Contents
3.
CONCEPT
4.
Brand laboration
7. sumer
Target
Col-
Con-
7
. Social
Media
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.Customer Profiles
9.
The history of Visual merchandising
The Virtual Reality Concept
The elder consumer over 50 years old is one of the most least represented demographics in the fashion Industry. Fashion companies isolate this age group because of an archaic perception that the elder generation are disinterested in fashion and do not contribute to society 'they are more frugal and less hedonistic, and more likely to save than spend freely'. However while this statement is not entirely false with the raise of the baby boomer generation these attitudes are no longer valid as 'the over- 50's hold 80 per cent of the nation's wealth (£280 billion), 40 per cent of its disposable income and spend £240 million on consumer goods each year’ (Stroud, 2008 p.18). In conclusion, the elderly sector in society are bigger and healthier and the richest in history. The economy is still in turmoil, and unemployment rates remain high amongst millennials data from the U.S. census supported this view stating ‘40 percent of our nation's unemployed are millennials, translating into 4.6 million young people out of work’ (McHale, 2015) Therefore it's imperative that
the fashion Industry' promotes the inclusion of the elder citizen in order to promote diversity in the fashion Industry as well as growth in sales. A Virtual Reality Experiential Concept that will help to target and benefit the older consumer is Virtual reality changing rooms. Primary research was conducted through open surveys with the target consumer group, who were male and female shoppers within the of 50+ age range. Research showed that this group thoroughly enjoyed the retail experience as a vast majority of the group interviewed, viewed the retail shopping experience as a leisure activity and an important part of their day especially during retirement, where they spend a majority of their time at home. Although In a large amount of the surveys trying on clothes arose as the most daunting and problematic aspect of shopping as it proved to be a physical strain. A large amount of consumers noted they combated this issue by purchasing their clothes on inspection and trying them on at home which meant they had to return the clothes that they did
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not like which proved to be an inconvenience. The Virtual reality changing room mirror will become activated when a customer scans the barcode of a garment. Then an avatar of them will appear on the mirror wearing the item of clothing. Using hand gestures. The software will allow them to change the colour of the item and fit by adjusting sizing to find the best look for them. The smart mirror remembers previous outfit choices, so the shopper can compare and contrast. The mirror will also enable the customer to add accessories, and see outfits from different angles without straining their neck or using a wall of mirrors. The purpose of the software is to allow the elder consumer to enjoy their shopping experience alleviating them of the physical strain that repeatedly trying on multiple garments can put them under. Therefore a Virtual Reality changing room will completely alleviate this problem and 100% of the consumers surveyed noted the Experiential Concept would improve their retail shopping experience in a significant way.
A virtial Reality Changing room mirror
Brand Collaboration
TK Maxx is a fashion brand that pushes the fashion conversation through its inclusion of people of all ethnicities, body shapes, and ages in their advertising campaigns therefore this brand would work seamlessly with the Virtual Reality Fitting Room Concept for the Older consumer. TK Maxx’s ME .By. Me Campaign was evidence of their celebration of diversity. The main message from the campaign video and editorial images was that people are at their most attractive when they are being their true self, in order to deliver this message the retailer found real people with no modelling experience through casting sessions at TK Maxx stores in Germany, Poland, Ireland and the UK. The campaign featured eight models in total, whose ages spanned from 25 to 82 years old. The adverts have been praised in the press for challenging the perception of beauty. 4
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Joan Didion for CELINE
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Joan Didion for Celine ss15
