See-Now-Buy-Now…Do We Want It Now?
The new see-now-buy-now business model that allows customers to purchase looks straight off the runway has increasingly come under fire, as designers and industry experts debate whether this commerce structure is actually profitable, or just a pain in the neck. Big name brands testing see-now-buy-now include Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Topshop Unique, Moschino, and H&M Studio. But does it work? Here’s a summary of who’s pro and con see-now-buy-now.
FOR
Rebecca Minkoff CEO Uri Minkoff told New York Magazine’s The Cut that with see-now-buy-now the label’s seen a 64% increase in sales in one year. Similarly the hype around Tommy Hilfiger’s Tommy x Gigi Fall 2017 line supposedly drew great profits for the Tommy Now collaboration. Another brand to jump on the see-now-buy-now bandwagon is British vanguard, Christopher Kane, which launched a capsule collection of see-now-buy-now pieces to in February.
NEUTRAL (thus far)
Brands including Calvin Klein, Bottega Veneta, Vetements, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Coach 1971, and Kenzo have all combined, or are about to combine, their womenswear and menswear collections, which is as much of a nod to gender fluidity as it is the paradigmatic shift within fashion business. It seems these brands’ way of keeping current and cost-effective is more about minimising extra expense but amping up the hype surrounding them – case in point: Gucci.
AGAINST
Meanwhile Thakoon, which was one of the first labels to embrace see-now-buy-now, has decided to ‘pause’ this commerce concept, with designer Tom Ford recently announcing that he’s ditching it completely for his eponymous brand. The designer told Women’s Wear Daily that the store and fashion show schedules don’t align, making it difficult for not just his brand, but others’, to get their runway looks to the customer straight after the collection’s been debuted.
Overall, it’s tough to see whether this is a worthwhile endeavour for fashion brands, because they’ve all been tight-lipped about what the numbers say. And even if it may seem as though it’s been a wild success, as ‘Sold Out’ notes dominate shopping sites – *cough* Moschino *cough, cough* – there’s few stats and figures floating around about see-now-buy-now’s profitability. So, for the moment, jury’s still out. From our perspective, though, we don’t care if we have to wait, we just want to be able to afford all of the pretty, pretty things available. #girlsjustwannahavefunds, y’know?
