The Bespoke Look by Charlotte Nichols

The Bespoke Look

Be Brave | Be Unique | Be You

Charlotte Nichols N0363473 Negotiated Project Stage 2 FASH3002 Fashion Communication & Promotion

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Aims and objectives Why Look Magazine Diffusion of innovations Influencers That was easy I know something you don't know its all for you The Big Idea Crush the competition The tech tricks App Development Route to consumer The Future Of Look Bespoke 5

manual

for a stylish

Life 6

What's going on

Welcome

magine starting a new job and technology being able to filter the social media profile of the company you’re joining using your preferences and different stores inventories to suggest appropriate looks personally styled for you, all with the use of your smartphone. Now technology is evolving at an epic rate; soon your smartphone will know you better than you know yourself. Traditional retail tricks and advertising tactics are fast losing their grip on the ever-growing tech savvy consumer. Empowered by the digital revolution, consumers are immersed in an online world driven by social exchange and emotional connections. The most successful concepts emerging now and in the future will be those focused on mobile devices. From smartphones to portable devices that digitally transport consumers to virtual environments, systems, services, products and projects must be accessible on the go.

Fig. 1

"if we are so mobile savvy and use them all the time, why does this m-commerce movement seem so new to the high street weeklies”

Consumers are changing, they are searching for seamless experiences, personalisation and mobile access. Furthermore technology is ever changing, ever adapting. Throughout researching it is clear to see technology is, right now, the biggest influence on the high-street. It’s becoming clear that m-commerce is the next generation movement in retail, which can’t come as much of a surprise when we think about how dependent we are upon our mobile phones. But one sector we see not taking advantage of this m-commerece movement is the print media, specifically high street fashion weeklies. But if we are so mobile savvy and use them all the time, why does this m-commerce movement seem so new to the high street weeklies.

Aims and objectives

hrough initial research at the very beginning of this project I identified three key needs I believe consumers are seeking in their everyday lives, convenience, personalisation and technology on the go. After a scan of the app market it was clear fashion high street weekly magazines were were not doing enough to engage their consumer on mobile apps. It was this that led me to the idea of this innovative project, which aims to reinvent Look Magazines digital presence in the form of a bespoke mobile app trend service for its readers named Look Bespoke.

Fig. 2.

Why look

art of Look magazines success has to be the close relationship with its readers. Look always listens closely to the readers needs and desires to create a magazine that makes them feel good, whatever the size age or budget. High Street is the key focus but it is always presented in an authorative and aspirational way. Looks unique relationship with their readers makes them incredibly loyal. One main advantages of Look is their ability to reach a broad range of consumers in their magazine. Their readership varies from younger Generation Z consumers all the way to the younger Generation X consumers. Introducing an interactive trend app for Look Magazine allows the brand to tailor trends and styles specifically towards individual users. This allows Look to broaden their digital presence and keep on top of the demands from the fashion conscious savvy consumer.

Power of the brand

Look has a powerful brand following. The magazine readership travels across three different Generations. Ultimately the heart of Look magazines success is its unique ability to make women feel good. Look is the UK’s foremost accessible fashion brand. Women buy Look for guidance, tips and styling advice. Look Bespoke plans to take lead of the high street weekly fashion magazine app market. Grazia’s ‘Ipad Edit’ is a shoppable service that allows users to shop straight from the app. Marketed towards the growing pool of female readers who currently own and consume content on tablet devices, the iPad edition of the glossy was created. The service allows users to shop items available on the app on the go, but lacks innovation, as now the majority of brands have made mobile optimised websites that allow consumers to shop on the go, anytime, anywhere.

Fig. 3

728,000 Facebook followers

115,000

Twitter followers

21, 000

Instagram followers

6, 945

Pinterest followers

Diffusion of innovations The early adopter Look Bespoke is the early adopter of fashion trends. The early adopters are usually â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;close friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or colleagues of the Innovator. They have a high degree of involvement with other groups. They are usually more integrated into a social group, style tribe or community and, because they are more familiar with the community they live in, they are more trusted and valued. Look Bespoke can be seen as an early adopter as Look Magazine listen closely to to the needs and desires of their readers which in turn creates a cool, uniqiue relationship with their consumer.

