GfK. Growth from Knowledge

This is the GfK Fashion Newsletter. The newsletter within the fashion branch that informs you about the latest trends, new information products and upcoming events in the fashion branch.

If you would like more information, please contact the undersigned. In case there are any questions or remarks please contact marketing@gfk.nl. Enjoy this newsletter!

With kind regards,
The GfK Fashion team

Internet ‘Booming Business’?

Embarrassment and lack of time are the most important reasons for consumers to buy fashion via internet. Last year (August 2007 - July 2008) in Belgium 0.8% of all fashion expenditures has been spend via internet. In the Netherlands this is already 5.3%, 15.7% for swim suits and 6.9% for kids wear. The Dutch female consumer prefers to try them on at home, in their ‘safe’ environment. Busy families also save time by distance buying of kids’ clothes via internet.

At the same time this 0.8% doesn’t directly indicate that internet is ‘Booming Business’ for fashion in Belgium yet. However during the last years this share has grown considerably. Internet as a purchase place surely has the potential to keep growing substantially in the following years as well. The group of youths that has grown up with internet will become larger; they are members of all kinds of virtual communities and consider it as a ‘way of life’. The increasing professionalism of web shops also contributes to this growth.

This growing importance will continue faster if the UMTS phones (e.g. IPhone) will become widely accepted in Belgium. Mobile internet is often still laboriously and slow. This new generation of mobiles offers shoppers the possibility to access price comparison sites and to directly order the garment they just tried on elsewhere for the lowest possible price. To seduce the consumer in your shop will become an even bigger challenge.

Best Fashion Retailer in Belgium 2008: Esprit!

The results of our yearly study concerning the appreciation of fashion retailers are available! Esprit is most appreciated by Belgian consumers, for women Mexx and C&A are right behind them. Mexx is on the 2nd and WE on the 3rd position for men. For both women and men Price and Collection are the most important reasons for appreciating a fashion retailer.

Women’s Top 5 fashion retailers	Men’s Top 5 fashion retailers
1. Esprit	1. Espirit
2. Mexx	2. Mexx
3. C&A	3. WE
4. Inno	4. C&A
5. Hunkermöller	5. Springfield

The detailed results of this Fashion Retailer Chart are available as a multi client report, in which insights are offered about the appreciation of the 4 marketing instruments (collection, price, staff and shop) per fashion retailer. This report also offers insight in the differences between the different target groups (gender, age and region) regarding the importance of those 4 marketing instruments. The perceived fashion level of the leading fashion retailers is also reported; Avant-garde, Innovative, Up-to-date, Known, Outdated.

Are you interested in the results of the ‘Fashion Retailer Chart 2008’?
You can obtain them for just €2.950,-!

GfK about shop expectations on Fedis Fashion Event

Do you sell clothes, shoes, lingerie, accessories or sports items, than you are certainly looking for an answer on questions such as: What does a consumer expect from a fashion- or shoe shop? How does he want to be informed
(leaflet, website, TV, radio, newspaper, magazines, etc)? GfK will answer these questions during a presentation on the 2nd edition of the Fedis Fashion Event. An inspiring event, which will take place on Thursday October 16th 2008.

During this presentation of GfK, Yvonne van Bakel, Account Manager Fashion International, will share the results of the Fedis survey with you in which shop expectations per type of shop are measured. How important is personal attention? How important is frequent new collection? And which things annoy people during shopping? The answers on these questions might help you with strategic decision making in order to further improve your company’s result.

Besides this presentation of GfK, visitors of the Fedis Fashion Event will be informed about the many actions realized by the Fedis Fashion Group. Plenty of reasons to visit this unique event, which brings managers in fashion together. Participation is free for Fedis members. Non-members pay €75,- (excl. V.A.T.). Registration is possible until Friday October 10th via www.fedis.be