lthough whilst TK Maxx is known for championing diversity the same passion for reflecting diversity has not always been echoed in the fashion Industry. This is due to season after season typically acclaimed luxury brands such as Gucci, Victoria Beckham and Chanel continually exiling models who deviate from the template of being young, thin, and European from their runways. Although in recent years the idea of beauty is beginning to be redefined as the fashion Industry’s luxury designers are embracing models more frequently. For example Armani used 52 yearold Yasmin Le Bon and 46 year-old Stella Tennant in their ‘New Normal’ Campaign which was centred around the idea of classic elegance as models wore cashmere cardigans and tweed jackets. The Balmain Spring 2016 showcased elder women in a contrasting way as 90’s Supermodels Naomi Campbell 46, Cindy Crawford 51 and Claudia Schiffer 46 wore dresses which were tightly fitted and accompanied by plunging necklines re-
flecting elder women were still sexy and confident with their bodies an idea rarely reflected in the media. Furthermore 82 year-old Joan Didion was also featured in a Celine campaign whilst Vetements used an array of non-models aged over 50 to walk in their Paris Haute Couture show which proves that designer brands are seeing the need of incorporating the older consumer in their campaigns and following suit in the initiative first championed by TK Maxx. Therefore the adoption of the Virtual Reality Experiential Concept by TK Maxx would be a reflection of the changing fashion landscape
"The adoption of the Virtual Reality Experiential Concept by TK Maxx would be a reflection of the changing fashion landscape"
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T a r g e t Consumer
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raditionally it has been largely believed that senior citizens are typically slow to embrace new technologies, including social media. Although recent trends have proved the older generation are among the fastest-growing demographics online. This is supported by stats published In a 2014 Facebook demographic report by ISL which showed the 55 plus age range was the largest growing demographic of new users with 80.4% growth (Saul, 2014). Therefore to ensure the incorporation of social media technology, the optimized virtual reality screen will allow the consumer to directly send an image of them in the clothing item they’ve tried on to their friends and family members via social media. As the primary research unveiled, shoppers found affirmation from their friends and family members impacted their decision on weather to purchase a new item of clothing. The customers will also be bale to tag their images onto the TK Maxx Virtual Reality Facebook Page. The traditional idea of the Older generation rejecting social media is now highly outdated and is being disproved by the baby boomer generation. Patricia McDonough, senior VP-analyst supported this view stating. "It's actually a myth that baby boomers aren't into technology. They represent 25% of the population, but they consume 40% [in total dollars spent] of it,"(Stein, 2013) This is evident through the emergence of the elderly social media influencers and fashion bloggers. For example 65 year old University Professor Lyn Slater of Accidental Icon started her fashion blog in 2014 and since then has gained a cult following on social media with over 100,000 Instagram followers, she has also been featured in countless major fashion publication including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Marie Claire very recently she even gained a campaign deal with Mango. Similarly Helen Winkle known online as @
Baddie Winkle is an 88 year old social media influencer who shot to fame after sharing her unconventional style of sparkly miniskirts and dramatic make up looks since then she gained a mass following of over 3million followers on Instagram. In 2016 she became a brand ambassador for Misguided a brand with a target consumer group of 18-25 year olds girls therefore this disproves the view that older models cannot sell beauty and fashion products to the younger generation. ‘Advanced Style’ is another example of the great Influence the elder generation are having on the Modern Fashion scene. Ari Seth Cohen started off a street style blog in 2008 solely based on capturing the street style of the older generation. Since then it has been acclaimed by publications such as Vogue, Forbes and the New York Times. Furthermore due the blogs great it has since been
“ "It’s actually a myth that baby boomers aren’t into technology.”"
developed into several books with the first release in 2012 selling over 150,000 copies. The Target consumer for this Virtual reality Experimental concept is the elder consumer aged over 50 years old. During the 21st century the ageing population across the globe has shown incredible growth, which has resulted in the elderly consumer, being now regarded as a vital segmentation by the retail industry. Consultancy A.T. Kearney, supports this view stating 'People over 60 make up the fastest growing group of consumers in the world.'(Brazilian, 2015) Through the coalition of primary information gained from surveys 3 different types of potential customers have been established for the Virtual reality changing rooms.