The early majority The early majority are those who need to see how the early adopters relate to, and grapple with, any new idea. Early majority members are highly sociable, unusually active online, but do not necessarily have thoughts or ideas designed to lead or to direct- they are followers, but followers other people trust as there are seen to be sensible enough not to adopt something if it is too radical or outlandish. The early majority tend to pass trends over to the late majority.

The Late majority The Late Majority are those who are conservative by nature and who require high levels of reassurance and explination about how a new idea will work and how they can benefit from using and buying it. They tend to adopt a trend if they have seen enough examples of it among the early majority, and among, on or with people they respect and whose opinions they trust, such as celebrities or more adventorous friends. The app is beneficial for late majority adopters as it allows them to view styles the early majority have adopted.

Look Bespoke App Look Bespoke User Laggards

Late majority

Early majority

The diffusion of innovation curve Early Adopters The diffusion of innovation curve seen here is a simplified version of the mapping process to desribe how an idea, innovation or product developement passes from the fingers of our culture into the late majority mainstream (Raymond, M, 2011).

Innovators

The Look Bespoke app places as an early adopter of fashion trends on the curve. This is because Look Bespoke is an early adopter of high street fashion. Where as the app user places under the early majority and late majority. Look Bespoke sees itself as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;middle manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; between the trend forecaster and what is in the store now.

Trend Creators Trendsetters

Trend followers

Early Mainstreamers

Mainstreamers

Late Mainstreamers

Conservatives

Anti Innovators 16

The diamond shaped trend model Trend Followers Look Bespoke follows trends and suggests appropriate looks to the user. The app poses as the trend follower on the diamond shaped trend model as the app is the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;middle manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; between the trend forecaster and the trends in store now.

Early Mainstreamers The early majority pose as the early mainstreamers in the diamond shaped trend model. The early majority follow other people they trust which means they are likely to adopt trends suggested to them from the app.

Mainstreamers The mainstreamers are ultimately the most important consumer group to study. The late majority pose as the mainstreamers on this diamond shaped trend model. They are governed by social norms and because of this, they are among the quickest to drop a trend or fall out of love with a celebrity, a piece of clothing or a food brand. If these brands are shunned by their peers or no longer accepted as part of the public opinon or taste, they are dropped. This group is usually monitored by forecasters as the activities of this group tell them when the market is about to experiece a downturn.

Influencers Convenience |

Technology | Personalisation

That Was Easy

I know something you dont know

Its all for You

That was easy

Fig. 4

main influence of the production of this trend app is convenicence. Many wider social and ecoomical factors play a role in producing a service that helps consumers everyday lives by making it easier for them.

Drivers Social Trends -Men are spending more time with families while women are becoming more ambitious with work -Social shopping -Social media – the ability to ‘share’ everything -Urban living – more people are moving to the city – shops offer more, products and services in one location -People wanting to get fit and be healthy -People want to shop less and live more -Trust is becoming more and more important – brands must prove they have nothing to hide and be more transparent -Growing ethical concerns – consumers are responding to brands that care about the environment and fair trade – giving something back -Targeting older consumers – ‘The Aging World” people are living longer

Economic Trends -Baby Boomers can’t afford to retire -Europe and Global credit crisis -Growing population

The Quantified Self The quantified self movement, the idea that tracking metrics about yourself can lead to self-improvement, appears to be really taking off. The concept of the quantified self allows individuals to monitor, measure and track their daily lifestyle behavior to observe certain patterns in the way they act and behave. The quantified-self movement is best found in apps that track your fitness or expenditure for example. Which relates to consumers wanting to adopt onto this trend due to ethical concerns like the growing population or general social trends like having a healthier lifestyle. However I feel this movement could be used in fashion trend to. If the user of the trend app takes pride in their appearance, they could log in exactly what they wore each day, the app could then gather data about the users personal style to suggest similar looks, or, could lead the user away from that style to try something new, similarly the log could stop users wearing the same outfit over and 21 over.

