Pure Sauce

Chocolate brownies ………… and twitter

2012-02-03T10:39:00.001Z

As aself-confessed “voracious lexivore"aka avid or voracious reader I had noknowledge of the actual mechanics of the book market until last year when my “surrogate daughter” Brianna Karp brought out her memoir The Girl's Guide to Homelessness and the fact that as Amazoncontrols the book market and discount like mad the first time author has a hardtime getting self-space in book shops and it being sold at full price- gettingnoticed unless you have a remarkable story is very hard as a first timenovelist.

So a few weeksago I was mentioned in a tweet by Tamsin Todd aka @tamsintodd

@stellanewmanPear Shaped looks fun. @mrsd_daily @sarahembush see if you can get an earlycopy b.pi.mu/x4sCvS #pearshapedbk

So Iclicked on the link and won the book PearShaped which is great read about a girl who works as a pudding developerfor a supermarket group her loves her life and her job & life at a supermarket head office – theyalso included a letter with a brownie recipe as the book as brownies and thesearch for the perfect texture and taste running through it.

After Iclicked on this the page which then asked for my address to send the book alsohad a readymade tweet to include two of my contacts from Twitter for me totweet out so the book – #hashtag could spread virally which I then tweeted.

I saw#pearshapedbk all over twitter and this was all done by Peer Index who are likeKlout but more efficient and less ego ( sorry but I do think this scoring isego driven ) about they are backed bythe guy from Last.fm – to me thishas to be one of the most imaginative ways of getting a brand new book andauthor to be noticed across the web and the book then to be reviewed and also agreat recipe to be tried .

We havecooking up a storm with the brownie and they were scoffed in one sitting – I lovedthis whole idea as it’s perfect easy reading chick lit and every book now needsa unique selling point so it doesn't get lost in Amazon discounted. it’s allabout thinking outside discounting to attract the consumer and using peer topeer leverage !

Now ifanyone has any ideas on how to sell the UK rights to Brianna’s book pleaseemail me – I have a big role in the book ………..

Couponing …..

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000Z

We would be very interested in talking to anyone about promoting their vouchers and discount coupons on Dinky’s Décor.
Coupon cutting in the US is massive business – I haveseveral friends who do this and are very serious – they collect coupons fromthe inserts in their local papers and via the internet and one friend does hugebulk buys and then gives a fair amount to the local food bank etc – remember theUS doesn’t have the same social benefits and health service we have.

If you want to see how extreme couponing works – look atthis …….. In the US it’s more of an on-going culture as people will buy specialcouponing bags and plan their shopping with military precision – and even banksare giving advice on the statements about couponing via a company calledBillShrink- see this article from the New York Times.

I also have a lovely friend who runs her own coupon site – so I can see how this is very much part of theUS culture and growing so I know this will hit the UK but for the youngergeneration – the 25+ is ready- they will have seen this on TV from the US as Kourtney Kardashian on the latest series of their show gets into couponing and build her own "stash" of coupons.

In the UK we don’t have the newspaper inserts but we do havethe internet sites etc – on Dinky’s Décorwe have added the couponing as we feel the 25+ age group is more internet savvyand as they are the very age group affected by the recession and job cuts plusthe housing market – they will either learn to use coupons or on-line vouchersfor shopping or they will have to learn to save as credit facilities will notbe so easy to come by.

Pinterest …..

2012-01-30T15:48:00.001Z

We have declared our addiction earlier and recently I havebeen sending out invites to UK friends on Twitter– who have heard but didn’t quite get it.

The reason for the invites is they are still developing thesite – it’s nothing lame like they want to keep it exclusive – now since wehave joined we have been using our blogs and tracking traffic from Pinterest and it’s amazing.

We love the fact it’s very visual so if you have excellentpictures of your stock then these will be pinned and repined constantly – we alsolove that when you pin from a site it says and shows other pictures from thesame site – so you can see how popular your site is.

The other interesting fact is if you have one of those very irritatingslide show – video pop up – hard to look at sites then it doesn’t work! Louis Vuittonis great example of a site that can’t be pinned down!

Now if you don’t believe two pinners ……….. Then Mashable have also just written an excellentonline feature on the power of pinning and retail …….

Pinterest Becomes Top Traffic Driver for Retailers[INFOGRAPHIC] -So get pinning or getleft behind!

Discount, discount ………

2012-01-26T09:39:00.000Z

Back in June of last year I was reading the New York Times - I do read this dailyas they have quirky news and some great business stories which are slightly offbeat and their technology business covers small start up’s (some nationals& trade magazines over here could take note of that bit as technologycompanies or online sites can grow veryquickly ) and I saw Ron Johnson thebrains behind the amazing retail experience of the Apple Stores had been poached by JC Penney the US department store – two things struck me first theUS is deeper in to this recession than we are and they are definitely feeling abigger double dip on this recession and they have also lost retail iconicbusinesses like we have and the department store model has been affected thereand the second thought was are retailers now going to look outside traditionalretail CEO’s for inspiration to get back on track ….

