Social media has changed the relationship between brands and consumers and retailers can take advantage of this by following the latest trends.
In this digital age trends are changing so rapidly that sometimes it’s difficult to keep up, and if there’s one thing we have consistently underestimated over the past 10 years, it’s the power of social.
It took a little while for people to start taking it seriously, but social media is now a fundamental part of most brands’ marketing campaigns.
It has changed the relationship between brands and consumers irrevocably, allowing both sides to engage with each other on a much more personal level.
That’s why retailers should take notice of social shopping trends like the ‘chelfie’.
Connecting customers
Chelfies are selfies which are taken in changing rooms and then posted on social media channels for feedback. The number of likes and comments they receive will help the shopper to decide whether or not to make a purchase.
“Social media has changed the relationship between brands and consumers, allowing both engage with each other on a more personal level”
Marty Plocica, Hammerson
Led by celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, it is now estimated that one in seven shoppers under the age of 30 need online approval before purchasing clothes.
According to recent data, on average women need three likes and men need four before they are willing to part with their hard-earned cash.
While some retailers have bemoaned the loss of spontaneous shopping, others have sensed an opportunity.
As well as creating another channel to engage with their customers, the chelfie has led to free brand marketing.
By posting chelfies on social media channels, shoppers encourage friends and followers to give product feedback, providing valuable insight for retailers.
Changing room changes
Helpful guides have been published by bloggers advising shoppers on how to create the perfect chelfie, including The Oracle’s Ultimate Guide, and Silverburn’s Definitive Guidelines, and others have provided tips for retailers on how to create changing rooms that best advertise their brand.
“Retailers should be cottoning on to the brand power of displaying their logo on changing room walls so that they can attach their name to the products beamed across social media”
Marty Plocica, Hammerson
For example, retailers should be cottoning on to the brand power of displaying their logo on changing room walls so that they can attach their name to the products proudly beamed across social media channels.
As the chelfie trend gathers pace, a number of innovative entrepreneurs are also getting in on the action.
PollPic, an app that allows for quick sharing and voting for chelfies, and Pixglass, a company that has created a camera-enabled mirror that sends a chelfie straight to the user’s phone, are both capitalising on social shopping.
Retailer participation
Some retailers are already successfully embracing social shopping.
Chanel, for example, has iPads in all of its changing rooms in their Regent Street store so that their shoppers can take chelfies more easily.
Tommy Hilfiger has taken it a step further and has introduced iPad kiosks in their flagship store in Dusseldorf.
This enables friends or partners waiting outside to offer opinions that are delivered back to the changing room. And River Island offers chelfie-taking ‘magic mirrors’ for their London customers.
By tapping into the mindset of the younger market, these retailers are making their stores a destination of choice for the next generation of shoppers.
- Marty Plocica, director of UK shopping centres Hammerson
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