From feathers to fanny packs, Spring/Summer 2018 is full of fresh fashion. Many of the latest trends are repeats of former industry favorites heavily influenced by pop culture. Take a modern approach to the old-fashioned when introducing these items to your customers in order to boost sales throughout the season.
Keeping up with all of the trends can be overwhelming. If one trend, such as “Retro Ruching,” really stands out to you and matches your store’s theme and customer base, focus on that rather than trying to include every new style. Once you have decided which trend to incorporate, make sure you market it properly. Use social media to share pictures of new products as well as post throwback photos that feature the trend. You can even share pictures of yourself rocking some delicately detailed outfits from back in the day. Side-by-side collages that depict the transformation of the style over time are also a great way to use modern tactics to show the connection between past and present in current trends.
Whether you’re featuring one new look or aiming to add them all to your store, make sure you create displays that are dedicated to your new products. What area of your store attracts the most shoppers? Make use of that space to highlight the latest additions to your inventory. Use signage and window displays to bring attention to new trends and certain areas of your store. Introducing these trends to customers goes beyond adding them to your store; you must show them off and make sure shoppers are seeing and noticing them. Take inspiration from the past when creating your displays and signage by incorporating wild ’90s patterns, record covers from David Bowie and Prince, and anything else that caught your eye in the past and originally brought these trends to the forefront of fashion.
Music is an incredibly influential factor in any store and has greatly impacted pop culture throughout the years. Create playlists that have a mix of current hits as well as timeless pop ballads. How can a customer resist that one-of-a-kind fanny pack when Madonna’s “Material Girl” serenades their shopping experience? Give shoppers an all sensory blast to the past with products, displays, and music.
The Spring/Summer 2018 trends are, ultimately, reiterations of past iconic fashions and fashion movements. Begin to incorporate them into your store by deciding which trends will be met with the best reactions from your shoppers and focus on those. Market the new styles in multiple ways, such as signage, social media, and designated displays. In addition to clothing and accessories, borrow other aspects of former decades to remind shoppers why these items were so great and encourage them to buy and bring them back!