Well Mr Johnson has arrived at JC Penney after doing hisgardening leave from Apple and has put out his plan for the future – none of itis ground breaking it’s actually going back to basics and a massive dose ofcommon sense – something which is lacking at the moment everywhere I havenoticed.

Sadly his plan went down like a dose of medicine with theinvestors and the share sank while he did his presentation to shareholders – myview on this is they should suck it up and get over themselves- I would love tosee one of them come from behind their desk or descend from their ivory towerand work the floor …………………… exactly!

Johnson’s strategy for the fourth-largest U.S. departmentstore chain -- including fewer promotions (meaning sales and discounting) ,boutiques-within-a- store and hiring talk-show host Ellen Degeneres as aspokeswoman

The main raft of the plan is simplicity and integrating someof the ideas and the simplicity of his Apple retail stores – this is the manwho brought clean clear stream lined looks to retailing the Genius Bar etc ……

One theme: making shopping simpler. Johnson complainedyesterday that J.C. Penney stores had too many items and sales events. Thechain has 400 brands and plans eventually to reduce that to 100, each with itsown store-in-store- I think this is the same in a few department stores in theUK – they look like crowded bazaars not stores – you can’t see the product orthe offer for the clutter.

J.C. Penney also will eliminate such events as Fourth ofJuly sales, which totalled about 600 last year, and create lower opening pricepoints. For example, a t-shirt with an initial price of $14 typically ended onsale for about $6, Johnson said. As of Feb. 1, that shirt will be offered for$7 from the get-go- so let up and down discounting – just a clear pricestrategy which the consumer understands.

The company will advertise monthly sales around a theme,such as all back-to-school items reduced in August. The goal is to increasestore visits per customer from about four a year to once a month, and that couldtriple sales. The chain will also change its store layout to emulate Apple. AtApple stores, there is an area dedicated to products and one focused on ownersof those products that offer services, such as the Genius Bar. J.C. Penney willfollow suit by throwing out a department store signature: the jewellery andcosmetics counters at the centre of the first floor. Instead, the stores willfeature what Johnson called a “town square” offering entertainment and servicesnot directly related to moving merchandise- to me this is going back to oldschool retailing bringing some “theatre “ back to the shop floor and giving thecustomer a reason to come in and see what’s going on

Johnson plans to give the J.C. Penney brand a quirkier senseof hummer- that’s where DeGeneres comes in. The chain plans to add moreexclusive fashion brands, including a line from Nanette Lepore. It’s nocoincidence that Michael Francis, the former chief marketing officer of Target,is Johnson’s new merchandising and marketing chief- if you look how Target havebeen capturing headlines with their designer tie in like Missoni – we have afriend who is normally rational but bought loads of stuff just because it wasMissoni and even contemplated buying the bike (she doesn’t cycle and she livesopposite Central Park in a huge apartment – she is so not a cyclist)

So I hope that JC Penney board have the balls to let MrJohnson do his magic and that his sales climb and the customer comes back andeveryone else follows suit and retailing becomes fun again ….. I love it when retailers go their own way and stop copying their neighbour especially in the area of discounting .....

Retirement Retailing …..

2012-01-18T18:30:00.000Z

You know when a phrase or term becomes embedded in the vocabulary that the minute it’s said you have a mental image – like when people say “he has a Donald Trump” you instantly think comb over hairstyle not business acumen !

So back in December when retail was looking very wobbly again an old brand Alexon which had kind of lost its way and for many years been deprived of capital by the former CEO (mentioning no names) and the new CEO Jane McNally arrived just as the economy tanked sadly went under – it was bought out of administration by US private equity firm Sun Capital Partners – now Sun Capital Partners have been quietly buying up big chucks of the fashion industry – they now own all the Alexon stable of brands which includes Alexon – Ann Harvey – Dash – Eastex – Lazy Lu – Kaliko and Minute Petit – plus they have bought Jacques Vert a brand known as the go to brand for mother of the bride or groom – it also has as part of the group Planet and Windsmoor – so when the lovely business reporter in the Independent Laura Chesters was writing this up she coined the phrase 'retirement' retailers ……… and it’s stuck.

Now when people think of retirement retailing they assume those ads in the back of the weekend magazines or the Lady which sell sensible but frumpy clothes – semi elasticated waists – Velcro shoes you know what I mean – so I am appealing to everyone please they are not retirement retailers – they are aimed at the affluent section of the population – so quit using it and none of this grey pound either thanks I spend a fortune and so do all my friends hiding the pesky grey hairs – foxy blonde takes a lot of money to maintain thanks ……..I will be adding a PayPal button for donations later.

