Retail A/W 20/21

Top 5 Strategies: Women's Buyers' Briefing

Katie Sturino x Stitch Fix

Inclusivity will redefine the way we buy, from embracing empathetic problem-
solving products to expanding size ranges
 Action Points
Consumer priorities are shifting, as quality and
consumption issues become increasingly problematic.
Refocus buys with consumer concerns in mind: will it
last? Is it sustainable? Is it special? How does it make me
feel?
1. Eliminate decision paralysis: retailers are opting for
fewer, deeper buys, taking cues from D2C brands by
decluttering the path to purchase. Focus core product
lines on items with transseasonal appeal, quality and
added benefits.
2. Fuse 'pretty' with comfort: 'dressing up' takes on a
democratic tone. Remix your offer to make way for this
blend of sweet and sensible styling.
3. Listen with design: show your consumers you hear
them. Crowdsourced brands, expanded size ranges
and D2C market disrupters all have this in common.
Learn from their strategy and embrace products that
build empathy.
4. Leverage drop phasing for risky buys: reframe your
high-risk items with limited-edition drops, satisfying
the need for newness and exclusivity.
5. Test rental for targeted markets: while rental models
may be trending, be strategic about their applications,
targeting markets and products that will benefit from
this new consumption cycle.

@hypebae
 Engagement & Empathy:
Listening With Design
What you need to know:
Solution-oriented design is taking a leading role in the
apparel industry, especially within technical sectors such
as swim and lingerie. Winning brands are taking an
empathetic approach, disrupting traditional sizing and fit
solutions to really focus on comfort and customisation.
The notable uptick in crowdsourced design coincides
with this movement, taking an active role in meeting
consumer needs.
Who you should know
Heist: first famous for its 'nude challenge' line of
expanded hosiery colours, Heist is also reinventing the
shapewear space for comfort and enhancement.
Choosy: pairing artificial intelligence with crowdsourced
design via Instagram polls, Choosy only drops top-rated
styles, pushing its sustainability angle alongside
its consumer engagement.
Third Love: this leader in the online bra space is moving
its customisable range into real life with a pop-up shop in Heist

NYC. The store will cull data from customers on their

shopping and dressing-room preferences.
MeUndies: this D2C intimates brand is now offering on-
demand size requests in addition to its inclusive range,
and uses elastic-free bands to enhance fits.
The top five most inclusive Assortment actions:
brands, according to
Engage your community with crowdsourced pieces
consumers: Simply Be, and/or offer problem-solving apparel that enhances
Yours, Amazon, Torrid, physically and connects emotionally.
Lane Bryant and Full As mass customisation comes with its own logistical
Beauty issues, also look to new fit and fabric technologies that
-WGSN Barometer create greater fit versatility.

Choosy
 Drive Buzz With Drop Phasing
What you need to know: Assortment actions:
With retailers citing 'fewer, deeper' buys across categories, Plan a small percentage of your seasonal assortment to roll 'Exclusive' styles are
and single-product D2C brands gaining popularity for out on a drop basis. Keep the product focused to limited runs dropping in shorter
decluttering the path to purchase, we see in exclusive designs to drive maximum engagement frequencies YoY
overall consumer behaviours opting for fewer, more and provide true scarcity.
strategic buys. Give consumers new reasons to spend by Partner with emerging brands or influencers to differentiate
reframing your high-risk items with buzzy 'drop phasing' drop products from core collections.
strategies. A move-on from the 'see now, buy now' trend
and streetwear drop culture, these reworked rollouts offer
a bevy of benefits: from rapid-response trend turnaround
and FOMO-inducing exclusivity, to the inherent
sustainability advantages of on-demand manufacturing. New-in exclusive styles available online
Who you need to know: • Asos UK
• Matches UK
• Net-a-Porter UK
• Neiman Marcus US
• Urban Outfitters US

Amazon: The Drop is a rotating limited-edition collection

created by top global influencers. The drops are
announced via text message and expire within 30 hours
New-in volumes