Innovators Now global companies like Amazon are serving as role models in creating strong relationships with their customers. Amazon is taking technology one step further to create a real convenient experience for its consumers. Amazon Prime Air is a concept, which allows purchases made, to be delivered to the consumers doorstep within 30 minutes. Amazon is testing delivering its parcels using flying drones, the company’s CEO has revealed the company hopes to have the scheme up and running within five years (Jabour, B, 2013: online). Clearly Look Bespoke won’t be introducing flying dromes to drop users suggested items to their door. But the app will create an easier way for consumers to search for trends, which will be available to use whenever the user wants to (See Appendix).

Early Majority

Generation x More women are filling the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s universities, starting businesses and taking up positions of power. Now there are more female business owners, female CEOs and breadwinners than ever before. However it is a struggle to get to these positions of power. The emerging social trend of the more acceptable role reversal of the working woman has led to more consumer groups having less time to shop. In the workplace, Generation X are waiting for senior leadership roles. Yet the still vigourous Baby Boomers, who are living longer and healthier lives, are not going anywhere anytime soon... and Generation Y are impatiently looking to leapfrog Generation X. Their hectic work schedule leaves less time to do the things they enjoy.

Fig. 5

I know something you don't know Fig. 6

Drivers Technological Trends -The emergence of 2013’s Big data -Face Tracking -‘Smart Cities’ with facial recognition in stores -Data breaches trusting companies with information -Customisation & Consumer involvement

Political trends -Government can watch what you do – loss of privacy -The Disaffected Youth – Facing high tuition fees, lack of employment + the burden of supporting the aging population.

Social Trends The social butterfly 80% of shoppers are directly influenced to purchase items by friends posts and 78% are swayed by posts from the companies they follow. Showing peer recommendations has a tremendous impact on purchasing decisions (Baron, K, 2013: online). New technologies can potentially be one step ahead of the consumer. Being allowed access to view users social media profiles means the app has the power to suggest looks for events users haven’t thought of yet. The app can also be used as a very important tool. For example, deciding what to wear for a job interview. The app can scan the companies social media profile and suggest appropriate looks.

Innovators Look at me: Everyone’s an influencer. Net-A-Porter has homed in on the seductive value of sharing. It’s new feature, Live, transforms every consumer into a potential influencer by allowing shoppers to see what others are buying in real time. When a product is added to a virtual shopping basket or wish list or is shared with a friend via a social network, it appears on a news feed (See Appendix). “Understanding the key influencers in your market has become hugely important to success in todays marketing communications” (Chaffey, D, 2013: online).

Early Majority

Generation Z

Fig. 7

or Generation Z, rather than seeking an item and buying it, they hunt it out- seeking retail experiences, creating scrapbooks and documenting potential purchases. There are four critical stages in Generation Zâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s path to purchase: 1. This group seeks out potential purchases, influenced by what friends suggest. 2. The group continues browsing via Google. 3. They then create lookbooks with images scraped from Pinterest. 4. And finally they continuously check the prices of their chosen items on the internet. H&M 360 Experience: The London Oxford Street store underwent a large-scale transformation in March 2013. It now offers a hang-out space as well as Wi-Fi recognition of the fact that shoppers are not just browsing in-store, they are also browsing online in-store.

It's all for you

Innovators Mobile apps are fast becoming an indispensible tool for sales staff to communicate with customers out of hours, or out of town. Recasting personal shopping for the digital generation, such innovations are helping to bring luxury- sector services to the high street. More personal one- on- one communications make for effective consumer engagement, while providing retailers with plenty of useful information about consumer preferences (See Appendix). PS Dept (Personal Shopper Department) a mobile app that grants consumers access to personal shoppers without the need to visit a physical store. “Customers’ raised service expectations go hand in hand with the growth of e-commerce, since people want the access when it’s convenient for them” (Good, M, 2013: online).

Fig. 8

Drivers

t’s All For You revolves around personalisation. Consumers now are more travelled, cultured, affluent and better educated. They are savvier than they have ever been before and demand more in exchange for their data. The rise of mobile technology will create an environment of individuality where consumers expect a service or experience tailored towards them.