Laura honey I do love you but by saying this you perpetuate the myth we are frumpy as soon as we hit 40+ - I know Blessed St. Mary of the High Street Portas has done much to change this perception with her range

As I write this I’m wearing the “No Brainer “ dress in purple – Mary's Charnos 40 denier tights and yes if you want the full nitty gritty Mary's design Charnos bra and knickers plus I have her La Wesley shoes on in black which now makes me sound like a groupie but here is the kill a few years ago right down to the knickers and tights I would have been wearing M&S & so would every other women my age……….. But they forgot me well actually they did try with that pathetic Portfolio brand which was just insulting and has now been put down.

So can all journalists (I will add names and shame later if needs be) think of another name to call this age group and let me say from the off “Cougar “is banned – remember I know where you work so think on – so no retirement – grey or animals please and the reason why you need a new name well they will be the only retailers taking money and prospering & you'll be writing about this sector at long last (silently Mrs. D looks skywards and mouths hallelujah) – if you need to think of a fabulous woman in this age group to visualise the phrase think Nigella not Nora Batty.

Actually Sun Capital Partners have been very canny in buying huge chunks aimed at this age sector if they get their act together and lose the frump and actually talk to us instead of assuming we know they are for us …… they will make a killing – let’s look at the stalking dark horse who has been attempting to buy big chunks of the High Street Edinburgh Woollen Mills – money made from this age sector.

I got this wonderful link today via Maureen Hinton aka @maureen_verdict on twitter with these pertinent facts ……

The 45yr+ population is set to grow for the foreseeable future yet clothing retailers have been slow to address the potential this market presents. 45+ women shop less often but are willing to spend more, yet are uninspired to do so. This report evaluates the womenswear market by three 45+ age groups and recommends how retailers can maximise the full potential these women offer.

Now look at how much we spend …….

Women aged 45 and over will spend £11.1bn on women's clothing in 2011 - £1bn more than the under 45s. This segment of the population will continue to grow each year for the foreseeable future delivering long term growth opportunities. By 2036 they will have increased from 14.0 million to 17.7 million and account for 57.5% of the female population.

55–64 year olds have the highest spend per head of this group at £818 on average each per year. Often they are at the peak of their careers, still working and with fewer domestic commitments. Indeed with extended pension ages these women will have to work longer and will need a working wardrobe well into their mid–60s.

65+s account for the largest market at £4.47bn though spend per head is the lowest of all age groups at £764; they are the most numerous. They may be on limited incomes but they still want to buy attractive, affordable, clothes to match their lifestyles. M&S dominates but the new 65+s are looking elsewhere for more inspiring and relevant offers.

So not shabby and also think on one day you’ll be part of this wonderful age group and the thought of being referred to as the grey pound might get on your Charnos clad exactly!

The end of the world as we know it ……..

2012-01-16T21:11:00.000Z

Actually not ……….. it’s just Tesco the almighty force of retailing has posted bad figures –actually they are not really pants as in they are not going bust they will notbe closing 100’s of shops or laying off 100’ of sales staff they just took lessmoney and their pre-Christmas festive price promotion didn’t produce thedesired lift in sales – so less dividends for the shareholders no big problem –but reading my twitter timeline and seeing the retail press headlines and loadsof so called retail guru comments you would have thought we had retail Armageddongoing on………. Please get a grip!

My view on this was that the customer doesn’t believe in allthe so called promotions – they are now thinking why are you suddenly reducingstuff why not all the time and second most of them assume the supplier is beingsqueezed – they are not silly – what made me laugh was the comments over thewhole week by all the supermarkets about Christmas trading and using champagnesales as a benchmark for if the customer is flush and spending or not – what isthat about?

My second observation is not one of the big supermarket’sgot into the festive feel – the stores looked more like sale and promotion daynot “ tempt your family and spend money on these delicious treats“ …

To back up my observations I give you the amazing Booth’s supermarket group – they arebased in the North of England and my mother the fabulous Mrs Smith worships atthe one in Lytham and I just love going when I stay with my parents – they havea stunning array of food and the presentation is fabulous (just so you know I’ma Waitrose shopper) and the wide aisles– no piped music and no vile scratchy announcements and at Christmas the displayswere just amazing and yes we were tempted you couldn’t help but be tempted thenthey delivered great results “Booths,the family owned regional food and drink retailer are celebrating strong salesover Christmas with a total sales increase of 7.45%. Like for like sales roseto 3.07% compared with the same period in 2010. Booths opened two new stores inNovember in Media CityUK and Penrith and sales were robust throughout the 28stores”

So maybe the public is fed up with discounts and promotionsand gimmicks and just wants nice product to cheer themselves up with or give themselvesa treat ……… discounting is not all it’s cracked up to be folks……….

