspired s/s handbags,incorporating this season’s key trends ofmetallic, patent, quilting and snake trim.

Rhodes, who has been at the forefront of the Britishfashion scene since the 70s and has dressed a host offamous faces, took time to chat to customers and revealher inspiration behind her work.

“Zandra was amazing, just as I imagined and quitean inspiration,” says owner Hilary Haresign (picturedabove left with Rhodes). “What a wonderful lady. Ourcustomers loved her new collection and we can’t wait towelcome her back to Snooty Frox again.”—

ZANDRA RHODESVISITSYORKSHIRE’SFINEST

LARK LONDON MAKESSUCCESSFUL DEBUT

London’s Kensal Rise has a newface on the local retail scene,thanks to the opening of stylishboutique Lark. The store recentlyopened its doors after foundersPhoebe Pring, a former modeland visual merchandising expert,and Lucy Olivier, a stylejournalist, saw a gap in themarket for an aspirational and yet affordable fashiondestination. The boutique, which can also be found atwww.larklondon.com, stocksbrands such as Hide, Nanushka,Lna, 2nd Day, Wildfox, Markus Lupfer, Ash, GeneticDenim, Finders Keepers andHanky Panky.—

Like it or not, the weather is intimately linkedto consumer behaviour in retail. The fortnight

of warmth and sunshine in early March gave us three strong weekends on the trot andan upturn in sales compared to last year.Equally, the cold snap that ensued resulted

in a downturn.—

We are aware that we need to remain vigilantand agile as a retailer, and take on boardchanges in circumstances, and sometimesthat’s as simple as reacting to the weather.There is no sense in remaining intransigentwhen things are slow. We have the reality ofHouse of Fraser and its frequent promotionsto contend with, and it requires a tailoredand philosophical approach from us. We rana targeted promotion in late March toencourage our mailing list customers to visitand start shopping before 1pm on Saturday.The idea was to challenge the pattern of asteep surge in the late afternoon and securesome sales earlier on in the day. Knowing ourcustomer is, I think, one of our definingcharacteristics at Javelin. Social media hasgiven us a major boost so far this year, withour blog posts bringing more referrals to ourwebsite than any other source.

As an indie, we try to introduce fresh,under-the-radar brands each season as we feelthis is an important part of our unwrittencontract with our customers. We have doneespecially well with silks and digital printsfrom new suppliers Stills and Nooki. MaisonScotch remains a strong seller for us, too,with its picture prints proving popular. Withour plans to expand the footwear for a/w 14, Ifind that the buying season has been drawnout this spring, but we hope to redirect ourenergies to our online store again soon.

September and October are going tobe colourful, as we mark our 25thanniversary with 25 days of celebrations.There have been hoops to jump and boxes totick, but the plans are falling into place andthe schedule is beginning to take shape. Withthe local community and media involved, aswell as support from our suppliers, it islooking like it will be an anniversary toremember. Watch this space!

Jeremy Clayton is MD of Javelin in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. He is a member of the FashionAssociation of Britain (FAB)www.fashionassociationofbritain.co.uk

RETAIL DIARYThe latest news from the industry—

RETAILFORUM

Phoebe Pring and Lucy Olivier


FORUM—

SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITYHOSTS RETAIL CONFERENCE

Southampton Solent University held its secondannual fashion conference last month,intended to help local fashion retailers toincrease sales and grow their businesses.

Topics covered included retail management,key trends within retail, visual merchandising,brand building and the use of social media.

The conference also played host to anetworking event, and was followed by arunway show in the evening. Speakersincluded Thierry Bayle of Global FashionManagement; fashion writer Ted Polhemus;Ben Harris of WGSN; Nikki Patrick fromChanel; and Joel Adebeyo from Utter Couture. —

ARTY PARTY INST ALBANSSt Albans indie The Dressing Room teamedup with hot French label American Vintagefor an arty party last month.

The event saw a graffiti artist customiseAmerican Vintage T-shirts in-store, while“live art” in the windows transformed thedisplay with quirky designs. Customersbenefited from a nail bar, a gift withpurchase of American Vintage items and 10 per cent discount across the store.

As the brand’s largest UK stockist,The Dressing Room has built up a strong andloyal following for the label.—

The MercantileCharlotte Road, London EC2A 3PB

Established: 2011Owner: Debra McCannBrands: Baum und Pferdgarten, Sol Sana, XO, Dr Denim, Nanushka, See by Chloe,Current Elliot

“A trip to The Mercantile is always aninspiration; owner Debra has been in theindustry for years and has an encyclopaedicknowledge of fashion labels. She is not afraidto champion new brands, and this makes foran interesting mix of established oldfavourites and hard-to-find emerging labels.The staff takes a lot of pride in visualmerchandising, with beautiful windowdisplays, and a pop-up concept room in thebasement that changes seasonally.”—

MY FAVOURITESHOP...THE MERCANTILEby Daniella Alves, director,Somewhere London

CLARE SERJEANTOwner, Fox + Feather,

Bristol

WHAT IS YOUR S/S 14BESTSELLER?