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Customer ProFiles Sally is a 54-year-old social worker. She thoroughly enjoys clothes shopping in store as well as online. She has 3 adult daughters and uses them as a source of style inspiration. She constantly keeps up to date with the latest trends by reading fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle and the style sections in tabloids. Her favourite shops are River Island, TK Maxx and H&M
John is a 62-year-old NHS Nurse. His main reason to go shopping is to accompany his wife. He detests the amount of time his wife takes to try on clothes and this factor puts him off shopping entirely. He thoroughly enjoys technology and is constantly buying and trying out new gadgets. He uses Facebook to connect with his friends and family and he updates his Facebook status at least once a day.
Margaret is a 70-year-old retired accountant. She enjoys shopping but isn't interested in trends, as the most important factor for her is quality when shopping. She prefers to spend more on quality that she can trust. Her favourite stores to shop in are Next, M&S and TK Maxx
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AIDA MODEL
Attention The Virtual reality changing rooms will be a newa d d i t i o n to the TK Maxx store and in order to make theover 50 consumer aware of the concept a buzz must begenerated. An effective way of promoting the experientialc o n c e p t is via Social me- dia marketing. Commission-ing advertisements on Facebook about the new ad-dition to the TK MAXX stores will attract the atten-tion of the consumer as the 50 plus consumer aret y pi c a l ly very active mem- bers on Facebook. Silversurf-e r s . c o m conducted re- search on a demographic ofover 50 year-olds and found that out of 3,012 can-d i d a t e s surveyed 81% of them checked Facebook morethan once a day (Doughty, 2015) Furthermore email mar-k e t i n g will be an effec- tive tool for spreading aware-ness as the elderly regularly interact with email marketing.
Desire
Intrest Secondly Interest must be generated from thec l i e nt e l e . On the day of the launch of the Virtual RealityExperiential Concept an in-store marketing campaignmust be implemented in order to promote the productas well to educate the con- sumer on how to interact withit. Outside of the store can be representatives who are above50 years old handing out leaflets informing the public tocome into the store and try out the new technology thiscan attract new customers to the store who are not typicallyTK Maxx customers. Fur- thermore in using staff mem-bers who are of the clienteles own age range they are morelikely to resonate with the information being presented.I n f o r m a tion from a case study supports this view statingUnilever's margarine's were in decline until it launched itsP r o a c t i v spread, which re- duces cholesterol. The adver-tising campaign focused on happy consumers—mostly over50—attesting to their lower cholesterol levels'. The hugesuccess of new campaign was responsible for turning roundUnilever's margarine division (Over 60 and overlooked, 2002)
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Desire can be generated within the coner by positioning the Virtual Reality FitRooms as a solution to a specific problem expressing the benefits of the software to customer throughout the visual merchancampaign. For example saving time whilst ping is one of the biggest factors that will inmales whilst shopping with their spouses as as how the software allows the consumer try on clothes quickly and efficiently (Ackson,2014). A fashion film will be produced that will be a representation of the problems elderly face when trying on garments in orto emphasize the problem to the consumer to create a desire in the consumer to disthe solution which will be to try the prodThe fashion film will be used in the onpromotion on Facebook as well as beplayed throughout the screens in-store.
