Shopping Trend of the Year: Direct to Consumer ~ health and fitness,celebrity news,fashion blog,beauty women,whole foods,quotes about love

mercredi 22 février 2017

Shopping Trend of the Year: Direct to Consumer

Models show off wide-leg pants from Everlane, a rising D2C brand.
Image Source: Everlane

We're used to purchasing everyday commodities on catch-all sites like Amazon (and, admittedly, we don't plan to stop anytime soon). But direct-to-consumer online shopping is the retail trend poised to dominate in 2017 for two reasons: more convenience and better value. Shoppers are identifying with specialty brands that sell both a specific product and aesthetic.

Emerging direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands - like Boll & Branch for sheets, Glossier for beauty, Warby Parker for glasses, and Everlane for fashion - have a high-end feel without a high-end price. Formerly cumbersome and opaque experiences like shopping for a mattress are made easier thanks to brands like Casper and Leesa, and without a middleman taking a cut, more people have access to quality products at an affordable price. "We live in a world of the informed consumer, whose expectations around quality, ethicality, and service have never been higher," explained Dave Gilboa, cofounder and co-CEO of Warby Parker. "Direct-to-consumer brands are better able to deliver on these expectations and ultimately provide a more transparent shopping experience."

After hitting a tipping point of popularity, D2C brands often open brick-and-mortar showrooms. But rather than act as a destination to drive substantial sales, the spaces are designed to familiarize consumers with the brand and provide an experience. In Everlane's NYC showroom, for example, a stylist assists customers. And Warby Parker has used a mobile store to test new retail markets and concepts: "We once transformed a vintage school bus into a mobile showroom that we called the Class Trip," Gilboa said. "It traveled the country for over 12 months, stopping in more than 16 cities along the way." D2C brands like Warby Parker have more flexibility. They were able to bring their brand to more places without having to invest in storefronts throughout the country.

Expect to see more "see now, buy now" fashion in 2017, specifically applied to limited-edition items or capsule collections.

The rise of the "see now, buy now" model of designer fashion shows will also evolve the D2C trend in 2017. Brands like Burberry, Tom Ford, and Misha Nonoo are cutting the lag time between when a collection debuts on the runway and when it's available to consumers. Tommy Hilfiger joined the movement this season with the Tommy x Gigi Hadid Spring '17 collection; runway items from the collaboration were immediately shoppable, and many quickly sold out.

In the traditional model, customers had to wait four months to purchase something they saw on the runway. Fashion shows were intended for buyers from department stores, super spenders, and editors, who would act as gatekeepers for the public and help brands determine how much to produce from a collection. With the rise of social media and high-profile influencers sitting front row at shows, more and more women outside the industry got access to Fashion Week. Brands that are changing with the times now give shoppers a chance to purchase looks immediately following a show, which fills the growing on-demand expectations of consumers and once again cuts out middlemen. While some industry experts question how immediate gratification will impact creativity and innovation, we can expect to see more "see now, buy now" fashion in 2017, specifically applied to limited-edition items or capsule collections, which provide a condensed and essential edit of a designer's line.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chloe Nguyen

Casper will deliver you a high-end mattress in a box.

This is number 11 in our 15-part series on 2017 lifestyle trends. Check out the entire Big in 2017 feature to find out what else will power your style, friendships, and home life this year.

mercredi 22 février 2017