—

“Our graphic-printedtops. We’ve done reallywell with all theSugarhill Boutiquestyles, especially thecute bicycle print, which has sold out. Thefox-print cropped teefrom our Ragged Robincollection has also been great with ouryounger customers.”—

MEL ROLLINSONOwner,

Woodie & Morris,Haslemere, Surrey

“Danish label SaintTropez has been greatfor us because it hassuch a wide appeal towomen of all differentages, shapes and sizes. Swedish brand Dr Denim has alsoperformed well.”—

RUTH GEORGEOwner, Eden,Edinburgh

“So far, bright and neoncolours from ourCompañía Fantasticacollection have beendoing well for spring,especially the Foxydress, which has sold out.”—

MAXINE STEWARTPR & marketing,Accent, Leeds, West Yorkshire

“Kevan Jon has soldwell for us both in-storeand online, and we haveseen some good salesacross the MaisonScotch collection.Replay Denim is also agood seller for usseason after season.”—

Attendees discuss retail issues


DIRECTORY—

NAMES AND NUMBERS

APC Overnight 0800 373 737 www.apc-overnight.com Brontowww.bronto.co.uk Clipper Returns Management 0113 204 2050www.clippergroup.co.uk Collect +www.collectplus.co.uk Cybertill 0800 030 4459 www.cybertill.co.uk DPD 0845 950 5505 www.dpd.co.uk E-Commerawww.ecommera.com Fits.Me 0845 528 0572 www.fits.me Folk 01202 289000 www.wearefolk.com Hermeswww.hermes-europe.co.uk Internet Jetstream 02476 980642 www.internetjetstream.com Fashot 020 7267 0700 www.fashot.comMicroswww.micros.com Monetate 020 709 92101 www.monetate.com Photolink Creative Group 0161 273 7551 www.photolink.co.uk Retail Merchant Services 0845 643 6397www.retailmerchantservices.co.uk Royal Mailwww.royalmail.com Stefan Drewwww.stefandrew.com Visualsoft 01642 633604 www.visualsoft.co.uk WorldPaywww.worldpay.com/uk Yodel 0844 453 7443 www.yodel.co.uk

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1 3 . – 1 5 . J U L Y 2 0 1 4


UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL—

You launched your own collection in 2010 after graduating fromCentral St Martins and the RCA, as well as a stint at Alberta Ferrettiand Max Mara. How has your range progressed since your early days? The range is larger; there are more pieces to each collection for people to buy into. It has also evolved style-wise. People have really taken to my printsand shapes. Whereas the first collection only had accents of print and the style was quite simple, there’s now more of a mixture, as well as a focus on bolder colours.

You start each collection with a range of illustrations and stories thatyou write – where does this concept stem from? I was always intrigued by storytelling and illustration, and initially used pre-existing works as starting points and then subverted them. I began workingfrom my own stories and illustrations when I was at Central St Martins, as Iwanted to drive my label and make it stand out. I use the illustrations to inspireeverything, from print and colour to shape and texture of the garments. Oneof my central illustrations is the character of Maude, a fictional “fabricmuse”, fashion editor at large for numerous publications and editor in chiefof Maudezine. She’s what might happen if the late Isabella Blow got togetherwith Daphne Guinness, Alan Bennett, Katie Grand, Anna Wintour, PaulaRego, Tilda Swinton, Dame Maggie Smith, the cast of Last of the SummerWine and The League of Gentlemen and produced a fabric child.

How is the label progressing commercially? I’ve expand and diversified the revenue streams, from initially creating asmall collection of a few pieces to one that produces collections of clothes andscarves, and collaborates with other brands such as Nails Inc (on packaging),Matchesfashion.com (on windows and limited-edition prints) andanimations for magazines such as Love. These different areas of income helpbuild the business financially, but also help to promote the creativity of thelabel. This in turn aids sales of the core business.

What are your plans for the brand going forward? More clothes, more Maude, more animations, more stories and morecollaborations. These separate elements all help to grow the brand and feedinto each other.

INSIDER:

Who is your style icon? Maude. —Which fashion business do youadmire? Comme des Garçons, for its abilityto straddle high-concept designswith more commercial pieceswithout it feeling disjointed. —What’s the best piece of industryadvice you’ve ever been given? Listen to others. Take on boardpeople’s ideas and thoughts aboutyour label and business, butultimately believe in your own vision,and be prepared to ignore everyoneand go your own way. —What’s the one fashion item youcan’t live without? My printed cashmere-lined silk scarf.It keeps me warm, but also adds anelement of style and fun to mygenerally rather dark wardrobe. —

DAVID LONGSHAWThe designer shares his inspiration and brand concept, and reveals

his plans for the label. —

WWB MAGAZINE MAY ISSUE 237

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