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Thursday, January 31, 2008: I'm excited to announce a new collaboration with (the) Manolo (for the) Men 'blog. I'll keep writing longer pieces for this site, with shorter, snippier bits there. ManoloMen's Izzy will continue his magnificent-ness there, and I will add some sparkle of my own. Thanks to The Manolo!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
shop-in-shops
 A colorful and fascinating Joseph Abboud shop-in-shop in its natural habitat: Bloomingdale's.
If you have been in a department store in the past twenty years you have certainly been in a "shop," one of those areas of a selling floor segmented by manufacturer or designer to give you the complete feel of the brand. The first one I ever remember being in was, of course, a Polo by Ralph Lauren shop, (pronounced lau-REN then, because he was after all an international designer) at my local Midwestern Younkers. The brass fixtures and dark wood shelves contrasted so dramatically from the cheap feel of the surrounding store that I was certain this section held treasures. The designated salesperson--with their own cash register even!--seemed in their aloofness to give an even higher or at least snootier level of service to accompany those cable-knit sweaters, polos, and pony-stamped wallets. Ahhh, luxury!
Today a few larger stores like Bloomingdale's are almost completely shop-i-fied, and all department stores have at least a few brand shops within. Ralph still leads the pack in quantity of shops and superior execution of a theme, while more and more up-and-coming brands are trying it to increase their brand exposure this way. Why? Some ideas:
First, it gives control to the clothing designer/manufacturer, who may feel that retailers are not displaying his product according to the image of his company. Since most manufacturers today are Brands first and manufacturers second, this is the best way (aside from opening your own retail store and having a $10 million advertising budget) to develop your image.
It's also an opportunity for the retailer to share or completely unload costs of building an interior space with fixtures, tables, signs, and expensive rugs, and sometimes even share (or completely unload) the cost of the sales staff's salaries and commissions. In a few extreme cases it is becoming retailer-as-selective-landlord instead of retailer-as-merchant.
That's nice, you say, but what difference does it make?
It gives a feel to the shopper that you're at an official and serious outlet of the brand, perhaps giving you increased confidence in buying there.
Perhaps even more importantly, a salesperson whose paycheck or bonus comes partially from the vendor may be more specifically trained on that product. You might find that the guy employed in the Brioni shop, for example, knows the product well, knows some people at the U.S. office, and maybe has been to the factory. This is good if you like Brioni, but don't expect unbiased help with other makers.
It sometimes means fewer, or zero, sales. With this new, polished image of the shop, the retailer might suggest that the vendor take merchandise back at the end of the season instead of putting it on sale. This improves statistics for the retailer, but the vendor has to figure out what to do with all this leftover stuff.
Though what I most bemoan is that it also reduces the stylistic influence of the retailer, because they combine labels only in select displays instead of throughout the store. It's harder and harder to find clothes displayed in stores the way you actually wear your clothes; I don't know of any man who dresses head-to-toe in any one designer (unless, like some celebrities, he's contractually obligated to). These mono-label displays don't inspire me. Do they inspire you?
Is it the experience or the product that excites you? Ah-ha! Naive, perhaps, to think they are separate components in modern retailing. Enjoy the experience and environment they designed for you, and don't check to see if the Ralph Lauren walnut shelving is solid or veneer. Just remember that the clothing you took home with you will last a lot longer than the experience: be sure you love it.
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