I read this article over the weekend and I immediately
knew what direction I wanted to go with this blog. I have been thinking about
the type of industry I wanted to relate social media with and to be honest, it
has been quite a struggle. After this article, I realized that the fashion
industry is a perfect choice for my topic because well... I am a girl and
anything fashion related intrigues me.
This article, written by David Hatch, centers around the well known apparel chain, Nordstrom, and the role social
media is playing in its market. Nordstrom is a store that is always on the
edge of technology. It is doing much more than just utilizing social media
sites like Facebook and Twitter. They are going beyond just text and attracting
consumers through photo sharing sites such as Tumblr and Pinterest. As of 2010,
Nordstrom also began offering free Wi-Fi in their stores. Another interesting
feature that the article mentions is that 6,000 iTouch devices were issued to
Nordstrom staff. The devices allow them to ring up patrons on the spot making
checkout more efficient. Ipads are also used in the store to further assist
customers with choosing out products. The portable devices allow personnel to
have the whole store at their fingertips.
Nordstrom is brilliant for trying to stay up to date on
technology and social media sites. Social media is an increasing presence and it is important for
companies to stay connected. Fashion is a huge industry and in order to bring
in customers, you have to provide your products in innovative ways. Nordstrom
has allowed social media to strengthen their company and bring in more
consumers. I am a loyal customer to this store and I have greatly noticed the
ease of finding products I like on sites such as Pinterest and Tumblr. Photo
sharing sites have created a new era of social media because they are all about
images. Nordstrom has recognized that customers enjoy visual sharing compared
to just text and have expanded into other sites like thefancy.com and pose.com.
Social media has become an integral part of not just Nordstrom but the entire
fashion industry as a whole and it is here to stay.
Everything you said about the fashion industry and technology going hand-in-hand is absolutely true. Gone are the days of window shopping and thumbing through catalogs you got in the mail. Now you have companies offering online catalogs and shopping. Some fashion brands have even opted to skip having brick-and-mortar stores, choosing instead to rely entirely on social media and the ease of online shopping (stores such as AllSaints, NeoBlue, and ASOS come to mind)--to great success.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has literally brought everything to our fingertips, and fashion is no exception. Fashion trends are blogged about (i.e. The Satorialist and Guerreisms are two of my favorites), and individuals post their outfits for any and all to see and draw inspiration from (Lookbook and StyleForum), runway shows and photoshoots are displayed on social media, and of course, any online store you've purchased from is sure to keep you up-to-date on the latest deals on promotions.
Fashion is ever-evolving, and rationally, for the sake of its survival, it has adapted and integrated with the times. I wonder how the fashion industry will continue to make the most out of the convenience technology provides...?
Thanks for the comment Austin! Even though this is for a summer class, I really appreciate you taking the time to give me some feedback! Please continue to do so on all my future posts this summer :)
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