Cultural trends More people are choosing take years out before beginning work, living abroad and travelling mid-way through their careers, bringing different cultures with them.

Technological Trends -The emergence of 2013’s Big data -Face Tracking -‘Smart Cities’ with facial recognition in stores -Data breaches trusting companies with information -Customisation & Consumer Involvement

Big data The emergence of 2013’s Big Data gives insight into how brands and individuals can share data to create a more personal trend service to each user. Big data describes our recent ability to collect and analyse much more data about a particular issue than ever before to gain new insights and offer innovative products and services. In the age of big data, data itself becomes the good that’s being traded. This shift happens as we realise that the value of data is not exhausted when it’s used for the purpose it was collected. Fundamentally, it is about making predictions. It’s now possible to leverage large amounts of messy, realworld data to build predictive models that can find patterns, establish correlations and infer probabilities with enough accuracy to help us do things, like identify emerging fashion trends. (Kansara, 2013, online). As technology makes our world more transparent, handling customer data is both a risk and an opportunity for businesses. While the foremost concern must be to protect the data and privacy of customers, a smart data strategy also encourages responsible sharing of relevant 29 data, benefiting both the brand and the consumer.

Early Majority

Generation Y

Fig. 9

eneration Y are highly social and networked via technology. The opinion of peers is always within easy reach. They have a strong marketing orientation, having grown up surrounded by communications. They know when theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re being marketed to and are happy to comply, providing there is something in it for them. Generation Y want to be entertained, acknowledged and heard by brands and in exchange they will participate and support brands. While they might not desire a prescribed path, millenial women do express a need for perspective from other women. They are re-imagining the traditional mentorship through social technologies such as blogs, social media profiles and brand communities.

Big Idea

he aim of the big idea is to offer a mobile service that puts Look Magazine ahead of the competition. The focus of the app suggests and styles users in current high street trends which are also directly shoppable on the app. The app creates a personalised trend service tailored towards each individual. The user inputs personal data, the app then filters suggested looks to that specific user. Look Magazines readership covers three different generations, and so will the app.

How will Look Benefit

Fig. 10

his app will provide Look magazine with valuable data about their consumers that will allow them to target appropriate information to specific individuals. App users personal information can be sold on to brands, which will benefit Look as well as the app user. For example, brands can then send the user an entire wardrobe of clothes personalised towards each user from the data. The menswear clothing brand Frank & Oak have taken on a similar approach. The brand has created The Hunt Club. Joining the Hunt Club let’s you try on your favorite items first. Once a month, you pick out your 3 favorites and keep only the threads you like and if you’re not satisfied with your Crate or a new style you tried then you easily print a shipping label and send back your Crate for free. The Hunt Club is free and you are not obliged to buy. If you don’t see anything you like simply login and SKIP your crate (See Appendix).

Crush the competition

ASoS

Fig. 12

brand leading the way forward in the digital world is ASOS. Although ASOS are not a high street weekly fashion magazine they are one of Look magazines biggest competitors. ASOS describe themselves as the global fashion destination for 20-somethings. The ASOS mobile app was voted as the best in the Observer’s top 10 fashion apps in 2013, as they offer trend information to their consumers using creative digital strategies and are streets ahead of the competition in many aspects of ecommerce. They are one of the worlds most innovative social brands, leading the way in communication and promotion.

The ASOS personal stylists on Google Helpouts are so far the closest brand to implement aspects of my idea. The helpout offers consumers a chance to chat live with personal stylists via webcam 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday, offering advice on which trends suit you the consumers’ personal style, they’ll even look at every item you already have in your wardrobe. The service is a one off chat with the stylists specifically focused on the SS14 trends. However my idea is looking to keep the users in constant communication with their own personal trend consultants for all four seasons as well as calculating the users personal style using Big Data.