sumting a n d t h e dising shopterest well t o e r t h e d e r a n d cover uct. line i n g
Action The use of discounts will persuade customto turn their desire into Action. By pairing online advertisements with discount codes the customer can use when purchasing a uct that they’ve scanned into the VR softwill further attract the older consumer. This is supported by a report by Econsultancom who found that the elder customer is more likely to purchase a product from company that offers deals. (Gilliland, 2016)
e r s t h e that prodware c y . 65% a
The History Of Visual Merchandising Visual merchandising is a
fundamental factor in building a customers in-store shopping experience It is used to create an emotional connection between the consumer and the product which when constructed successfully, will result in the customer engaging and buying into the brand (Bailey, Baker 2014 p.6) The 21st Century is the Digital age therefore there are countless forms of innovative Visual merchandising methods in use today although the practice has been around since the 18th Century. In the earliest stores visual displays were not a priority with very little merchandise being displayed within stores. Stock was kept in the back and ‘sales talk’ was the common practice whereby a clerk would convince customers of the quality of products in order to make a sale. (Bhalla, Anuraag 2010 p.22) P a s t The Industrial Revolution saw the technological advancements in the manufacturing of materials such as Iron and steel. This made significant impact on early retail, allowing for the introduction of skylight fittings, which gave light to enclosed passages lined with shops -known as arcades. This created ‘a more visually elaborate shopping experience and thus became a milestone in the evolution of retail. But this didn’t extend into the stores lining the arcades, so customers became strolling observers – otherwise known as window shoppers.’ (Coatzee, Smith 2016)
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T
he 19th century saw the rise of the department stores, which revolutionized the design of retail stores and visual displays. The first department stores such as the Le bon Marché in Paris became known for projecting the essence of luxury. ‘There were huge chandeliers, stained glass, marble, oriental carpets, polished wood, artwork, and balconies. … Silks cascaded from the walls of the silk gallery, ribbons were strung above the halls of ribbons, and umbrellas were draped full blown in a parade of hues and designs…’ The visual merchandising strategically displayed ordinary items such as inexpensive cloth, with a luxurious appeal transforming the ordinary pieces of merchandise into signs of affluence and wealth.’ Despite not selling luxury items, this method of visual display led customers to believe that average; everyday products could be symbols of wealth and luxury (Marie,2008). P r e s e n t Fast-forward to present day in 2017 Visual merchandising has evolved into a multisensory subject. Topshop is a retail store that champions the use of Innovative Visual merchandising concepts. For example regularly amongst their 300 UK stores Topshop/ Topman commissions in house DJ's to perform live. Most typically the DJ's perform on dates where there are events happening instore such as Student lock in's (a time where students are given exclusive entry into the store) or when a new line of clothing is being launched for example the Ivy Park Beyoncé collaboration. This form of visual merchandising is tailored to their target market of young women and men between the ages 15 and 30 years old and this is the age group who generally attend, gigs, clubs and parties where DJ's are present. Therefore this technique can allow shoppers to associate the presence of a DJ with being at one of the above events and make them not feel as if their shopping. In turn this will boost their morale and give them a more enjoyable shopping experience. Furthermore a study by Graves supported that music can 'influence the unconscious behaviors of shoppers such as affecting their perception of how long they were shopping and encouraging them to linger in a store longer' which therefore translates to In creased sales. (Kauffman, Panni 2017 p.302)
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Hollister is another retail store aimed at young adults who use multisensory techniques to create a strong brand Image and improve their customer shopping experience. Hollister have an in-store policy whereby every hour each stack of clothing and the store itself is sprayed by employees with their promo fragrance for that particular season. Research by Dousse and Jannsens suggests this is an effective technique because 'chemo signals provided in commercial spaces have an effect on the desirability of goods and effect consumer behaviour. …pleasant ambient odour will heighten a consumer shopping experience making it more likely that the consumer will visit the store again.'(Lewis, Haviland-Jones & Barrett 2016 p.207) F u t u r e The continued growth of the fashion Industry creates an ongoing, increasing demand for the further expansion of the visual merchandising Industry therefore new retail concepts are consistently being created which are not in mainstream use yet but will be in the future. For example Digital hangers are a new technol-
music can ‘influence the unconscious behaviors of shoppers ogy, which causes a screen to activate when a customer pulls the item from a rail. The screen presents the customer with styling options for the piece that they've picked which allows the customer to feel as if they have a virtual stylist. Digital floors and stairs are also set to be an emerging trend in Visual merchandising. An early adopter of the trend being Louis Vuitton's flagship store in London. The space featured 'an illuminated, animated staircase that displays moving imagery.’ The feature injects the element of fun into shopping which would make shoppers want to come back not necessarily for the retail aspect but in order to experience the exciting visual display again. This allows the customer to associate the store with an enjoyable experience making them more likely to visit again building brand loyalty. (Baker, Bailey 2014 p.164)
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