affluent men shopping online more
luxury menswear
 
Luxury menswear is leading the trend and growing at a rate of about 14% per year, according to a new study.
 
"The Affluent Male: What His Online Behavior Can Teach Luxury Brand Marketers," released last week by iProspect, shows the online preferences and behaviors of affluent males – including device, advertising, research, shopping and brand preferences.

According to the study, there are 19 million affluent males (age 18 and older) with a household income of at least $100,000 on the Internet and 40% of the respondents to the study indicated that they are shopping online at least twice a week. And those who are shopping multiple times are spending more than $30,000 annually.

"The old adage that men hate to shop is being upended by the digital experience. Not only are affluent men shopping online more, but this demographic is doing extensive research, shopping and then purchasing online, which provides advertisers with multiple touch points to reach him. Understanding the habits of the high-end consumer allows iProspect to help our clients develop well-integrated digital campaigns that connect with this audience and deliver results," said Robert Murray, Global CEO, iProspect.

 
Affluent shopping
{image: iProspect}
 

According to the study, 70% of affluent males prefer to research and buy online rather than researching online and purchasing in store. And they are adopting a multi-channel approach to accessing the internet. 
  • The vast majority (91%) access a PC at least once daily, while seventy-seven percent have a mobile smartphone and 50 percent own a tablet.
  • Engagement with these devices is high across the board - almost 100 percent of survey respondents report using their PCs and mobile smartphones at least daily and 85% reporting daily use of tablets.
  • When an affluent male has daily access to tablet, he is 32 percent more likely to have made a purchase via the device.
  • In terms of visibility, 71 percent have seen ads on a PC while one in three have seen ads on a mobile phone or tablet.

"By all indications, this segment has untapped purchasing power which can and will trickle down to non-luxury brands," said Murray. "The best digital marketing strategies integrate practices across all channels. For brand managers, knowing how to effectively communicate to affluent men will a key factor to success in an increasingly digital world."
 
The research also showed that 84% of those surveyed make purchases for themselves, with the most-searched categories including travel, accessories, apparel and automobiles. Within the affluent demographic, this study contradicts the cornerstone of She-conomics – which advocates that women account for 85% of all consumer purchases and represent the majority of the online market.
 
As we track the growth opportunities within the menswear category, alongside purchasing trends, it’s apparent that these new findings represent an alteration to the online fabric. More and more, it's the visual storytelling and consistent holistic messaging that attract appeal.
 
{source: iProspect}
 
Top picks from a plethora of happenings rocking the New York this week...
 
taxt-shop
{photo: Racked.com}
 
  • Popup rides: Glamour has teamed up with YSL and Lancome to offer free taxi-shops for Fashion Week. Just download the app and swipe your mobile phone to snag your very own beauty cab.
  • Don't forget men$wear: Ace Hotel teams up with Martin Greenfield Clothiers for a two-day bespoke pop-up tailor service.
  • Charming presentation: Lauren Moffatt sent her models back to school for Fall.
  • Product launch: Miu Miu has created a limited-edition bag collection to fete Fashion Week.
 
See something worth sharing during New York Fashion Week? Tweet us a tip or photo.
{image: JCrew.com}
 
Can a suit inspire a store?
 
J.Crew has announced plans for a new menswear concept store called The Ludlow Shop, named after its popular Ludlow men's suit, according to Women's Wear Daily.

It will offer a full assortment of suits along with Thomas Mason shirts, Italian cashmere, a large shoe assortment and neckwear. “The Ludlow suit has become a business unto itself at J. Crew,” said Millard “Mickey” Drexler, CEO of J.Crew Group Inc.

The New York City outpost will have suit experts, on-staff tailors, and will offer courier delivery and monogramming. Retail prices will range from $400 to $1500. The Ludlow development team will also launch one to two additional suit models and is focusing on the ancillary haberdashery items.

Though there are currently no plans for more Ludlow stores, Drexler said: “I never use the word ‘rollout’ as much as ‘evolving.’ We will give this an opportunity to show itself in an important way. Ask me again in three or six months. We could add Ludlow shops to more existing J. Crew stores.”

We love how this new concept builds on the successes, outlined in the January 2011 post don't forget men$wear, the brand has established in this category.

The sport of concept stores has clearly gone co-ed.
Fashion's Night Out
For the third year in a row, designers, brands, retail stores and celebrities will gather tonight to take part in exclusive events. Here's a quick list of where to find the most Fashion's Night Out bang for your buck.
 
- View the official event listing here.
- With most cities participating on September 8th, the annual event is starting to take on a much bigger role outside of the US. Check out details on the global after-hours shopping extravaganza.
- Refinery29's ultimate NYC guide to combat FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) syndrome.
- Check out Opening Ceremony NYC carnival market inspired by the festive spirit of Argentina at the Ace Hotel.
- Is shameless celeb-spotting or a healthy scavenger hunt more your style? Click here.
- Fueling the men$wear shopping trend, Gilt Man has put together a list of the seven spots in NYC worth checking out (hint- one Mercer Street store that will be offering lobster rolls).
A selection of studies, shops, and snacks...
 
CULTURE
- Top Reasons why people follow brands on facebook & twitter.
- Art Meets Exercise With ‘Figurerunning’ via PSFK.
- Banks aim for more revenues by selling consumers' shopping data to retailers.
- As the colour turns: a brilliantly clever & mesmerizingly beautiful showcase via Plenty of Colour.
 