Our addiction …..

2012-01-05T15:35:00.000Z

Okay we are confessing that at night we sit silently justclicking and sighing for hours other than an interlude for maybe drinks andsnacks or to comment on a picture ……. We are pinning.

If you don’t know or have never heard of Pinterest ask me for an invite as itsmembers only (get us) and you literally download a pin button on to yourbrowser bar and then any image you see on a site you can pin to your boards.

The boards can be like a mood board or maybe ideas for yoursummer / spring wardrobe or how you see the remodelling of your bathroom orkitchen.

It’s incredibly soothing and silent unlike Facebook – no privacyissues – no adverts and you either like – comment or repin. All my US friendsare on this and I have found it to be around 99% female but I know that once itgains a foothold in the UK it will grow.

I can see this having a huge impact for retailers as thewhole of the internet is a funnel and the consumer can pass through a number ofsites to look and read about your product – so they can see an advert online –then they read a blog and then they see an image repined by someone on Pinterest…….

Jakob Nielsen's Law of the Web User Experience: “Users spendmost of their time on other sites” so if you have a minute why not startpinning – we have been pinning the blogs and seen a big increase in traffic –plus we noticed Boden doing some pinning which did prompt us to hit their siteand purchase a dress- most of the US companies are on plus brands like MarthaStewart – it has a strong craft feel.

Just remember “a recommendation from a trusted friendconveying a relevant message…is up to 50 times more likely to trigger apurchase…” that is the Power ofExperiences and WOM (Word of Mouth)

Alice

A little bit of housekeeping here ……

2011-12-22T06:30:00.000Z

Right I’m now sat in the strange place ……… first and foremost I always see myself asa shop girl I love the shop floor and I have a passion for product and give mea customer and some product I’m a happy lady – what makes me unhappy isdiscounting.

I hate working the sale – I hated those peculiar customerswho would come just for the sale , sharp elbows and camp in the fitting roomand you never , ever saw them other than sale time – they never bought fullprice – bottom feeders.

Now we are fast approaching 2012 and we have been in thisrecession since around May 2007 but the last Government didn’t say anything “officially”till the December of 2007 … so we are talking of four full years of recession,belt tightening and a change of government and that strange thing by thetreasury called quantitative easing any how I’m not some great economist but Ido know retailing and customers.

So since March 2010 we have been blogging full time andsuddenly you see things with different eyes and you’re seeing businesses go tothe wall and it’s like hey hold up there ……… people need to take the blinkersoff and get with the programme- the internet is not killing the High Street –the High Street is killing it’s self with shabby town centres and tatty shopsand discounting – yes discounting is what is killing sales not increasing them!

I think the most decisive thing about 2012 will be thediscounting and people are going to have to either be full time cheap stock oryou set the price and you discount twice a year and not this on off on offdiscounting.

This is the stupidity and maybe I am thinking in simpleterms but hey just stand back and listen – first off if your clothing ischeap and it’s fast fashion and aimed at the under 25+ year age group thengreat just discount away and chop your slim margins to nothing chasing thatfickle consumer who cruises the internet looking at bargains all day. Why notjust set the right price and sell it and when you’re down to the last few callit “last chance to buy” see what happens – one think I bet sales don’t fall offa cliff and your margins are not shredded.

If you’re not the discount end and you spend a fortune onyour shops and the fitting rooms and you have models in your ad campaigns and youproject a certain image then can I ask why on a weekly basis your shovingdiscount codes to affiliates and if you type your brand in Google it autosuggests the word discount so to me all your image and money spent onadvertising is for nothing – plus this whole discounting is counter-productiveas the consumer thinking two things – the first if they have just bought andthen suddenly see a flash sale with a 20 or 30% off they are annoyed and feel amug second if you’re getting a reputation for discounting then they just waitand it becomes a blinking match and we both know the customer wins.

In my humble opinion when you do this discounting all you’redoing is appealing to the bottom feeder / sale bargain bagger and not yourloyal customer who would normally buy at the start of the season and top up asthe season progresses .. So why not do a deep intake of breathe and quit thediscounting – go cold turkey ……. Seriously if you have a great mid-market brandwhy are you discounting all you’re doing is pissing off the once loyal consumerand attaching some cheap shot who is in effect trading up on the cheap and willnever come back and you’re eating into your margins.

So 2012 should be the year folk get off the fence youreither cheap and a discounter or you’re not and to add to this WE never mentiondiscount on the blog Mrs.D doesn’t do sale directories or mark downs as I don’twant bottom feeders reading my blog ……… there said it I’m not a cheap girl !

The weight of it ……..

