H&M on Google+
So we all know Google+ launched its brand pages this week. And we all know there’s a ton of commentary flying around as to whether companies should actually get involved or not.
But while we’ve been talking about it; others have been doing it, the fashion industry included.
According to Google’s blogpost announcing ‘Pages’ officially, Burberry, H&M and Macy’s were the first fashion partners.
In little over 24 hours however, numerous more have jumped on board. It’s a case of the usual suspects, and many of them don’t have any content on as yet, but here’s a list of some of them so far in anycase:
Be sure to note how dynamic the Burberry and Kate Spade pages look with the animated gifs they’ve added, and check out the pictures below for some of the first posts:
Burberry's Christopher Bailey gave a video introduction to Google+ (click to watch)
ASOS jokes about how quiet things are on Google+
Macy's introduces its new Google+ page
Kate Spade uploads a new profile picture to its Google+ page
Uniqlo welcomes everyone to its new Google+ page
Have you found more? Please add them to the comments below…
Department store Debenhams has partnered with augmented reality app Goldrun to place 10 virtual party dresses in various locations around the UK for shoppers to discover.
Launched yesterday, the initiative sees the digital garments “hidden” at specific landmarks in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow. Using the Goldrun app on the iPhone or iPad2, consumers are able to scan the area for the items and then opt to see an image of themselves trying each one on.
The app also allows shoppers to upload their picture to Facebook and Twitter to get feedback from friends, order the item they want and then have it delivered to an address of their choice.
Debenhams.com’s director, Simon Forster, said: “This really is the future of shopping. It brings the hassle-free element of online, with the experience of shopping in store combined with the fantastic backdrops of iconic UK locations. It is incredible what the developments in technology mean we can now do – including trying on a dress without even having to remove an item of clothing!”
Check out the video explaining more, below:
The virtual “stores” will be at the following locations until Saturday, October 29:
London – Trafalgar Square
Glasgow – George Square
Birmingham – Centenary Square
Manchester –Albert Square
Cardiff – Cardiff Castle
Some more great stories from around the web surrounding all things fashion and digital over the past week:
UK department store Debenhams has upped its mobile commitment with the launch of a dedicated beauty app for the iPhone.
‘Beauty Club’ offers reward card members a shopable experience alongside expert advice and tips. It follows on from the department store’s main app, which launched last autumn and has since seen over 400,000 downloads and sales in excess of £1m.
Simon Forster, online trading director for Debenhams said: “From long-lasting lipsticks to summer fragrances to face creams, our shoppers can now get their much-loved beauty products at just one finger touch. The app is about allowing to customers to shop with Debenhams whenever they want and from wherever they are.”
There is also a skincare consultation section, a fragrance finder and a “paint your nails’ page, where users can virtually try on varnish colours.
The app acts as a club card too, enabling members to collect, track and redeem points as well as be the first to hear about new products.
Through Debenhams TV, consumers can also watch the latest beauty videos with the ability to purchase straight from the films.
Brands in the UK hoping to provide Facebook users with access to special offers through the site’s new deals service are going to have to spend £50,000 on banner advertising to do so, according to Brand Republic.
Facebook Deals, which launched in beta in the UK in January and was originally free, already has the likes of Debenhams and Mazda as partners.
It enables users to check in using the social networking site’s location feature, Facebook Places, and find nearby offers.
Facebook declined to comment.
With the surge in deal marketing at present (see my post from yesterday), it seems like quite an odd move to me – brands could easily turn to Foursquare or the forthcoming Groupon Now instead. Having said that, Facebook’s userbase is now over 600m, Foursquare’s is perhaps more like 6m; perhaps that’s worth £50k after all?