FOOD
- Study: How restaurants can reach Millennials with snacks, frequency and technology.
- Farmers' markets won't change the world: "In the same way that, by buying that handbag you are ensuring the continuation of artisan handbag-making skills, shopping for the good stuff helps maintain a bunch of practices that might otherwise be lost."
 
FASHION
- The traditions of old luxury are awfully dull for new consumers. They want to be touched emotionally.
- H&M pop-up beach store benefits global water charity.
- Kellwood, Sun Capital affiliate set to acquire Amsterdam's Scotch & Soda. The brand was featured in a January 2011 post about the growing importance of menswear in retail.
 
park and bond
Gilt Man
 
Luxury e-tailer Gilt Groupe has announced that its full-price men's retail site will be named PARK & BOND and will launch in late summer.

"Moving into the full-price retail space is the natural next step following the runaway success of Gilt Man," said John Auerbach, who currently serves as General Manager of Gilt Man, and will also be President of Park & Bond. "Men shop differently than women, and PARK & BOND is designed with their needs in mind. Men are increasingly taking charge of their own wardrobe decisions and we aim to give them the tools to continue that trend—to outfit themselves without going 'shopping'." And unlike the Gilt MAN flash-sales mode, merchandise on PARK & BOND will live according to seasonality, enabling consumers to shop any brand at any time.
 
Taking a note from Net-A-Porter's Mr. Porter & J.Crew’s Jack Knows Best, whom we profiled in the post Don't forget Men$wear, the Gilt Groupe spin off will offer advice on how men can incorporate items into their daily life with confidence and style.
 
PARK & BOND will have 80 brands at launch including Alexander McQueen, Isaia, Etro, Paul Smith, N. Hoolywood, A.P.C., Neil Barrett, Thomas Pink, Todd Snyder, Vince, Theory, Common Projects, Brooks Brothers, and Florsheim by Duckie Brown. "Today's man does not dress in one brand from head to toe. He picks his favorite pieces and assembles a look that represents him—PARK & BOND will encourage and enable customers to easily do just that," said Brooke Cundiff, who is in charge of merchandising for the new site.
 
Once an afterthought in retailing, male customers now make up a $51 billion shopping industry and 75% of men shop for their own clothing compared with just 52% in 1995, according to market research firm NPD Group.
 
It's about time retailers take notice.
Boxpark, a temporary use installation created out of 60 shipping containers will open August 2011 in Shoreditch, east London. Marketed as a "pop-up", the mini-mall will be open for a minimum of five years and use 60 300sq ft freight containers to house brand shops.

The concept aims to offer brands retail rents significantly lower than traditional store rents in what is an up-and-coming area for fashion brands and is almost 90% rented with nearly 40 brands including Superdry, Calvin Klein and Diesel. The full list of tenants has not been released but potential targets include streetwear labels Carhartt and Stussy, premium casualwear brands Fred Perry, APC, Nigel Cabourn and Heritage Research, and young fashion brands Nudie and Religion.

 

Boxpark The Future Of Retail from Roger Wade on Vimeo.

As a company that works with brands on pop-up installations, we're scratching our heads.

Has the term pop-up become a default marketing buzzword?
&
Are corporate affiliations threatening to destroy what initially made pop-ups interesting?

 
{photo: publicartfund.org by James Ewing}
 
A new chrome life-sized statue of Pop Artist Andy Warhol, called simply "The Andy Monument", was unveiled last week in New York's Union Square to celebrate the icon's daily wardrobe in the late 70s.

Sculptor Rob Pruitt devised the statue on a computer, choosing to show Warhol in his usual preppy wardrobe which consisted of a Brooks Brothers blazer, Levi's jeans, button-down shirt and a skinny tie. Chrome Andy is accessorized with a Polaroid camera hangs from his neck, and a Bloomingdale’s shopping bag (in which he usually carried copies of Interview, the celebrity magazine he founded in 1969).

The statue will remain on display through October 2nd and is located at 17th and Broadway, not far from Warhol's famous Studio.

We love the clever twist on iconic fashion as art.

 
Tags:
Today Net-A-Porter took another step toward the launch of Mr Porter with a rather formal letter on its website announcing it will soon be an "online retail destination for men's style, offering over 80 of the world's leading brands" and offering customers "the unique chance to become a Founding Member." Perks for Founding Members include exclusive access to the site before it launches to the public, previews, personal shopping and shipping discounts.

We're digging the formality and classic approach. Quite on trend with our post about men$wear needing to connect with authenticity and a narrative storytelling experience, not just just apparel.

FOOD + FASHION
- Missing your champagne flute? Use a Louboutin like Uma & Quentin Tarantino.

FASHION
- World News picked up our little butter LONDON guerrilla fashion week video of Nonie Creme with Vena Cava.
- Days after our post about the importance of men$wear, WWD reports that men's wear is back. We're feeling validated.

RETAIL
- In Denver, a pop-up store and support for local creatives partners with the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs to bring free co-working space, networking opportunities and grants for creative entrepreneurship. {via Springwise}

FOOD
- Cool innovation: Smart wrapping developed to detect 'off food'.
- Short-term leases give chefs/
entrepreneurs an opportunity to test concepts and innovate.