Top ten fashion apps from The observer

The Tech Tricks

ew technologies are bringing once- fantacy concepts for retail closer to realisation. From immerisve environments of virtual reality to advanced wireless connectons, making items all around us shoppable. Smart shopping is a new way of life. Smartphones and specifically certain apps can use intelligent tools such as proximity marketing, to enrich the in store experience for customers with in-app marketing triggered by proximity to products on the shelves, which means consumers will be alerted with a message of a product they may have been recently viewing to tell them where about it is in the store. The use of real time interactivity eliminates any delay in proximity- based promotions, so retailers can reach consumers with the right message. Flexible geo-fencing allows retailers to define the radius of where the consumer is in proximity to the store. Allowing for them to text you with promotions and offers to lure you in stores. Near Field Communication will very soon allow brands to tag everything making products tap-to-buy on a mobile, and as the cost of NFC tagging falls and the number of mobile devices hosting NFC readers rises, expect a retail and marketing revolution.

App development

Stressed Depressed

but well Dressed 46

Data Input Users will input data to gain a tailored trend service to each individual user. Data inputs will include cultural tastes, such as film and music, physical information, style heroines, a style map of the users favourite places to shop, where the clothes will be worn, the users location, and a risk tolerance scale, to test how brave the user is to try new styles. The copy during the data input process must engage and entertain the user. This is where Look Magazines tone of voice will really stand out, as the brand knows how to communicate with their consumer in a unique way.

App Features

Send a message via the chat icon about what kind of style you are hunting for a one to one chat with a trend consultant. The trend consultants will take a look at high street store inventories and share photos of items they find for you. The user can directly purchase shoppable items from the app. The chat icon gives the user a very direct relationship with the brand.

The users suggested items will be stored in your wardrobe. Simply click ‘X’ if you want to disguard an item that you do not like or alternitavely you can ‘tap-to-buy’ shoppable items from the wardrobe. Once these items are purchased they will disappear from your wardrobe. You can also try an item on in-store and disguard or keep later.

Be Unique. The hunt icon encorouges users to be unique and try out small up and coming brands. There is also an option for users to upload a photo and the app will try to detect if the item is from the high street inventory on the app.

The search tool allows users to filter specific trends by entering key words such as ‘business’ or ‘casual’ so the app can filter specific items more suitable for occasions that they are being worn. There is also an option to search hashtags. This allows users to see what other app users have been suggested via the ‘share’ option in the app.

Be Brave. This icon allows users to see items that may not be specifically tailored directly towards them, but gives users the option to be braver and try something different to their usual style. The items are updated regularly so users can browse through new items daily.

shop The shop icon allows users to shop items straight from the Look catalogue. This allows users to shop anytime, anywhere in a much more convenient way. An alert will appear on the shop icon if the user comes into close contact with an item viewed in their ‘wardrobe’ that are available in-stores, through the use of Geo-Fencing and NFC tags.

Users are given the opportunity to share trends suggested to them and hashtag key words so fellow app users can easily search styles through the hastag. Looking at succesful e-commerce start-ups, they tap into a sense of narcissm and giving users the option to ‘share’ outfits helped styled by the app taps into this sense of narcissm. The people power of digital communities is increasingly important, especially for the Late Majority consumers They tend to adopt a trend if they have seen enough examples of it among the early majority, and among, on or with people they respect and whose opinions they trust.

send Look Bespoke wants to provide a luxury sector service for the high street. As luxury consumers expect a certain level of service, the app will provide them with this. Providing users with a easy way to submit feedback means Look Bespoke is not only gaining valuable insight into consumer sentiment, but also creating an improved view of customer service.

Allows users to edit their original data input to refine trend filter.

The new marketing mix

Purpose Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not what you do but why you do it. Look Bespoke will become the users own personal trend consultant. The app can sell data to other clothing brands which not only benefits Look but the user also. Look Bespoke will create an innovative way for Look Magazine to communicate to their mobile consumers.

People Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who you serve not what you sell. For Generation X and Y especially this app will become a helpful tool in their everyday lives. The app is a personal stylist in the users handbag, which can be communicted to 24 hours a day.

Personal Look Magazine have already developed a very strong relationship with their consumers. They are a transparent brand who have the loyalty and trust from their readers. The intimate and personalised aspect of this app will build an even greater relationship between Look and the consumer.