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000Z

It’s funny how life plays out ……….. this weekend I wasquoted in a big article in the SundayTimes and suddenly I had a flurry of looks on my Linked In and the inevitableconnections and then I got a mass of followers on twitter – not the normalmates or people you know or the hooker spammers but people how are in retail orthe edge or periphery of retail ……..

Then Monday morning comes and suddenly instead of my usualcomment about the weather – well let’s be honest the weather dictates my lifeto a certain degree from what shoes – if it’s raining I’m now going to trot outin say open toed pale suede high heels am I which will then mean change of shoes a rethinkon that days outfit ………….

So I usually start of my day with a weather tweet ……but when suddenly you’re a retail know it all do you come out with some witty commentrevolving round a fact you heard on the 6am news or some fact from the businesssection of the Telegraph?

Err no if your mesorry if your following @vickiadayfor some kind of retail guru philosophy which will be like a huge pearl ofwisdom your following the wrong bird – I’m the kind who comments on the weatherif I think people are being dicks ………. Err yes I do think some folks are dicksand I post silly pictures or talk about my daughter Alice ……..

I think there are enough folks who walk amongst us who thinkthey are retail guru’s so go follow them I’m just a geek and former shop girlwith a passion for shoes ………who knows she is a princess okay

So what happened to Fashionable Maven …..

2011-11-01T15:32:00.000Z

In August 2009 I was on holiday with my parents in the Southof France at our usual haunt Hyeres – yes a place not on the usual touristdestination map (so please don’t visit) bitching about how no one talks aboutthe forty plus market or actually serves it – so my mother said “what is stopping you” so I decided to anaffiliate blog …..

The next major dilemma was what to call it ………. So a friendsuggested Fashionable Maven. Now I have seen loads of blogs start and then theblogger is the next big thing since sliced bread but they never blog consistentlyand it tails off – so my idea was I would commit one year so from April 2010 toNovember 2011 I blogged 6 days a week – Monday to Friday I added three articlesand Sunday one- so I actually went over my one year buy 6 months.

I did everything from writing, uploading and linking – on 1320 articles - which may not seem a lot butdoing this and organising it and all the other things which happened over this18 months – let me say it takes discipline and passion and we did what we setout to achieve. Plus we then revamped another blog and started another so thework load tripled ……..

We did all this to see if number things would happen and welearnt a lot along the way.

· Word of mouth – peer to peer selling is the bestform of selling.
· Readers identify with the blogger ……
· People do click through and buy- but a lotdepends on what the consumer thinks of the retailer !
· There is a lot of bull talked about the internetby so called guru’s …..
· Affiliate companies are the most passiveaggressive people I have ever come across
· Dealing with affiliate companies is like splittingthe atom in the bathroom sink …….
· There are more myths about social media andbloggers than unicorns in the woods and the little people who collect thecrocks of gold under rainbows!
· There are 100’s of people making money off gullibleretailers due to the retailers fear and lack of interest in the internet – if theyjust sucked it up and looked and learnt they would save a fortune on the bottomline and make money from the internet.

So I hated the name Fashionable Maven – by the end of 18months with a deep passion as in nails down a blackboard – so it’s dead now andwe are Mrs D.

Fashionable Maven was the first step on what will be a longand successful career in blogging …..

If you know better you do better …

2011-10-19T09:30:00.000+01:00

My friend has this has her manta – I have no idea if it’ssome famous quote but it’s an excellent manta – I have always been inquisitiveand need to try first hand new experiences – I’m not afraid to go out on a limband learn something if it sucks or I fail no big deal – I will have learntsomething from the whole experience.

I also like to learn from people who are way ahead in the fieldand see what they are talking about – in my eyes the US is around 4 to 5 yrs.ahead of us on the whole internet business – from how their consumers adapt andreact to their own sites and the intuitiveness of them to social media – these aremy opinions disagree if you will but if you want a proper argument at leasthold up several UK examples before I blow you out of the water – I like even matchedfights …….

So learning about social media and the use of it I look toMashable which is just like a daily update on everything to do with the web – abible of social media and then for PR etc I look to Cision – now the wonder ofTwitter you can follow someone and in 140 characters pick up from their twitterstream a wealth of information and tips.

I highly recommend @cisionand the wonderful Yvette Pistorio who is their social media manager – as she ison San Francisco time – I can read her stream early morning with a cup of tea inbed and be inspired by loads of her comments – the same with @mashable – so drink your tea or coffeeand be inspired as you’ll know better and do better ……….

So let’s be better

Vicki ……..

Unicorn………

2011-08-04T11:30:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I feel like saying “I’m a unicorn” instead ofblogger when people ask what I do – as in they get bloggers to a certain degreebut they don’t get your over 35 and blogging.

It’s like every job has to be stereotyped and if you’re nota yummy mummy or some kind of hipster trendy youth then you can’t possibly blog……… well actually blogging is democratic and I at 50 have better viewingfigures then some hipster due to the fact I speak to a larger audience …….

