Shoes and online shopping

Online shopping has been accused of turning retail stores into ghost-lands and contributing to the financial loss that large department stores have been experiencing.

News.com.au recently reported that retailers have become frustrated with the amount of customers opting for the ‘try-before-you-buy’ method, trying on products in store and then purchasing them online for a lower price. Retailers are considering charging customers a ‘try-on’ fee in the hope of reaping some rewards.

Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn told News.com.au that, ”the idea of paying a fee which you would forfeit if you didn’t buy the thing would be right up there with the most unpalatable of ideas.”

“Retailers worth their salt know full well if you start charging people the equivalent of admission to try on products it’s going to turn people away.”

But the ‘try-before-you-buy’ method is the least of their worries, with retail’s number one priority being how to complete with online shopping.

PricewaterhouseCoopers recently released a report stating that,

online shopping expenditure will reach $13.6 billion this calendar year, up 13 per cent from $12bn last year.

With international stores such as ASOS, Urban Outfitters, Sax Fifth Avenue and more offering Australian consumers cheaper prices on quality products and a reasonable delivery fee, it’s easy to see where PwC is getting its figures.

However, Clare Maclean, Fashion Editor of Grazia Australia, believes that there’s more to it than cheaper prices,”People are saying that retail is in a slump, but it’s my personal belief that Australian shoppers are getting increasingly online-savvy and are looking for and getting great value online and that’s left a huge hole in the local market.”

So how does this relate to shoes? Of course they too are sold online, but not all consumers are happy to simply purchase clothing and accessories off the internet, and with shoes being a product not easily altered, how does the consumer feel about purchasing them online?

Eleanor Reader, 21, believes there’s no issue in purchasing shoes online and sees the benefits of online shopping on a larger scale.

“The main reason I buy shoes online is because they are so much cheaper than in Australian stores. Also, Australia doesn’t even have a great variety of brands and styles either, so instead of walking around hoping to spot something you like, you can jump online in the comfort of your own home and look at three times as many that are also much cheaper.”

Miss Reader purchased her latest pair of shoes from Free People, an American online store that ships to Australia for only $8.00 standard delivery.

And while that seems like a reasonable price, if not a bargain, ASOS ships to Australia for exactly $0.00 standard delivery and offers 10% off your next purchase if the delivery arrives later than originally stated.
Mel.

Melbourne Cup Day fashions

It’s no secret that Melbourne Cup Day is no longer just about which horse wins the big race. With each year that passes, the fashion on the field edges its way further onto centre stage with the media not far behind. A large focus is put on the outfits and fascinators that adorn the heads of celebrities and lay people alike.

One of the biggest highlights for the fashion-loving ladies at the races is the Myer Fashions on the Field competition where race day attendees strut their stuff on stage and watchers are able to vote on the best outfit for the day.

Myer Fashions on the Field are held at various race courses throughout the spring racing season during various carnivals.

However this interest in fashion at the races hasn’t been a recent discovery. According to the Melbourne Cup official website, the history of fashion at the races goes back to the 1960s at the Flemington races.

The VRC’s Fashions on the Field was instigated in 1962, following initiatives implemented by a VRC sub-committee set up in 1960 to promote the Centenary Cup. The contest formed part of the ‘Fashions, Flowers and Favourites’ celebration and was an attempt to ‘woo more women to the races’.

It was not until the 1970s that brands such as Schweppes, Fletcher Jones and Myer stepped in to sponsor the event and give the carnival a makeover.

Now prizes are given to the best dressed ladies and gents and special invitation-only competitions are held for Design and Millinery.

But let’s talk about t the shoes that graced the racecourse for a moment.

It seemed to be a year of nude coloured heels with personalities and celebrities such as Sonia Kruger, Rachael Finch, singer Ricki-Lee Coulter and model Ashley Hart opting for neutral tones in tans, beiges and creams.

Brights also made their mark on the toes of Brynne Edelsten, Rebecca Judd, Kate Twigley and Sass&Bide designers Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton.

And as for the girl who won Fashion on the Field? It was won buy 24-year-old Sarah Schofield from Geelong.

Watch the slideshow below for images from the day, take note of the shoes!

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Mel.

Versace for H&M

The internet is all a-buzz in the lead up to the release of the Versace for H&M collection. Cue exotic colours, graphic prints and trend setting shapes.

H&M released images of the collection about a month ago but the excitement is gaining as November 19th creeps ever so close.

Style.com have featured an exclusive interview with Donatella Versace about the collection in the new print edition and have shot some backstage footage from the fashion shoot for the story.
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1

H&M’s images from the collection:

Available November 19th 2011.

