Avoid Using Discounts as a Crutch to Drive Sales

I have observed that many retailers and fashion brands have fallen into the trap of constantly offering sales and discounts to their customers. While these promotions can be an effective marketing strategy to drive traffic and sales, they also have the potential to harm a brand's reputation and train customers to wait for discounts before making purchases.

The problem with sales and discounts is that they create a culture of expectation among consumers. With your brand or store constantly offering discounts, retailers and brands, you are training your loyal customers to wait for the next sale rather than paying full price for your new releases. This can lead to a decrease in the perceived value of products and ultimately harm your bottom line.

Constant discounts and sales can also damage your reputation. If customers become accustomed to seeing a brand's products on sale, they may assume that the brand is struggling or worse – that its products are not worth the full price. This is detrimental to a brand's longterm success as customers may start to associate the brand with discounts rather than quality.

While sales and discounts can be effective marketing tools, they should be used sparingly and strategically to avoid training customers holding their breath for something to go on sale. You need to build a strong brand identity of high-quality products that customers will pay full price for. Clearing old stock can be tempting, but try to focus on an annual sale rather than monthly. If you are trying to compete in a sale season like Christmas or Black Friday – you’ve already lost your customer. There is too much noise to make it worth the damage long term.

My other advice is to not sleep on third party Personal Shoppers. Yes, they still exist and often have an existing client base of customers who are ready and willing to spend on luxury fashion items. By partnering with personal shoppers, retailers and brands can tap into this customer base and offer additional services such as private viewings and made-tomeasure options. Personal shoppers can also provide valuable feedback on the brand's products and help to build relationships with customers.

Personal shoppers can help to reduce the emphasis on discounts and sales as they prioritise quality and fit over price, which can help to shift the focus away from sales and promotions. This can be a valuable strategy for retailers and brands looking to attract high-end customers who will pay full price and not think twice.

Chanel High Jewelry

ByJulie Levoyer, Agnès Muckensturm

Chanel High Jewelry is a spectacular publication to celebrate ninety years since the launch of Chanel’s first fine jewellery collection in 1932.

From Gabrielle Chanel’s 1932 collection to the newest interpretations of her signature signs and symbols by Patrice

Leguéreau,

Director of the CHANEL Fine Jewelry Creation Studio, CHANEL High Jewelry remains eternally modern and authentic to the spirit of her enterprise.

Rei Kawakubo: For and Against Fashion

Edited by Rex Butler

The Japanese fashion designer, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, is undoubtedly one of the world's prominent fashion designers. The 14 essays in this collection, written by eminent fashion theorists worldwide, ask about the relationship of Kawakubo's work to art, philosophy and architecture and ultimately illustrate how Kawakubo's creative output allows us to understand the very notion of fashion itself.

Re:Fashion Wardrobe, The: Sew your own stylish, sustainable clothes

By Portia Lawrie

Reuse and sew a sustainable capsule wardrobe tailored to youand with it, break the cycle of throw-away fashion with Portia Lawrie, leader of the Refashioners - fashion reuse pioneers. In this book, learn how to alter or completely deconstruct once-loved clothes to create edited or entirely new garments and accessories that are chic and save the planet.

The Little Book of Versace

By Laia Farran Graves

From Elizabeth Hurley's safety pin dress to Jennifer Lopez's plunging green gown, Versace has always been a brand at the cutting edge of fashion. With a foot firmly placed in pop culture, Versace is beloved by fashionistas and celebrities alike, providing iconic moments like Lil Nas X's gold armour at the 2021 Met Gala, many of Elton John's eclectic tour outfits and the gown worn by Lady Diana in her posthumous tribute in Harper's Bazaar.

Exquisitely illustrated and expertly written, this book explores the brand's story, from its creation in 1978 by Gianni Versace to its iconic status today. Featuring images of red-carpet moments, key pieces and stunning catwalk shows, this is a fabulous collection of all things Versace.

What Matters Most To Online Shoppers This Holiday Season

With the holiday season around the corner, Cisco AppDynamics has revealed the importance online shoppers are attaching to seamless digital experiences as they hunt down great deals during the holiday period.

Consumers have come to rely on applications and digital services for almost every aspect of their lives and they’ve now become far more discerning about what makes an incredible digital experience. 78 percent of consumers regard the experience they get when using a shopping app as equally important as the deals on offer during seasonal sales and key shopping dates such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or Singles Day.

While 73 percent claim it doesn’t matter how good the deals are that retailers offer, there is still no excuse for poor online shopping experiences.

The findings serve as a timely reminder for retailers about the importance of application availability and performance at a time when they are looking to take advantage of heightened demand during what is, by far and away, the busiest time of year for most brands.

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