Anyone who has taken their kids back-to-school shopping knows how hard it can be to resist pleas for a Dora the Explorer folder or a Lightning McQueen lunchbox. But this year, some parents have been testing a new strategy: leaving the little ones at home.
Parents are being squeezed by stagnant wages and rising costs, not to mention a growing list of classroom supplies that teachers request they buy. But kids want the Nike shoes and Abercrombie & Fitch tees they see in ads every day; never mind the cost. They also don't like to be dragged from store-to-store while their parents comparison shop. As a result, only 56 percent of parents say they're bringing their kids along for back-to-school shopping this year, down from 80 percent last year, according to marketing data firm America's Research Group.
"One of the best ways to save money is to do the shopping and bring it home and say, 'Here are your back-to-school clothes,'" says ARG president C. Britt Beemer. "When children are along, pleasing them and avoiding a tantrum is an easier choice than trying to say 'no way.'"
Gayle Strickland Jones, who lives in Middletown, Del., decided to handle the back-to-shopping this year without her children after her ten-year-old son pleaded for an $8 pair of titanium scissors at Staples — just because they were cool. On a solo trip, she ended up buying a $3 basic pair of scissors at Walmart instead.
Similarly, Jones, who works at DuPont, was able to save money on purchases for her daughter. Last year, Jones bought her seventh-grade daughter a new backpack with polka dots, so this year, the girl requested that all her school supplies be in zebra print. As a compromise, Jones picked up a two-pack of zebra-print erasers for $1.
Ultimately, shopping without the kids saves Jones money, which is important since her husband was laid off from his sales job earlier this year. She spent just $75 on school supplies this year __ much less than she says she spent last year __ and even less than if the kids had been with her.
"They would not only be pickier but wanting things they don't necessarily need," Jones says about shopping with her kids.
To be sure, children have always bugged their parents to buy unnecessary doodads. A generation ago, kids begged their parents for Legos and My Little Pony after watching commercials for the toys during Saturday morning cartoons. But that was the extent of their brand exposure.
Now, kids are being marketed to on several digital channels from the time they can talk. In total, companies spend roughly $17 billion per year advertising to kids, up from $100 million in 1983, according to the nonprofit group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. And children under eight are the most susceptible to marketing because they interpret ads literally, not understanding that the intent is to drive sales.
"If you show it to kids enough, they're going to want it," says Sandra Calvert, director of the Children's Digital Media Center at Georgetown University.
That's put a new level of pressure on parents at a time when they're looking to spend conservatively in the down economy. The average family with kids in grades kindergarten through 12 plans to shell out $604 for clothes, school supplies and electronics this year, down slightly from $606 last year
But in a 2011 back-to-school shopping survey by market-research firm Kelton Research, most parents said that, more often than not, their kids push them to buy certain products or brands. And almost one in two parents said they feel pressure to buy the highest-quality or costliest items for their children.
"When I was a kid, I used to pester my parents for name brand shoes, but I had much less access and I was much less marketed to," says Gareth Schweitzer, president of Kelton Research, adding that now it's "harder for parents to save money."
Gina Lincicum, a stay-at-home mother of an eight-year-old boy and five-year-old twins, says it's tough to keep a budget in check when shopping with kids. So this year, she's decided to order her children's clothing online, then have them try it on at home, where they won't be tempted by more expensive duds.
2011年9月9日星期五
2011年9月8日星期四
Foot Locker Getting Into Better Shape
Foot Locker (FL) is a major retailer of athletic shoes and apparel that has been adding muscle and losing fat, generating more sales and profit without expanding its international chain of stores.
The New York City company earned $131 million in the six months ended July 30, more than double its net income in the same period last year.
Sales rose in the February to July period to $2.72 billion, up almost 15 percent from first half of the last fiscal year. Comparable store sales increased 12.3 percent, year over year, in the six month period.
Foot Locker had 3,407 stores at the end of July, 19 fewer than six months earlier. The company gradually has reduced the size of its chain by more than 500 stores since early 2007. The retailer operates stores in the United States and 21 other countries under its flagship Foot Locker brand and other trade names, including Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, and Champs Sports.
Improved profit margins have pushed more sales dollars to the bottom line. Net income as a percentage of sales increased to 4.9 percent in the six months ended in July, up from 3.3 percent in the last fiscal year and 1 percent in the prior year.