Pop-up stores settle down in Australia

Interior of the Habbot pop-up store, Melbourne

Pop-up stores have long been popular in America and Europe and have recently started to creep into vacant buildings in shopping hotspots around Australia, growing in popularity with each new store.

For Annie Abbot, shoe designer and owner of the online store Habbot, a pop-up store was just what she needed to showcase her entire collection and test out the market.

Annie Abbot in her Habbot pop-up store

She stated that the Habbot pop-up store in Melbourne’s GPO enabled her to firstly, “build the brand’s presence in the marketplace by creating publicity around the shop in both traditional print media, and also via digital on-line channels.”

“Secondly, we are a young and small business and not ready for the financial commitment of a long-term lease and staffing costs associated with a permanent store. We also do not carry enough stock to fill a store for an entire season.”

Ms Abbot’s store, which opened on the 18th August 2011 and closed on the 8^th October 2011, had great success in drawing customers in and gaining publicity for the brand.

“We’ve gained some fantastic press in the Herald Sun, The Age on-line, Sydney Morning Herald on-line, The Design Files blog, fashion Journal Blog and several other smaller fashion blogs.

“We’ve also been able to introduce and ‘talk’ about the brand to hundreds of customers that have visited the store. Sales in-store (and on-line) have quadrupled in the past month as a result of use having (and promoting) the store.”

Visual display in the Habbot pop-up store

But for many people, a pop-up store is still a foreign concept, however Ms Aboot believes that the popularity of the pop-up store will increase throughout Australia.

“Whilst there continues to be more vacant shops than usual due to the difficult retail climate I do think pop-up stores will become more popular. But even when consumer spending returns to higher levels I think the pop-up concept will still exist.”

In 2009, America’s CBS News shone a spotlight on the emergence of pop-up stores, with the introduction of an Ebay pop-up store in Manhattan:

Whilst in America pop-up stores are now extremely common, with high end brands such as Marc Jacobs and and low end brands such as Target popping up all over the country, Australia appears to be doing it’s very best to stay on trend and keep up with the US.

Alina Petanic, 24,stumbled across a pop-up store in Surry Hills and was immediately drawn to its atmosphere.

“It had a marketplace vibe to it and that was what appealed to me the most. It wasn’t just some chain store where no matter where you go you find the same stuff. It was more diverse and attractive and I definitely think pop-up stores are a successful retail idea, because it’s bringing a refreshing angle to shopping”

Clarissa Lum, 23, also believes that pop-up stores are a refreshing addition to the retail sector, “I think it’s successful because its showcasing/selling products of smaller businesses – something different in our local shopping centres…I love how they rotate, different businesses pop up each time.”

International brands don’t live up to Aussie expectations

Zara, Pitt St Mall, Sydney

International brands are making the move to Australia, with UK online store ASOS being the most recent to cater for the Australian consumer and Topshop not far behind. But consumers appear unimpressed with the products that brands Zara and GAP are offering in Australia and claim that their stores overseas offer a better variety of product.

Elena Dalrymple*, 34, has visited Gap, Topshop and Zara in Europe and believes that whilst the quality of these brands in Australia does not differ globally, the novelty of visiting these stores overseas is quickly fading.

Inditext, the fashion group behind Zara, declined to comment on how their stores in Australia are progressing in comparison to their other global stores. However the group’s website Inditext.com reported on the 21^st September 2011 that,

“The Inditex Group’s net sales in the first half of fiscal 2011 – from 1 February to 31 July – totalled 6,209 million euros, 12% more than in the first half of 2010. Year-on-year sales growth in constant currency terms rises to 13%, while like-for-like sales grew 6%.

“The Group generated net income of 717 million euros during the period, year-on-year growth of 14%. Gross profit, meanwhile rose by 11% year-on-year to 3,625 million euros.”

The Inditext group opened the Zara Sydney store in April this year and has stores in over 78 countries around the world.

Cate Summers, 24, says that the range of Zara’s products in Australia does not compare to what they offer overseas but believes there is still hope.

“I think the range in Zara stores overseas is greater than here. It’s a more established chain over there and they have a higher number of consumers over there due to population density, so I guess it makes sense that they have a bigger and better range than in Sydney. Having said that, it’s still a fledgling business in Australia, and so the quality could increase substantially after a few years.”

And the differences between the brands’ international and Australian stores don’t just end at stock, with the architectural structure of the stores also showing a great difference country to country.

With Topshop having officially announced in August that it will be moving into the Australian market, it may not be long before these international brands place their stores on every corner of our cities.

*Name has been changed.