Topshop is focusing on personalisation with the online streaming of its Unique show at London Fashion Week on Sunday, launching a variety of innovative initiatives for consumers to engage one-on-one with, including customisable catwalk looks.
Its first under the direction of new CMO Justin Cooke, formerly at Burberry, the experience will allow fans to see product shots of a set number of apparel and accessories items as they watch the live-stream on Topshop.com and simultaneously change the colour of them to their preference.
Those pieces can then be pre-ordered for spring/summer 2013 delivery in six to eight weeks – cleverly giving Topshop incredible insight into what it is their target market would most like to see on the shopfloor, and importantly, in what colours.
The beauty products worn on the runway will likewise be available to buy, with delivery in 48 hours, as will the music playlist immediately via iTunes.
Cooke, who admits to being particularly excited by customisable handbag colours, said: “This show is all about the customer and creating what we call ‘social entertainment’ around our product. We want to take the energy and the excitement of our iconic Oxford street store to millions of people all over the world through Topshop.com. It’s social, it’s commerce and it’s entertainment all rolled into one.’’
A “shoot the show” feature will also enable viewers to share catwalk looks with their Facebook friends in real-time. The result of a partnership between Topshop and the social networking site, it will see a camera button sitting in the corner of the live-stream video (and on demand version) that when clicked captures the screen and opens an image for sharing.
“Fashion enthusiasts are sharing the things they love on Facebook now more than ever. This is where the conversation happens, it’s among friends and it’s where great brands need to engage. Topshop clearly understand this, they are a cool young brand with a deep understanding of their customers, and by developing the innovative ‘shoot the show’ functionality with Facebook, they are enabling millions of people globally to share their favorite moments instantly with their friends,” said Joanna Shields, VP and MD of Facebook.
Adding to the entertainment is a challenge on Twitter. Branded the “tweet off”, it encourages fans to review the show in just 140 characters. The best will win VIP tickets to attend next season.
Watch the video below to see some of the plans in action…