Reduced restructuring costs have helped. Foot Locker's asset impairments and other non-recurring charges dropped to $10 million in the last fiscal year from $41 million in fiscal 2010 and $259 million in fiscal 2009.
Foot Locker depends heavily on the popularity of footwear and other products from Nike (NKE). Products from the Beaverton, Ore., shoe company accounted for almost two-thirds of Foot Locker's sales in fiscal 2011. Nike's total sales increased 9.7 percent in the fiscal year ended May 31 to $20.8 billion, reversing an annual decline in sales the previous year.
Credit upgrade
Credit rating agency Moody's in early September revised its rating outlook for Foot Locker to positive from stable and affirmed all existing ratings for the retailer, including its Ba3 corporate family rating.
"Foot Locker's credit metrics have improved significantly over the past year, driven by double-digit comparable sales growth and operating margin improvements," Moody's analysts Mariko Semetko and Alexandra S. Parker wrote in a Sept. 1 report.
Foot Locker has paid cash dividends of 60 cents per share in each of the last three fiscal years. But Wall Street has a split view of the stock's appreciation potential. In early September, half of the securities analysts following the company recommended buying its stock and half of them had neutral hold ratings on the stock.
Foot Locker will release its next quarterly financial report around Nov. 18.
The New York City company earned $131 million in the six months ended July 30, more than double its net income in the same period last year.
Sales rose in the February to July period to $2.72 billion, up almost 15 percent from first half of the last fiscal year. Comparable store sales increased 12.3 percent, year over year, in the six month period.
Foot Locker had 3,407 stores at the end of July, 19 fewer than six months earlier. The company gradually has reduced the size of its chain by more than 500 stores since early 2007. The retailer operates stores in the United States and 21 other countries under its flagship Foot Locker brand and other trade names, including Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, and Champs Sports.
Improved profit margins have pushed more sales dollars to the bottom line. Net income as a percentage of sales increased to 4.9 percent in the six months ended in July, up from 3.3 percent in the last fiscal year and 1 percent in the prior year.
Reduced restructuring costs have helped. Foot Locker's asset impairments and other non-recurring charges dropped to $10 million in the last fiscal year from $41 million in fiscal 2010 and $259 million in fiscal 2009.
Foot Locker depends heavily on the popularity of footwear and other products from Nike (NKE). Products from the Beaverton, Ore., shoe company accounted for almost two-thirds of Foot Locker's sales in fiscal 2011. Nike's total sales increased 9.7 percent in the fiscal year ended May 31 to $20.8 billion, reversing an annual decline in sales the previous year.
Credit upgrade
Credit rating agency Moody's in early September revised its rating outlook for Foot Locker to positive from stable and affirmed all existing ratings for the retailer, including its Ba3 corporate family rating.
"Foot Locker's credit metrics have improved significantly over the past year, driven by double-digit comparable sales growth and operating margin improvements," Moody's analysts Mariko Semetko and Alexandra S. Parker wrote in a Sept. 1 report.
Foot Locker has paid cash dividends of 60 cents per share in each of the last three fiscal years. But Wall Street has a split view of the stock's appreciation potential. In early September, half of the securities analysts following the company recommended buying its stock and half of them had neutral hold ratings on the stock.
Foot Locker will release its next quarterly financial report around Nov. 18.
2011年9月7日星期三
Spike Shed offers space for student runners to gather
When you pair the strength of Nike, which espouses “Just Do It,” with Naperville’s award-winning running store Naperville Running Company, magic occurs. And area student runners are the benefactors of this magic.
Away from the track and the pavement, an amazing place recently was established exclusively for our local student runners — an underground store/running museum/meeting space below Naperville Running Company’s store at 34 W. Jefferson Ave., called Spike Shed.
Welcome Spike Shed, a first of its kind in the nation, thanks to the collaboration of Naperville Running Company and Nike, exclusively for student runners, their coaches and parents.
“We wanted to do something uniquely appealing for student teen athletes that was different from the normal running retail experience,” said Kris Hartner, owner of Naperville Running Company.
Spike Shed is a place where running teams can gather (this time of year it’s cross country teams, but come spring, track teams) to talk about their sport, hold meetings, set goals, participate in interactive experiences, even do video confessionals (for example, “I want to run a 4-minute mile.”)
Equipped with turf, bleachers, a giant chalkboard, lockers, iPad’s, a foosball table, hi-tech Polaroid cameras, play stations and running memorabilia, teams come together to listen, learn, play and inspire each other.