Perception Look Bespoke aims to fill a void in the consumers lives by allowing the consumer constant communication with the brand they trust and believe in.

Fig. 13

Route to consumer

App Pack To gain awareness of the app Look Bespoke will send an app pack to each of Look Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s subscribers homes. Subscribers recieve the pack as a reward for the subscription service. Within the pack consumers are told the first 1000 app downloaders will be entered into a draw to win an entire outfit styled for them on the app, for free.

Tumblr Page To embrace the trend aspect of the app, Look Magazine will update its current tumblr to be focused on Bespoke. It will be updated regularly with the shared photos from the app community, as well as street style blogger images. As currrently Look Magazine only post images of the front cover of the magazine on a weekly basis (See Appendix).

Promotional poster The promotional poster for the app will be featured in numerous issues of Look Magazine, it will include a QR code for smartphone users to scan, to be guided to a direct link of the download.

Social Media Unlike other start-up apps, Look already has a very large social media following and can promote the app on all its social platforms to its already loyal and trusting consumers.

App Inspiration A main aim of this app is to set out to create a luxury sector service for the high street. And because of the advances in mobile technology, it is more possible for us to do this. Looks key focus is the high street, but they communicate this trend and style information in a authorative and aspirational way. I created a moodboard of images that took inspiration for the look of my app. The AW15/16 Print and Graphics trend- Flawless- was a big influencer. The straight lines and negative space create a clinical effect, that connotes a sense of luxury. I also drew inspiration from the cultural calander, looking into upcoming exhibits. The five years exhibition by Colophon Foundryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use of grey negative space, lines and thick fonts were also an influencer.

I took influences from my app style inspiration board to lay out images of how the app could potentially look. Here I created a moodboard of SS14 style items that were influenced from my Flawless moodboard.

‘Be Flawless’ is an example of a trend suggested to a user. Its name takes influence from a popular and current song title, paying homage to pop culture, but it is also a play on words as the ‘Be’ also refers to the Be in Bespoke.

The app presents a collection of styles to the user that are directly shoppable with a ‘tapto-buy’ function. The ‘Not For Me’ icon will disguard a trend from the users profile if they are not interested in it. If the user chooses the ‘Save For Later’ icon the shoppable moodboard will be stored in the users ‘wardrobe’ to look back at and access whenver they want.

Not For Me

Save for later

The hover option allows users to see more specific details of shoppable items. Using the allure of exclusivity and peronsalisation, the icon gives users the option to be directed to unique details retracing the products journey, including possible original sketches of the items.

The app visuals will reflect each seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trends. I have created the app layout based on the current SS14 colour palette. I used white negative space with the hint of pastel colour. Every season the colour on the app will change to fit directly with the colour palette of each season. I must keep the app language playful to reflect Looks tone of voice and keep users engaged. Nod to pop culture through Beyonce song reference.

Strengths The app uses sophisticated data tracking and response monitoring technology to filter down specific trends and styles to individual users. The use of social sharing allows the user to give feedback on the app. Luxury consumers expect a certain level of service. Luxury services allow consumers to submit feedback to brands, as Look Bespoke wants to mimic these luxury sector services, it will do the same. The brand will likely find significant value in this direct line of communication.

Weaknesess Some users may be hesitant to submit data. The majority of users will more than likely of already built a relationship with the brand and trust them. However some users may not allow the app to access their social media profile and potentially limit the opportunities the app has to offer.

Oportunities If the app is succesful Look Bespoke may be able to broaden the outreach of the app to a more wider audience. The service can take off on itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own with its own social media profiles, website and potentially a personalised mini zine for each user. The app may allow for the introduction of menswear and childrenswear trends, as the future generation is only becoming ever more tech-savvy.

Threats Other fashion magazines could potentially cause a threat by creating similar concepts and poaching Look Bespokes target consumer. Selling users data onto brands will benefit Look econimically but could also potentially damage them. Other brands will then have hold of valuable consumer data that Look collected, resulting in them potentially targeting themselves towards the consumer pushing Look out of the way.

The future of Look Bespoke