The other bit which really makes me feel like a “unicorn” isthe daily flood of emails from companies who are so called social media experts/ guru’s – their words not mine as this is their signature and they haven’t aclue.

Golden rule if you want to engage with bloggers – engage withthe blog and get to know the blogger don’t suddenly email with a list of “Iknow better than you as I’m a guru” please …..

I have a feeling I’ll be a unicorn for a long time whileretailers and brands feel fearful of the internet and social media and abdicateall of their social media over to “I knowbetter guru’s” ……

Lecture over I’m now off to shake my unicorn mane ………… andspread some sparkle across the blog world ………

Mrs.D

Are you the hidden talent in the North or North West?

2011-07-22T12:56:00.002+01:00

If you’re doing some amazing work in the world of fashion or retailing in North or North West and would love to be recognised then enter the Fashion Network competition. Judged by a panel of experts from the UK Fashion Industry.

The Fashion Network is looking for 10 of the best companies from across a selection of different categories in the North of England. With continuous difficulties on the High Street we’re seeing an abundance of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in the North. There’s a wealth of talent and successful fashion companies and individuals out there and we’re here to shout about them.

The Judges:

We’ve enlisted some of the best names in the industry to help us decide who will make it onto the list. For each category they will pick 10 of the Best.

Wayne Hemingway – Wayne Hemingway Design

Grazia - Fashion News & Features Editor - Kay Barron

Drapers - Online Editor - Keely Stocker

Flux Magazine - Fashion Director - Claire Lomax

WGSN Boutique - Creative Director - Lauretta Roberts

Photolink Creative Group - CEO and Founder - David Walter

Menswear Buyer - Editor – Nick Cook

Mail on Sunday – Retail Journalist – Neil Craven

My-Wardrobe.com – Buying Director – Luisa De Paula

John Lewis - Head of Womenswear - Jo Hooper

Categories:

1. Fashion Brand

2. Emerging Brand – Less than 5 years old

3. Vintage / Thrift Store

4. Independent Retailer

5. Fashion Blog

6. Multi Brand Online Retailer

7. Own Brand Online Retailer

8. Manufacturer / Supplier

9. Sales Agency

10. Creatives – Photographers, Stylists, Hair and Make Up Artists

Who can enter?

Anyone based in the North West, North East, Yorkshire and Humberside. Either submit your own company or nominate someone you think should be featured.

How do I submit my entry?

Please email clare@manchesterfashion.com with the following –

· Category

· Company Name

· Website

· Contact Details – Email, Address, Phone Number

· Description

· Logo and 3 Supporting Images (jpegs)

Can I enter more than one category?

Yes. Just let us know which categories you would like to be put forward for.

*** Deadline for entries 31st July 2011 ***

Another voice …….

2011-07-22T12:12:00.001+01:00

If you have a blog on your site have you thought of adding another voice to this blog ……..

So instead of it being just the company voice talking about the latest happenings and products have you thought of having guest niche bloggers. They add another voice and bring another dimension and new traffic to your site – plus you could see one product or service through a number of new eyes via the use of different bloggers.

Think of how a newspaper or magazine is made up and it has different reporters covering different sectors well why not use bloggers in the same way. It doesn’t have to be on the products or services it can be on complimentary subjects which sit well with your products and services which enhances your blog plus it gives your readers something else to read when they book mark the page and adds some diversity and interest.

It can make your blog more of a daily read than just an afterthought when some comes onto your site to shop.

We write blogs for other companies giving their blog a different dimension and can cover topics which will add and enhance your blog and give it a point of difference.

So speak to us about this.

An open letter to Mark Zuckerberg……..

2011-07-20T21:30:00.002+01:00

Dear Mark

Can I just offer you a piece of advice from an older bird to a younger guy ………

Talk to your mum honey and ask her what she likes and what she doesn’t like – in an honest way not in a “hey mum look what I have done” show and tell way.

As you get older you learn two valuable life lessons one is listening it’s an art and the second is learn to pick your fights.

Trust me your mum will back this up – not to be too patronising but your only two years older than my daughter and she has learnt these qualities but maybe I slapped the back of her head more than your mum did !

At the moment your site is still growing but year on year the biggest adaptors / adopters of Facebook are the 40+ market they sign up in their droves – yes those Silver Surfers , Baby Boomers they are the ones spending hours of Facebook – not quite what you and your pals envisaged but hey that’s life. Now you make loads of modifications and roll out huge big exciting initiatives which are all aimed at Generation Y – your Generation …..

STOP IT ……..