Naperville Running Company and Nike staff members are there to educate runners about the latest running equipment and apparel, including spikes. Team members can design their own customized apparel created in the Spike Shed. Parent team meetings have been conducted here, too. One parent recently commented that this has been the best kickoff to their school’s running season because of the camaraderie Spike Shed has fostered among the team and parents.
“Although kids and their parents can certainly buy running gear when they visit Spike Shed, our intent with Nike was less about selling and more about creating a space where teen runners can call their hub — and learn and have fun here,” Hartner says. “Plus, no one else was doing something like this. We kind of like that.”
Who can see inside the underground Spike Shed? This summer, cross country coaches across the region were invited to visit Spike Shed with special team nights. Numerous area teams have visited the Shed so far with groups from 15 to 70 runners. The schedule continues to fill up, and the Shed will be open through the fall sports season — reopening in the spring in time for track teams.
Recently, Naperville Central High School’s girls cross country team, along with coach Aislinn Hicks, visited Spike Shed. After an hour and a half tour, playing, setting goals and having fun, they created customized spikes for their shoes, designed their team workout shirt and remembered why they love to run.
Working with Naperville Running Company was a natural fit for Nike.
“Naperville Running Company is a great retail partner, and it was a perfect fit with Naperville and the Midwest being a hotbed for distance runners,” said Cindy Hamilton, spokesperson for Nike. “We wanted to create a special place for Naperville-area running teams.”
Away from the track and the pavement, an amazing place recently was established exclusively for our local student runners — an underground store/running museum/meeting space below Naperville Running Company’s store at 34 W. Jefferson Ave., called Spike Shed.
Welcome Spike Shed, a first of its kind in the nation, thanks to the collaboration of Naperville Running Company and Nike, exclusively for student runners, their coaches and parents.
“We wanted to do something uniquely appealing for student teen athletes that was different from the normal running retail experience,” said Kris Hartner, owner of Naperville Running Company.
Spike Shed is a place where running teams can gather (this time of year it’s cross country teams, but come spring, track teams) to talk about their sport, hold meetings, set goals, participate in interactive experiences, even do video confessionals (for example, “I want to run a 4-minute mile.”)
Equipped with turf, bleachers, a giant chalkboard, lockers, iPad’s, a foosball table, hi-tech Polaroid cameras, play stations and running memorabilia, teams come together to listen, learn, play and inspire each other.
Naperville Running Company and Nike staff members are there to educate runners about the latest running equipment and apparel, including spikes. Team members can design their own customized apparel created in the Spike Shed. Parent team meetings have been conducted here, too. One parent recently commented that this has been the best kickoff to their school’s running season because of the camaraderie Spike Shed has fostered among the team and parents.
“Although kids and their parents can certainly buy running gear when they visit Spike Shed, our intent with Nike was less about selling and more about creating a space where teen runners can call their hub — and learn and have fun here,” Hartner says. “Plus, no one else was doing something like this. We kind of like that.”
Who can see inside the underground Spike Shed? This summer, cross country coaches across the region were invited to visit Spike Shed with special team nights. Numerous area teams have visited the Shed so far with groups from 15 to 70 runners. The schedule continues to fill up, and the Shed will be open through the fall sports season — reopening in the spring in time for track teams.
Recently, Naperville Central High School’s girls cross country team, along with coach Aislinn Hicks, visited Spike Shed. After an hour and a half tour, playing, setting goals and having fun, they created customized spikes for their shoes, designed their team workout shirt and remembered why they love to run.
Working with Naperville Running Company was a natural fit for Nike.
“Naperville Running Company is a great retail partner, and it was a perfect fit with Naperville and the Midwest being a hotbed for distance runners,” said Cindy Hamilton, spokesperson for Nike. “We wanted to create a special place for Naperville-area running teams.”
2011年9月6日星期二
The reputation chain
The road to globalisation is littered with companies that have been caught out that failed to ensure workers in far away factories are treated properly - and paid properly, or that appropriate steps have been taken to protect the environment in the countries where their products are made.
A couple of months ago Nike had to deal with allegations that workers making its Converse brand shoes in Indonesia were being kicked and slapped, and called dogs and pigs.
And now Apple has come under fire from a group of Chinese environmental organisations for turning a blind eye to environmental pollution in its supply chain.
