Merchandise with Meaning
Image Courtesy: news.nike.com
Shoppers want to feel as if their brands are speaking directly to them. To that end, retailers are making shopping accessible and desirable for all, while simultaneously allowing consumers to feel like individuals, celebrated for their differences.
Empowering Women
Retailers are embracing their female customer through social media and fashion, empowering women of all shapes and sizes. In 2015, Google searches for “feminism” increased by 27% over the prior year, and in a recent study, McKinsey found that if women are allowed to reach their full potential, they will increase global economic growth by $12 million dollars . By introducing body-positive campaigns and clothing lines, retailers are changing the dialogue of women’s fashion so that all women can participate in the conversation.
Retail campaigns such as the Lane Bryant, #ImNoAngel campaign, aiming to “redefine sexy” by promoting body confidence, and the Nike #BetterForIt campaign featuring an eight episode women empowerment web series, focus on strengthening women through retail and promoting a healthy body image. Women are growing in economic potential and it is up to retailers to captivate and motivate them through messages of empowerment.
Islamic Apparel
Designers and retailers are creating fashion-forward clothing lines specifically geared to the conservative, religious woman. Brands of all price points are introducing lines incorporating modest designs, along with headscarves, hijabs and abayas. In 2015, Islamic apparel purchases accounted for $244.0 billion and that number is projected to grow at double the rate of the global apparel industry through 2020. . The Islamic shopper, along with other religious groups, is an underserved retail population.
Uniqlo, recognizing this gap in the market, presented its collaboration with designer Hana Tajima which connected her personal style of modest fashion with the retailer’s “LifeWear concept of enhancing people’s lives through clothing, including those who value modest wear.”
Brands like Mango followed suit, marketing their new modest lines specifically throughout Ramadan. Dolce & Gabbana also premiered an embellished hijab and abaya collection, targeting the luxury shopper in the Middle East.
Affordable Organic
Just as shoppers are becoming more informed about their fashion purchases, they are also becoming more knowledgeable about the food they purchase from grocers. Once only found in health food stores, organic food has now become mainstream. According to the Organic Trade Association, 2014 sales of organic food and non-food products totaled $39.1 billion, which was an increase of 11.3% from 2013. While organic food is not necessarily more nutritious, the lack of food pesticides and chemicals, along with the positive impact on the environment make organic an attractive option for the health and environmentally mindful consumer.
In order to speak to their health conscious customers, mainstream grocers like Costco, Aldi and Sam’s Club are increasing their organic food selection. Whole Foods, notably one of the pricier grocers, has rolled-out its 365 by Whole Foods Market, a “smaller-store concept where value meets quality” designed “to help meet the exploding demand for more natural and organic foods.” Organic food is no longer reserved only to those with extra money to spend and access to specialty grocers.
As today’s shopper becomes more informed, retailers are taking action. Retailers will do the research to stay one step ahead of the consumer, and deliver to further underserved markets.