From Digital To Physical: Shopping Gets Social On Your Mobile

How many times have you heard the word “social” lately? Social this and social that. With Facebook on every news feature agenda even my grandma started using it. But truth be told – social is the foundation of everything human. For half the world’s population – girls – social shopping is certainly a favourite.

As technological innovation continues to disrupt the very traditional world of Fashion, retailers are witnessing fascinating trends that will continue to change the way we shop for fashion online and on the high street. Most are still ‘thinking’ (if at that) what they should be doing but we are seeing leaders strike out with some pretty cool stuff across the whole spectrum.

In the UK nearly 5 million new people have bought something via their mobile phone in the last few months – a rise of almost 33%. Shoppers are using their mobile for every touchpoint in the purchasing process. They research product features (and ask their friends what they think about it), compare prices, read reviews (that friends or total strangers have put up), find store locations, take pictures of products (to get someone else’s opinion), scan barcodes and download digital coupons. They are using these features both before they shop and increasingly whilst they browse in store.  In short, Fashion Tech is helping the consumer become much savvier and more demanding than ever before.

A few high-end retailers such as Burberry are the trailblazers, but initiatives such as the real time stream of runway shows allowing customers to purchase items that tempt them on the spot are increasingly popular. Neiman Marcus even launched recently an innovative service dubbed the NM service: an app that lets customers know which of their favourite sales girls are on the floor. On the other hand, we see pure disruptors such as Shopcade who have been introducing gamification features which include a ‘Trendsetter Score’ awarded to each user who is really influencing what their ‘friends’ see and buy. Another new kid on the block, Lyst, aggregates inventory from thousands of brands and retailers combining it with all of the many other players in the online-fashion-content world (e.g. bloggers, online magazines), and then giving it a social twist by involving your friends and their opinions.

As we have seen at SalesGossip, shoppers are also becoming more addicted to Fashion Sales and are immensely responsive to any kind of promotions pushed through their phone. A recent survey conducted by the Luxury Institute confirmed the importance of apps in the luxury world by showing that most luxury shoppers were most interested in using apps to gain access to discounts, whilst early access to sales was the second highest incentive to shop this way.

One thing is clear: Mobile Retail is here to stay. As technologies improve, it will continue to have a greater impact on the traditional shopping journey. Changes are already starting to show – take Fancy, for example, a social media site that essentially crowd sources interest in a product and allows merchants to sell them in real-time. It puts demand at the heart of the business model, not supply. It is now up to retailers to stay on top of changing customer behaviour and evolving technologies to increase sales both online and in their brick-and-mortar stores.

I’ll be speaking more about social shopping at Ciklum’s Mobile Conference “What’s APPening Next – The Shifting Landscape of Mobile” that  will take place in London on September 27, 2012. I invite you to reserve your free seat now to learn how the latest innovations in Mobile Web and Apps convert shopping into one of the most favourite social activities both online and offline.

About SalesGossip

SalesGossip is a digital marketing service that enables fashion retailers to communicate their promotions to savvy customers looking out for the latest chic deals. As a shopper you can find out about any fashion sale going on in your city through our Mobile Web App or online.

About  Elizabetta Camilleri

Elizabetta Camilleri is Founder and CEO of SalesGossip, a Fashion Tech start-up that provides savvy shoppers with the latest insider information on any fashion sale or promotion happening in their city. Prior to setting up SalesGossip Elizabetta had worked across a spectrum of multinational organisations and start-ups, including PWC, eDreams.com, Orange, Gartner and indiluup, but her one professional obsession is that of identifying how she can use innovation in technology to create simple digital services that people love enough to use time and time again.

What’s Appening next- the Shifting Landscape of Mobile

Join  Elizabetta and 9 other speakers from AKQA, Polestar Digital Media, Netbiscuits, LoopMe, EVRYTHNG, Steely Eye, Marmalade, Kaboodle and OpenText.

Entrance is free of charge but spaces are limited, sign up HERE

About Elizabetta Camilleri, Co-Founder & CEO of SalesGossip (1 Posts)