The allegations are contained in a report, “Pollution spreads through Apple’s supply chain” produced by Friends of Nature, Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, Green Beagle, Envirofriends, Green Stone, Environmental Action Network.
The report said: “Through our investigations, we discovered that the pollution from some of Apple’s suppliers had already caused severe damage to the environment.
Earlier this year, Apple produced its Supplier Responsibility Report 2011 which highlights the work it is doing in this area. Crucially, its says: “Apple’s procurement decisions take into account a facility’s social responsibility performance, along with factors such as quality, cost, and timely delivery. When social responsibility performance consistently fails to meet our expectations, we terminate business.”
Apple has so far declined to comment publicly on the report, although it is understood to have offered discussions to the authors.
There is no doubt that major corporations have made substantial strides in dealing with these issues. But if Apple and Nike can run into problems, then there can be few that can claim to have dealt with these issues completely.
A couple of months ago Nike had to deal with allegations that workers making its Converse brand shoes in Indonesia were being kicked and slapped, and called dogs and pigs.
And now Apple has come under fire from a group of Chinese environmental organisations for turning a blind eye to environmental pollution in its supply chain.
The allegations are contained in a report, “Pollution spreads through Apple’s supply chain” produced by Friends of Nature, Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, Green Beagle, Envirofriends, Green Stone, Environmental Action Network.
The report said: “Through our investigations, we discovered that the pollution from some of Apple’s suppliers had already caused severe damage to the environment.
Earlier this year, Apple produced its Supplier Responsibility Report 2011 which highlights the work it is doing in this area. Crucially, its says: “Apple’s procurement decisions take into account a facility’s social responsibility performance, along with factors such as quality, cost, and timely delivery. When social responsibility performance consistently fails to meet our expectations, we terminate business.”
Apple has so far declined to comment publicly on the report, although it is understood to have offered discussions to the authors.
There is no doubt that major corporations have made substantial strides in dealing with these issues. But if Apple and Nike can run into problems, then there can be few that can claim to have dealt with these issues completely.
2011年9月5日星期一
Exclusive! Littlewoods Europe Predicts Top Toys for Christmas 2011
Littlewoods Europe has Predicted the Dream Dozen Toys for Christmas 2011.
Get ahead of the crowds this Christmas with the help of Littlewoods Europe Dream Dozen toy predictions. No more disappointed faces on Christmas morning; Littlewoods Europe has picked out the best children's toys to keep everyone happy.
For interactive fun for all the family, the educational Vtech Tablet with 5"LCD touch screen is a brilliant learning tool with loads of choice to last well beyond Boxing Day.
Perhaps one of the coolest gifts any child could wish for this year has to be Dance Star Mickey, he walks, talks, moonwalks, dances to six different songs and cracks jokes too. Let Serafina from Figitfriends show everyone a thing or two with her great dance moves and she'll dance to your favourite tunes too.
For any budding photographer the Vtech Kidizoom Twist camera is the perfect present. Get snapping with this 2 megapixel camera using the twisting lens: take pictures and movies of your friends then take fantastic self portraits.
If monsters are your little monsters thing then they'll love the latest new Monster High dolls. They're on every wishlist across Europe for Christmas 2011.
For little girls who love playing Mum, the Hello Kitty Coupe Dolls pram is the perfect gift. Or for playing house, the Ladybird Victorian House, with its double opening front panel, dolls and furniture inside is sure to be a winner for Christmas.
For boys who love pretending to be firemen the Matchbox Smokey Fire Truck is a dream gift. With singing, talking and laughing features they'll have hours of fun.
For battlefield enthusiasts the Vortex Nitron from Hasbro provides hours of target practice and the Finn McMissile spy car gives 007 status to any budding secret service agent.
The Millenium Falcon from Lego Star Wars is one of 2011's predicted best sellers, with all the favourite faces included as mini figurines including Hans Solo, Leah and Chewbacca.
What better way to round off the celebrations, over turkey sandwiches and a round of Christmas cake than Monopoly Electric Live, a new, infrared camera to detect the games pieces and non existent dice. Now that's how to transform a classic into a modern day favourite!
A spokesperson at Littlewoods Europe commented: "We hope that our predictions for the top selling toys will help savvy shoppers to make an early start on their shopping so that they can get ahead of the rush and avoid disappointment on the big day."
