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}
 
captive venues
 
Airports are looking beyond kitschy souvenirs and lack-luster decor. In the Marseille airport in France, we spotted this creative waiting area adjacent to our British Airways gate.
 
As far back as April 2008, we wrote about the untapped opportunities at captive venues and pointed to examples at Heathrow, Sea-Tac, and Hong Kong. Since that initial post, a variety of businesses have stepped up their game in an attempt to woo a temporarily beached demographic. Just in the last month, San Francisco International Airport unveiled a yoga room for travellers and the Los Angeles Times reported that airports are becoming classy shopping complexes.
 
It's not often that we toot our own horn, but we're firm believers that trend projections are only as good as the concepts they inform. To learn more about how we convert consumer insights into made-to-measure strategies for you and your business, inquire about our custom trend reporting.
 
Big news, better selection, best thinking.
 
CULTURE
{photo: springwise.com}
 
- A new twist on conscious consumption: A vending machine that allows users to donate and receive items without spending money.
- Pop-up art: A 24-hour museum, designed by Milan-based artist and satirist Francesco Vezzoli with Rem Koolhaas' think tank AMO, which will pop-up for one day (January 24th).
 
 
FASHION
- The world's top 100 most valuable luxury brands includes fashion favorites Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Ferragamo, Versace, Prada, Fendi, Giorgio Armani and Ermenegildo Zegna.
- US study finds holiday shoppers purchased more but browsed less in stores (part of Smart Commerce trend)
- The truth about eCommerce: 55% of consumers expect free shipping.
 
FOOD
- Mainstreaming canned foods at the Winter Fancy Food show: Healthy cocktail mixers & pickled veggies are top products. (We've been writing about this trend since 2009)
- High-value & Low-waste perception + Jamie Oliver = boost frozen food sales by £250M in UK.
- Fighting low-carbs and gluten-free with design: the rise of the designer bakery.
 
 
For more delicious news, ideas and tidbits, follow us on twitter or facebook.
 
Predictions are only as good as sales at the register. Here are selected results according to independent researchers.
 
 
Thanksgiving weekend sales set records
- US consumers flooded malls and took to the Internet during Thanksgiving weekend, spending a record $52.4bn. Retail sales climbed 16%, and shoppers spent $398.62 on average, up from $365.34 a year earlier, according to the National Retail Federation and BIGresearch, reported Bloomberg. {source: Bloomberg}
- A record 226m people went shopping during the Thanksgiving weekend, compared with 212m last year, the National Retail Federation said. {source: Bloomberg}

Shoppers allocate money to "couch commerce" on Thanksgiving Day
- For the 24 hours of Thanksgiving Day, same-seller gross merchandise value for retailers selling through Mercent Retail increased 18% relative to the same 24-hour period in 2010. {source: msnbc}
 
Online black Friday statistics
- Web sales on Black Friday surged 26% to $816m and 18% to $479m on Thanksgiving Day, said research firm comScore.{source: Bloomberg}
- Black Friday sales increased 6.6% to the largest amount ever, $11.4bn, ShopperTrak said in a statement yesterday. Foot traffic rose 5.1% on Black Friday, according to the Chicago-based research firm. {source: Bloomberg}
- For the 24 hours of Black Friday, same-seller online retail gross merchandise value for merchants selling through Mercent Retail increased by 23% relative to the same period in 2010. {source: msnbc}
 
Overall holiday spend
- The National Retail Federation did not raise its estimate for holiday spending: a 2.8% increase in sales, or about half of last year’s 5.2% gain. {source: Bloomberg}
 
Versace H&M
Quick and easy, never cheesy...
 
RETAIL
{image: H&M}
 
 
FOOD
 
CULTURE
 
holiday shopping trends
A collection of statistics and predictions about the most wonderful time of the year...
 
FOOD
- Consumer spending by destination: According to SymphonyIRI's Holiday Shopping 2011 survey, 88% of holiday meal shoppers will frequent grocery stores, while 45% will shop in club stores, followed by mass merchandisers (41%), supercenters (37%), dollar stores (8%) and drug stores (7%).
- Respondents in new research released from Accenture highlighted rising food bills (46%), gas prices (41%), concerns about the economy (39%), and home energy bills (38%) as the biggest factors that would negatively affect their holiday spending.
 
