Best of marketing assignment

This discussion has evolved significantly over the past 12 months, with focus placed on how to get the huge engagement seen on Instagram off the feed and into checkout baskets. This follow-up report explores some of the third-party tech nology providers emerging in the market which facilitate consumer transactions, as well as providing insight on ho Instagram shoppers are likely to be and how retailers are responding to this shift. Sorel Footwear Instagram Fendi Topshop Fashion Weeks remain in prime position for experimentation – launchpads for initiatives that often follow through into brand strategy.

On the elaborate side, this is the year we saw drones at Fendi, virual reality at Topshop, and a feminist protest at Chanel, but also been the year in which designers honed in on specific consumer groups, whether through targeting via platforms such as WeChat or Spotify, or by introducing a focus on social ommerce. The concept of limited-edition products made available on platforms users are already engaging with is a sensible move for an industry up against increasing pressure to deliver goods in real-time.

Those came in the form of magic mirrors, virtual assistants, and new loyalty systems. It was beacons that really took off this year however, with Macy’s through to The North Face implementing them. These are being used for targeted in-store promotions and exclusive offers through to tracking store associate sales conversions in real-time. Beard Rock CES One of the concerns with beacons relates to consumer privacy. This was highlighted as a big issue in 2013 and continued to be a concern throughout 2014. At CES in January – where other themes including 3D printing 2. and the body as password were explored – this was a pivotal point. The question was, how as marketers do you respect privacy concerns but increasingly move towards more personalised experiences enabled by deeper insights pulled from the multitudes of data now available. Offering the ability to opt out as well as the incentive to opt in were key factors. Apple Opening Ceremony & Intel CES saw a focus around wearable technology, something that has continued to evolve throughout 2014 at other events such as SXSW as well as the global ashion weeks.