You’re pissing us off ……….. Yes the big time user the ones which spend hours on your site and the ones who spend real money doing Farms and villages etc which translates in to massive profits for you ……….. The very folk who add to your bottom line …….. As in dollars lots of them - We don’t like the new messages, we don’t like the new chat thing which logs us in automatically ……….. Quit – okay Google have done Google + and obviously Bill Gates hasn’t just been playing bridge with Warren Buffet he will have something tucked up his sports jacket sleeve ……… wouldn’t surprise me if old Steve Jobs at Apple doesn’t do something …..

But here is the catch you have the monopoly and sadly it’s older folk but then we do make up the larger majority of the population so why not embrace us and talk and listen to us instead of pissing us off.

So go show your mum this letter and I bet you a $ she agrees and hey you know you don’t want to upset your mum do you.

Kind regards,

Vicki Day (older person/mummy)

Mother the model ............

2011-07-06T08:07:00.004+01:00

Okay this is not a joke actually some brands have woken up to using bloggers as their face I believe Hunter the up market wellington are using Sasha Wilkins aka Liberty London Girl and Forever 21 have named Bip Ling as their face and she will be used to celebrate the opening of their third store on Oxford Street on the 27th July.

From what has been written on blog sphere they chose this particular blogger due to her personality and attitude so the thought is it’s not just looks the consumer is reacting to but also personality.

The other savvy move on about taking on a blogger is you have a niche but far reaching readership database and if they blog they are also great communicators and brand ambassador’s and will be publicising this to their readers via their blog, and Twitter, Facebook etc and in a more natural tone than the brand it’s self – so engaging the consumer the same way they engage their readers.

I think this is a great initiative and one which will be well received by everyone and is great news for the blogger who has probably been speaking passionately about this brand for ages and their number one brand ambassador so now she is the official face.

Now on to the thorny subject of my mother – she has a quite open bug bear about brands who are aimed at the 40+ market using young models – GIVE did this and she bitched, so if you can’t find an older model let me say she scrubs up well, she is always on a diet and never leaves the house without make up as she works on the premise she could bump into George Clooney! So call me and I’ll send her over with hair and make –up ready and you know she will blog, tweet and Facebook it for you so quite a bargain!

The Power of Blogging ……

2011-06-19T20:13:00.003+01:00

Okay in July 2009 we had an event in Kentish Town chaired by Leon Bailey Green on the Power of Blogging with London Fashion Network – The Manchester crowds are quite lively but the London crowds tend to be head down taking notes and then asking questions – not this one it was like an all-out barrage of questions.

First one of our panellists Katie of WHAT KATIE WORE had just been discovered by Grazia and Susie Bubble was all over the news due to the Pam Hogg incident which went global and people were just grasping blogging – so suddenly it was right time right place and we had some very heated debates as Mrs Merton would say as most of the audience and panel said they were doing it as a hobby and a love …… an American women who runs a business getting advertising for bloggers and has a big foothold in the US and was just starting in the UK spoke up (in fact grabbed the microphone I think ) and was almost booed off and everyone raising eyebrows about folk making money from blogging like it was a sin and diverting from the purity of blogging …….

Okay fast forward to October 2010 and we do an event in Manchester Blog for Sale and the room is that packed people are sat on the stage – Mrs.D is on the panel and almost sharing her seat with several members of the audience and it was all about money and how do I give up work and just blog.

The panel was an agency that run affiliate schemes – one of their clients Boohoo.com and then Mrs.D as the blogger and it was interesting as I think she educated them and the audience as blogging for money is not as easy as it seems and keeping the essence of the site and the individuality is important but at loggerheads with the retailers and affiliate schemes and agencies.

One thing is for sure blogging is a growing medium of expression on the internet and will keep growing so ignoring it or trying to make it conform when the people who blog do it for themselves and their readers is silly.

The You Tube video taken on the night of the first event is very interesting looking back now.

Why do people blog……

2011-06-15T22:07:00.001+01:00

In the UK we are behind on the whole blogging phenomena but they we are lagging behind on the whole internet in some ways as regards the US.

In the US I have lots of friends and who are my age we all meet on a social network site called Fabulously 40 and beyond and I discovered lots of them have grown up doing a daily journal or gratitude book where they make notes of what has happened so blogging is a natural extension where they can just chat about their life – they are not looking for big hits or fame just somewhere to chat and talk – one friend has done an online diary of her gastric band / bypass surgery and the weight loss and the big changes in her life – another friend talks about her coupon cutting and how much she has saved etc

I read blogs and have done for years I love ones which have themes like for instance http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/ as one man charts the changes in the city he loves and makes some great observations and has coined some fabulous phrases – another one I love is http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com/ which covers some amazing older people and how they dress and my person icon Lynn Dell the Countess of Glamour is a regular contributor- I aspire to be her when I’m older ……

I discovered blogs in 2002 with a site called Save Karyn which a girl in New York had got into debt and set up a blog and literally blogged her way out via donations , selling stuff and a book deal I logged on to see her debt reduce and her musings – strangely via the power of the internet and degrees of separation I become friends with her best mate ….. She is now a successful author and film writer ……..