FASHION
- Online holiday sales poised for growth with promotion-heavy tactics like free shipping according to the National Retail Federation. Nine in 10 online retailers (92.5%) say they plan on offering the service at some point and more than half of retailers (52.9%) plan to start their online holiday marketing and promotions by Halloween (up from the 40 percent who planned to do so last year).
- Share of wallet: 52% of consumers plan to spend $500 or more on gifts this season according to PriceGrabber. Of those surveyed, 36% said they will spend less than $500, and 12% indicated that they do not have a budget.
- Retail finance study reveals retailers generally pessimistic about U.S. economy: 76% of Retail Executives Expect Financial Crisis Will Extend into 2012 or Beyond, 74% See Holiday Retail Sales Improving Slightly or Staying About the Same as Last Year and 63% Believe Change in Health Care Costs and Regulations Will Be Negative for Their Businesses.
 
CULTURE
- Get mobile friendly: Using mobile phones to comparison-shop or tablet computers to do research is becoming more popular. More than one-third of tablet owners, 34.8%, said that they plan to buy items on their device according to a National Retail Federation report.
- Year-round purchasing: Almost half of consumers have been looking for deals throughout the year when shopping for those on their holiday gift list, while just 18 percent are planning to wait to shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday according to a Offers.com/Ipsos study.
Aldo Salon
{photos courtesy of butter London}
 
Aldo Salon, a pop-up concept from the shoe brand Aldo, has some pretty cool company on 15th Street for one week. The temporary space, right next to the main entrance at Milk, is poised to be the go-to spot for a beverage of your choice, indie magazine or a mani/pedi during New York Fashion Week. 
 

Inside, Butter LONDON has set up shop with waterless nail services and 3-Free lacquers in the seasons most coveted colours while Bleach London (clients include Florence Welch, Pixie and Peaches Geldoff, and Alice Dellal) rocks the epic “dip-dye” treatments.

If primping is not your thing, re-fuel at Blue Bottle Coffee or check out the Creatures of Comfort newsstand. There's a little bit of everything— from mags to VitaCoco; Proper Attire condoms to roll-up ballet flats; Luna bars to mini's of Kanon Organic Vodka. 

Open 10 am to 8 pm during NYFW.

 

Le Bon Marche

Even in Paris, London is calling...

We love the windows at Le Bon Marche featuring Brian Ferry, Martin Parr and the phrases "So London"/"So British". Expect to see more brands drawing inspiration from Old Blighty as we count down the days until the 2012 Olympics.

 

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).
By 2015 the world will have 33 mega-cities with populations of over 10 million and more than 500 cities with populations of over 1 million.
 
More important, by 2025, 10 cities in China are projected to have populations over 10 million.
 
At that rate, we foresee a lot of mega-shopping!
 
Chinese mainland tourists spent more on shopping in 2010 than any other population according to the first Chinese Luxury Traveler White Paper, released last month by the Hurun Report in association with the International Luxury Travel Market Asia revealed mainland tourists consumed 17% percent of the global shopping market, a 91% percent increase from 2009. China was followed by Russia (16%), Japan and the United States (5 % each) and Indonesia (4%).
 
Watches and jewelry lead the list of favorite products purchased by Chinese followed by garments and fashion accessories. It's clear that high-spending tourism is big business but it's unclear for how long.
 
"Even greater partnerships and opportunity between top tier global brands and China local companies will ensue," said Betsy Hentz, a business development consultant with more than 20 years experience in global apparel manufacturing. "The China customer is a key focus of brand growth strategy including the speed of new product innovation, product manufacturing processes and service models."
 
China, the world's second-largest luxury goods market, is planning on making those goods more accessible by slashing import duties on opulent items to encourage wealthy local shoppers to buy more pricey cosmetics, watches and liquor, reported Channel News Asia. The high import duties, 50% for cosmetics and 30% for high-end watches, drive many Chinese consumers to shop for luxury goods in Hong Kong, London and Paris- a trend that several Chinese ministries want to change.
 
Currently prices of 20 luxury brand products are 45% higher than those in Hong Kong, 51% higher than U.S. prices, and 72% higher than French prices, a study by China's commerce ministry showed.
 
As luxury brands face gloomy prospects in North America and Europe, China is poised to be the key player in consumer spending.