of launch.
NTWRK: a flash-sale app with a calendared list of
exclusive product launches. Viewers can tune in to
custom media content that streams during a launch.
Moose Knuckles: the Canadian outerwear brand will
release its 7 Deadly Sins collection this autumn, with
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retailers.
*WGSN Instock
 Reframe Rental
What you need to know:
While high-ticket items have been tapping into the rental
model for some time, applications are now being
leveraged by larger, commercial brands with lower entry
points and different target markets.
Because people are shopping less frequently, the timing
for a rental model is ripe, getting consumers excited
about consumption again, but this time in a price-
effective, sustainable fashion.
One in six young people say
they do not feel able to wear
an outfit again once it has
appeared on social media,
according to a study by the
Hubbub Foundation
A study by Mintel shows the proportion of those
consumers buying clothes every 2-3 months declined
between 2017 and 2018, and those shopping just once a
year have spiked dramatically. There's also been a
consistent fall in the percentage of consumers indulging
their shopping habit once a month or more.
Who you need to know:
Nuuly: the latest rental model from the Urban
Outfitters umbrella offers a revolving three items a month
for $88, in collaboration with more than 150 third-party
vendors. @baacal
Express: the latest commercial brand to jump on the
rental bandwagon, with its $69.95 per month Style Trial,
also offering three items at a time.
Assortment actions:
Target rental models at consumers likely to benefit – Gen
Z customers with large OOTD social followings and/or
those with limited disposable income.
Combat high return-rate items with the rental model,
easing losses due to sizing.
Tap into occasion-based market opportunities such as
maternity, prom dresses or careerwear/tailoring.
Nuuly
 Take 'Pretty' Seriously
What you need to know: The latest Catwalk Analytics shows a fresh focus on
occasionwear, with evening gowns +21% and cocktail
The re-emergence of categories such as tailoring and
dresses +36% YoY. Silk/satin materials increased across
feminine dressing have warranted a rebalancing of the
all categories (+44% YoY, 9% mix) and tulle and glitter
casualwear offer this year. Moving forward, the focus
dresses have increased by 137% and 84%.
hones in on the pretty and glam end of the spectrum,
propelled by a noticeable shift on the catwalks and a new Who you need to know:
focus at A/W 19/20 trade shows, where streetwear LoveShackFancy: this Hamptons-based brand of
themes were noticeably absent. romantic, frilly frocks has exploded in popularity, already
spurring a collaboration with Superga.
Ronny Kobo: its 1980s-style dresses are already setting
Cecilie Bahnsen
the tone for a new wave of party looks.
Cecile Bahnsen: this Copenhagen native explores
babydoll dresses with a nightgown-like air.
Assortment actions:
Puff-sleeve dresses and tops In a market still entrenched in comfort, the emerging
showed early signs of strong occasionwear market has its most viable potential in hi-
performance in S/S 19, with lo styling opportunities. The statement dress and sneaker
combo will be crucial.
high full-price out-of-stock
rates indicating key items Fresh hybrid categories are emerging that allow occasion
to invest in for future seasons. and partywear to be worn in new ways – explore luxe-
lounge looks and upscaled minimalism for maximum
-WGSN Instock
versatility.

LoveShackFancy
 The Inclusivity Equation
What you need to know:
The industry is finally making gains within the plus-size
arena, with major retailers and brands across markets
extending size ranges and adding dedicated plus
collections. The volume of plus-size/extended size
products available online increased by 20% UK and 16%
US YoY from January-June 2019, according to WGSN
Instock.
While the vast majority of plus volumes are held at the
mid-market level (53% UK, 38% US), luxury is showing the
greatest YoY growth in this space (+38% UK, +44% US,
driven by XL and XXL sizes) signalling this is not just a
mass trend.
Assortment actions:
Pay attention to sizes receiving the most YoY growth and
listen to client feedback via social channels. Be sure you
are servicing all of your consumer base.
Align with the pricing structure that fits your brand
message and consumer's values – not all retailers choose
to price plus sizes the same as straight sizes.
Katie Sturino x Stitch Fix
Women's plus-size apparel: volumes and YoY change
• 2018
• 2019
+19%

Who you need to know: UK US

American Eagle: showing a true commitment to plus-size
at scale, it has rolled out denim assortments in all stores
up to size 24.
+22%
Top retailers increasing double XL sizes YoY online:
Nordstrom Rack (+230%), Bloomingdale’s (+222%), H&M
(+138% US, +86% UK), Zara (+46% UK, 63% US), Next
+35%
(+111%). +41%
Stitch Fix: a partnership with plus-size blogger Katie +33% +16% -11% +36% +50% +9%
Sturino in its latest collection includes sizes XS–3X.
XL XXL XXXL 4XL 5XL XL XXL XXXL 4XL 5XL

*WGSN Instock. Women's plus size apparel January- June 2019 adn 2018. Please refer to methodology page for a more detail specification
 Methodology
WGSN Instock
WGSN Instock is an ecommerce analytics platform
part of WGSN's offering.
• Page 3 includes WGSN Instock data based on
women's products collected online from January 1
2018 to June 30 2019 with 'exclusive' in product
name or description.
• Page 6 includes WGSN Instock data collected
across 145 UK and US online retailers from January -
June 2019 and 2018. Includes women's apparel
products marketed as "plus" or "curve" as well as
from sizes XL-4XL and 1x - 6x.
• Please note, some retailers are excluded to ensure
like-for-like calculations and to avoid inflated product
counts due to the acquisition of new retailers on the
WGSN Instock platform
• Numbers may fluctuate as we re-categorise to help
clarify ambiguous/new products or if retailers
refactor their websites.
• New-in: new products available online during the
specified period
Ronny Kobo
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
WGSN Barometer
• WGSN Barometer is a retail consumer Intelligence
and surveys platform. Data used includes
womenswear products browsed and purchased (of
those browsed) in the UK and the US in the 26
weeks to June 30 2019.
WGSN Catwalk
• WGSN is supplied with images covering all of the
major catwalk shows and pre-season collections.
Each look is classified with its individual garments,
allowing us to get accurate counts for each product
classification. This ensures the tags apply at a
garment level, not to the whole look
• The garments are then given further keywords for
style, silhouette, neckline, length, print and pattern,
detail, embellishment and fabric. This process is
completed by our panel of fashion-trained image
taggers. Each image is quality checked for accuracy
by an in-house team
• This report uses data based on Pre-summer 20
and Pre-summer 19 collections across London,
Milan, New York, Marrakech and Paris