Get ahead of the crowds this Christmas with the help of Littlewoods Europe Dream Dozen toy predictions. No more disappointed faces on Christmas morning; Littlewoods Europe has picked out the best children's toys to keep everyone happy.
For interactive fun for all the family, the educational Vtech Tablet with 5"LCD touch screen is a brilliant learning tool with loads of choice to last well beyond Boxing Day.
Perhaps one of the coolest gifts any child could wish for this year has to be Dance Star Mickey, he walks, talks, moonwalks, dances to six different songs and cracks jokes too. Let Serafina from Figitfriends show everyone a thing or two with her great dance moves and she'll dance to your favourite tunes too.
For any budding photographer the Vtech Kidizoom Twist camera is the perfect present. Get snapping with this 2 megapixel camera using the twisting lens: take pictures and movies of your friends then take fantastic self portraits.
If monsters are your little monsters thing then they'll love the latest new Monster High dolls. They're on every wishlist across Europe for Christmas 2011.
For little girls who love playing Mum, the Hello Kitty Coupe Dolls pram is the perfect gift. Or for playing house, the Ladybird Victorian House, with its double opening front panel, dolls and furniture inside is sure to be a winner for Christmas.
For boys who love pretending to be firemen the Matchbox Smokey Fire Truck is a dream gift. With singing, talking and laughing features they'll have hours of fun.
For battlefield enthusiasts the Vortex Nitron from Hasbro provides hours of target practice and the Finn McMissile spy car gives 007 status to any budding secret service agent.
The Millenium Falcon from Lego Star Wars is one of 2011's predicted best sellers, with all the favourite faces included as mini figurines including Hans Solo, Leah and Chewbacca.
What better way to round off the celebrations, over turkey sandwiches and a round of Christmas cake than Monopoly Electric Live, a new, infrared camera to detect the games pieces and non existent dice. Now that's how to transform a classic into a modern day favourite!
A spokesperson at Littlewoods Europe commented: "We hope that our predictions for the top selling toys will help savvy shoppers to make an early start on their shopping so that they can get ahead of the rush and avoid disappointment on the big day."
2011年9月1日星期四
Individuality drive and 3D tech make firms go bespoke
We all want to be unique.
Hairstyle like no-one else's in your office, a handmade tie bought in a tiny Parisian boutique, a diamond wedding ring from that exclusive collection.
This global individuality drive combined with the latest technologies has been stimulating companies to produce what used to be off-limits just a while back - mass-oriented bespoke content.
Now websites of firms like Converse, Nike and Keds, for instance, offer the chance to create customised training shoes with just a few mouse clicks - and they cost little more than those from the regular in-store collection.
One click - and the trainer changes from blue to bright yellow; one more - and the laces become green.
As the mouse cursor trots across the screen, you can even change the interior lining and add a cool personalised signature.
So when the shoes get delivered to your doorstep, they will be like no other pair.
Another example is Zazzle - a US online shop that lets you customise products ranging from stylish iPhone cases to T-shirts and skateboards.
"One of the most powerful trends in consumerism is toward individualism - consumers don't want to be spoon-fed the same media, entertainment or products," says the company's co-founder, Jeff Beaver.
"They want to create their own, publish it to the world and leverage new technologies and services to self-express."
Besides choosing from tens of millions of designs and billions of actual product combinations, Zazzle users from around the globe can even upload their own ideas and sell them right there and then.
This way, some 150,000 new products are designed and published every single day, says Mr Beaver.
"The biggest challenge in enabling an effective online customisation experience is that the products don't actually exist yet," he adds.
"That is, we must preview to the user what a product would look like, if it were to be manufactured."
To do that, the firm uses special visualisation technologies, employing techniques similar to those in the film industry to instantaneously render products in three-dimensional space - while also employing computational photography to enable texture mapping for images and designs on the surface of the product.
Bits and atoms
Customisation is nothing new - for ages, people have been able to order on-demand clothes.
But they have often been limited to expensive tailored suits and evening gowns, targeting a select few.
Mass production was totally different.
"If you look at 10 years ago, many firms had a very one-directional approach, the brand was everything - and it told consumers what they would consume," says Jonathan Chippindale from a UK software developer Holition.
"The brand created a look, consumers could buy the look and there wasn't really any variation on it, the look was king."
But the web and ever-evolving technologies changed that, and companies like Holition went even further than simple online customisation techniques.
