Sears.ca Looks To Be Promising
Of course, not many of us consider Sears Canada to be much of a contender in the retail world these days. Last month, the company said it will cut down 200 workers from its Canadian headquarters in Toronto amid the recession crunch. However, Sears is one of the few leading retailers that caters to the 35+ Canadian consumer online, there aren’t many Canadian department stores that do that.
Last week, Sears Canada released their 2008 annual report, in which, despite overall revenues falling to $5.733 billion from $5.845 billion in 2007, the company saw an 18% jump in online sales from sears.ca. This is actually quite surprising as I wasn’t aware that they actually had an online shopping site. It turns out they were one of the first department stores to fully launch online in 1998. Since then, they’ve had repeated reports of positive growth over the years. They also clearly have a very good grasp of the e-retailing, so much so that their email subscribers count over 600,000. Also, this interview with the Canadian Marketing Association drives the point home that Sears Canada’s National Manager of e-Commerce, Mike Duggan, knows what he’s talking about, as opposed to The Bay’s Jeff Smith (who barely says two sentences).
What are the biggest obstacles facing Canadian retailers once they go online?
It is critical in an Internet environment to continuously ensure that usability matches customer expectations, as well as their online capabilities. The behaviour profile and level of experience of the user base should dictate how sophisticated your website should be from a technology and functionality standpoint. If customers are not interested, or worse, unable to navigate through your site, conversion rates and repeat traffic will suffer. It is important to develop processes to regularly take the pulse of your customer base.
Sears Canada’s online site is a one-up on The Bay, who is still in the midst of restructuring (at least we hope) itself through new management by Bonnie Brooks. That department store could definitely benefit from an online site to drive up sales if done correctly.
Whatever formula Sears is using, it’s working. Hell, it’s got me convinced to peruse through its digital archives for goods. Their outerwear selection is actually quite nice, especially with the double-breasted coats they have. If Sears can just work on getting better name brands, polish up their fashion inventory, and of course have excellent customer service, it could still stand a chance to survive in this tough retail market.
And what of Holt Renfrew? The Bay? Ogilvy? Canadians are waiting for you online. Especially this one.
Torn Dress, Banana Republic -1
I don’t particularly believe I’ve torn anything that I own other than old pajamas, so it came as a surprise to me that my relatively new Banana Republic shirt dress got torn on Wednesday night.
Notice the reversed L-shaped tears
I came home from a dinner with friends and had accidentally stretched the dress with my knees just a tad. I heard a classic quick “rip!” and noticed that the last button on the bottom had partially torn in an “L” shaped fashion. I was in such a shock, that I’m still not quite sure what to do or think about the situation. I’m guessing that “thin cotton” feel that I loved, which felt so light and airy was also super weak!
It’s a lovely dress, and I really didn’t think the fabric would tear so easily, especially at the buttons - of all places! No wonder this is dry clean only. So now what? Put in a few stitches to keep it from tearing? Put clear nail polish?
Tis a sad day for me and my dress.
The worst is that this brand isn’t particularly “cheap” fashion either. Buyers beware!
Banana Republic shirt dress: $134.00. 100% cotton, Made in China.
How old before it gave way: 2 months
Videos on Matthew Williamson’s H&M Collection
A couple of sneak peak videos of Matthew Williamson’s upcoming H&M collection have popped up online.
FashionTelevision did a capsule review of his Spring 2009 collection and a short interview of his thoughts on producing a collection for H&M. You might want to ignore what the celebrities say. We get to see a little bit more peacock concoctions and Matthew standing next to his favorite piece. Unfortunately, FTV doesn’t allow me to share the video, so here’s a link to the video.
You’ll find another video on YouTube going a little more in-depth with short snips of fashion journalists, which is posted under Videophile on my site.
Matthew Williamson’s H&M Preview
90% Off Sale - Breaking The Camel’s Back?
I’m perhaps one of the rare few who has a distaste for sale announcements.
I got this newsletter email from online high end retailer Yoox.com today, announcing that there’s yet another sale going on. This time a sample sale where some items are slashed at 90% off.
I found these Michael Kors pants originally priced at $274, slashed down to a mere $25. Granted, they’re not the greatest looking pants, but one has to wonder what kind of profit Yoox is actually making by having such a sale. Perhaps nothing since it may be trying to get rid of inventory with the new spring collections pouring in bit by bit. Still, aren’t retailers aware that this is a huge risk they’re taking in putting up these sales?
If I wanted stuff on sale from an online store, I’d just hit Bluefly.com, where items are perpetually on sale. It’s sort of like the Winners of online shopping. And let’s not forget that TheOutnet is about to arrive next month, which will push the competition for designer discounts even more.
Even as a shopper myself, my interest in shopping at full price is starting to wane on the fact that some things are simply overpriced. I’ve seen $500 print leggings, which I could probably get for a fraction of the price made of the same material, but the print design would probably be simpler and less ornate. I was also disheartened to see Banana Republic already slashing prices on items that have only been there for 8 weeks. Had I waited 2 months, I could’ve gotten my dresses on sale. It sort of takes out the pleasure of shopping when things go on sale now, it just cheapens the experience and simply rubs the state of the economy in your face.
Sales are no longer one of those events that you look forward to, it’s to be expected every couple of months. Retailers are really killing it with the sales, it makes me not want to shop at all. I don’t mind a good bargain, but let’s not overkill it with 90% off.