People also blog to guide other people through a situation like my friend Mary after her gastric band / bypass operation as it has changed her life and another blog I discovered was a girl who was newly homeless living in a trailer in a Wal-Mart car park she started her blog as a guide to other single homeless girls giving tips http://girlsguidetohomelessness.com/2009/03/16/my-face-sort-of-is-online/ I found this and commented and started checking in on her – this was March 2009 in August she was discovered by E Jean Carroll the famous agony aunt and her world went cyber and yes we had become friends and yes I’m mentioned in the book and yes our sites have felt the benefit from this …….. The internet makes the world a smaller place but also an easier place to get your voice heard and your message out there ….oh and my comment on her Brianna’s blog did come true she lived with me in 2010 while she wrote her book!

Just Google Brianna Karp and in one instance you’ll see the power of blogging and as yet untapped and harnessed in the UK.

I started my blog because I felt at 40+ no retailers got us ladies and didn’t speak to us so I thought I will do it myself and have done and now feel vindicated as I have a large audience and excellent positive feedback ….

What is blogging and why is it important to your brand……..

2011-05-16T20:43:00.001+01:00

Okay a few years ago the UK market suddenly woke up to bloggers and blogs and two things happened as with all things retail……

First the world and his wife thought they could be a blogger and get coverage in magazines and sit on the front row of couture house shows in Paris or Milan and obscure magazine editors views with weird hats ……..and give up their mundane day jobs and have a fabulous life.

The second was retailer suddenly thought that if they got their product on a blog it would be achingly hip, cool and sell in vast quantities………..

So let’s get real and look at the facts and the fiction …….

Bloggers – to be a blogger and make it a success you need to put up content if not daily weekly and it has to be honest and reflective of you and just blog – so maybe for months you’ll just be chatting to yourself it’s not an overnight hit or sudden money spinner or get on hot guest lists it means you’re going to have to up load strong original content daily – something you have a passion for or a very keen interest or your learning more about.

Retailers – a blog is a personal site where bloggers express their opinion and they write about what they are passionate about they usually appeal to a certain niche or sector of the market and if they write about your product it’s because they like it or they are your customer ……

So how do bloggers make money and retailers make money and get superb content written about their product on the internet …….well it’s simple but I’m going to break it down in to bite size pieces as this is the internet and in reality should be called a library as there is more fiction floating round the edges of the internet than in the library!

Why do I blog ……..

2011-05-15T22:45:00.003+01:00

It was a case of joining up the dots myself ……. I have always wanted to work in retailing I love retailing with a passion and I’m like Santa in his grotto on the shop floor passionate about product , love putting money in the till and love chatting to customers and motivating staff – if you’re a retailer reading this yes I always beat budget by a huge margin !

But life isn’t always a smooth path and suddenly I could no longer do my passion as I didn’t have the stamina so I went back to university at 40 – on my 40th birthday to be precise and did a degree in journalism and went as the oldest intern at Drapers – that was a big eye opener ……. Oh yes the pay for one but also for years I had wondered how some “bum notes “ had always hit the top note with jobs and it was easy they just phoned Drapers with their every movement and 7 out of 10 times they wrote it and so the bigger the profile the bigger the chance of a bigger role ……. So you’re now thinking that’s how so and so has climbed the greasy pole ………. Call Drapers tell them Mrs.D told you to.

But I also saw if you’re a business and want to get through retailers doors then speak direct via Drapers etc – so due to the pay and also I have way to many friends in retail so having to write or portray not very flattering pictures of their business was hard I would rather help people get bigger and stronger than kick them when they are going down ……. I started doing business PR and I like this as I now trade off money in the till with mentions in the papers and trades ……. I’m competitive I can’t help it.
But I could see a huge market under served and I was pissed off every Friday when I opened Drapers and saw I brand I knew and loved saying the epic line “we are rebranding to catch a more youthful customer ……….” Please WTF talk to the ones you have and also do you know what us 40+ women look like – actually you don’t …….. But that is a whole other story.

So by joining up writing and retailing knowledge and a massive passion for product I started a blog.

So Fashionable Maven is the voice of Mrs.D I don’t speak for all 40+ women and beyond I speak to those who like good clothes ,exercise and like to travel and in short look fabulous - but are not looking for bargains or discounts,

If you want to grasp joining up the dots and how it can equate to your life, business or brand then I’ll pass on a pearl of wisdom from my mother watch this speech by the man who has always kept ahead of the game and been the king of innovation Steve Jobs and his speech at Stanford University in 2005.

In life and in business sometimes we rush along and forget how to just join up the dots and in many ways life gets easier if we do.