In a bid to bridge the gap between bits and atoms, Holition created an augmented reality application that lets consumers visualise their newly "self-designed" product - be it a watch, a ring or a garment - directly on them, but in the virtual world.
For instance, on the website of a Swiss watchmaker Tissot, potential buyers launch the software, and and when they look into their webcam, they see themselves on the screen, but wearing a virtual watch.
They can then customise it by choosing different options available to them - a variety of bracelets, colours and other parameters - all while seeing the watch transform itself on their wrist.
Tissot president Francois Thiebaud says that the bespoke experience resulted has allowed the company to sell a lot more watches.
"What makes it really special is the synergy of the touch technology of our Touch collection with the augmented reality functionality - it's the perfect way to get thousands of consumers to experience Tissot and experiment with its features," he adds.
And even if shoppers cannot really design a watch from scratch, they still have a lot more choice than inside a store - so some uniqueness is guaranteed.
Authentic luxury
But once the demands are received, it is often tricky for the consumers to contact the manufacturer in case they change their minds about the chosen colour or material.
Not Just a Label deals with that problem - it serves as an online platform for direct interaction between designers and consumers.
When buyers visit the company's online shop and add a product to the cart, they are first asked to customise - to choose whether they want the ring, for instance, to be gold-plated or silver, bearing a shining diamond or a baby blue sapphire.
As they check out, another box pops up, and customers can add even more requests.
And once a designer starts working on such one-of-a-kind creation, the client can get in touch along the way to make comments and send additional measurements "to produce a truly personalised piece", says the company's co-founder Stefan Siegel.
"We call it authentic luxury. In today's world, money doesn't really distinguish you anymore - there are too many people with money.
"So the future of fashion is individuality - owning something unique and then keeping it for more seasons because it is so unique, and almost like having a story to tell your friends when you wear it."
Hairstyle like no-one else's in your office, a handmade tie bought in a tiny Parisian boutique, a diamond wedding ring from that exclusive collection.
This global individuality drive combined with the latest technologies has been stimulating companies to produce what used to be off-limits just a while back - mass-oriented bespoke content.
Now websites of firms like Converse, Nike and Keds, for instance, offer the chance to create customised training shoes with just a few mouse clicks - and they cost little more than those from the regular in-store collection.
One click - and the trainer changes from blue to bright yellow; one more - and the laces become green.
As the mouse cursor trots across the screen, you can even change the interior lining and add a cool personalised signature.
So when the shoes get delivered to your doorstep, they will be like no other pair.
Another example is Zazzle - a US online shop that lets you customise products ranging from stylish iPhone cases to T-shirts and skateboards.
"One of the most powerful trends in consumerism is toward individualism - consumers don't want to be spoon-fed the same media, entertainment or products," says the company's co-founder, Jeff Beaver.
"They want to create their own, publish it to the world and leverage new technologies and services to self-express."
Besides choosing from tens of millions of designs and billions of actual product combinations, Zazzle users from around the globe can even upload their own ideas and sell them right there and then.
This way, some 150,000 new products are designed and published every single day, says Mr Beaver.
"The biggest challenge in enabling an effective online customisation experience is that the products don't actually exist yet," he adds.
"That is, we must preview to the user what a product would look like, if it were to be manufactured."
To do that, the firm uses special visualisation technologies, employing techniques similar to those in the film industry to instantaneously render products in three-dimensional space - while also employing computational photography to enable texture mapping for images and designs on the surface of the product.
Bits and atoms
Customisation is nothing new - for ages, people have been able to order on-demand clothes.
But they have often been limited to expensive tailored suits and evening gowns, targeting a select few.
Mass production was totally different.
"If you look at 10 years ago, many firms had a very one-directional approach, the brand was everything - and it told consumers what they would consume," says Jonathan Chippindale from a UK software developer Holition.
"The brand created a look, consumers could buy the look and there wasn't really any variation on it, the look was king."
But the web and ever-evolving technologies changed that, and companies like Holition went even further than simple online customisation techniques.
In a bid to bridge the gap between bits and atoms, Holition created an augmented reality application that lets consumers visualise their newly "self-designed" product - be it a watch, a ring or a garment - directly on them, but in the virtual world.
For instance, on the website of a Swiss watchmaker Tissot, potential buyers launch the software, and and when they look into their webcam, they see themselves on the screen, but wearing a virtual watch.
They can then customise it by choosing different options available to them - a variety of bracelets, colours and other parameters - all while seeing the watch transform itself on their wrist.
Tissot president Francois Thiebaud says that the bespoke experience resulted has allowed the company to sell a lot more watches.
"What makes it really special is the synergy of the touch technology of our Touch collection with the augmented reality functionality - it's the perfect way to get thousands of consumers to experience Tissot and experiment with its features," he adds.
And even if shoppers cannot really design a watch from scratch, they still have a lot more choice than inside a store - so some uniqueness is guaranteed.
Authentic luxury
But once the demands are received, it is often tricky for the consumers to contact the manufacturer in case they change their minds about the chosen colour or material.
Not Just a Label deals with that problem - it serves as an online platform for direct interaction between designers and consumers.
When buyers visit the company's online shop and add a product to the cart, they are first asked to customise - to choose whether they want the ring, for instance, to be gold-plated or silver, bearing a shining diamond or a baby blue sapphire.
As they check out, another box pops up, and customers can add even more requests.
And once a designer starts working on such one-of-a-kind creation, the client can get in touch along the way to make comments and send additional measurements "to produce a truly personalised piece", says the company's co-founder Stefan Siegel.
"We call it authentic luxury. In today's world, money doesn't really distinguish you anymore - there are too many people with money.
"So the future of fashion is individuality - owning something unique and then keeping it for more seasons because it is so unique, and almost like having a story to tell your friends when you wear it."
All white for game time: Nike unveils Boise State Pro Combat uniforms
It seems as if it’s going to become a tradition year-in for Boise State to don Nike’s sophisticated and high-tech Pro Combat uniforms.
Last year’s uniform worn against Virginia Tech, was intriguing but nothing too extreme: a grey-based uniform with a blue bronco on the right shoulder completed with blue pants, blue shoes and blue helmets. However, with all the controversy regarding the Broncos’ home uniforms and its correlation to the blue turf from the Mountain West presidents, the word blue has nearly turned into a forbidden four letter word amongst other universities in terms of Boise State.
Nike worked around the obstacle and came up with an all white uniform.
Let’s just say Georgia fans should hope there isn’t freak snow storm in Georgia during Saturday night’s game. But, the new jerseys do come with innovating new features: a flywire collar that keeps the jersey in place without adding weight, deflex padding and chain mail mesh to provide two-way airflow to cool and wick sweat off players, a key factor in keeping up with the East Coast humidity (something the Broncos struggled with against Virginia Tech last year). Also, the vapor carbon gloves with the recognizable Bronco logo provide extra durability and grip.
Personally, I’m always impressed in what Nike has to offer come football season. The new attire gives fans and the college football community a reason to want the sporting company to continue to provide college jerseys and sporting apparel.
However, in regards to the new Boise State jersey, it may be a little too white for my liking. The blue-outlined, white helmet adds a new flare Bronco fans are not used to, but the white jersey on top of the white pants may be a bit too overbearing.
Let’s just hope these jerseys blind the eyes of UGA players as much as they do mine.
Last year’s uniform worn against Virginia Tech, was intriguing but nothing too extreme: a grey-based uniform with a blue bronco on the right shoulder completed with blue pants, blue shoes and blue helmets. However, with all the controversy regarding the Broncos’ home uniforms and its correlation to the blue turf from the Mountain West presidents, the word blue has nearly turned into a forbidden four letter word amongst other universities in terms of Boise State.
Nike worked around the obstacle and came up with an all white uniform.
Let’s just say Georgia fans should hope there isn’t freak snow storm in Georgia during Saturday night’s game. But, the new jerseys do come with innovating new features: a flywire collar that keeps the jersey in place without adding weight, deflex padding and chain mail mesh to provide two-way airflow to cool and wick sweat off players, a key factor in keeping up with the East Coast humidity (something the Broncos struggled with against Virginia Tech last year). Also, the vapor carbon gloves with the recognizable Bronco logo provide extra durability and grip.
Personally, I’m always impressed in what Nike has to offer come football season. The new attire gives fans and the college football community a reason to want the sporting company to continue to provide college jerseys and sporting apparel.
However, in regards to the new Boise State jersey, it may be a little too white for my liking. The blue-outlined, white helmet adds a new flare Bronco fans are not used to, but the white jersey on top of the white pants may be a bit too overbearing.
Let’s just hope these jerseys blind the eyes of UGA players as much as they do mine.
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