High fashion meets fast fashion

From September, Burberry will make clothing and accessories available during its fashion shows, not months later (as traditional). Why? One reason is that fast-fashion marketing to the masses (by H&M and Zara, among others) has conditioned buyers to expect easy and quick access to in-season styles.

High-fashion buyers want to be able to buy online or in a store soon after a fashion hits the runway, at a time when they plan to wear it. So instead of showing summer fashions in winter or spring fashions in fall, Burberry will show fashions when they're in season and immediately sell the clothing online and in stores. Logistics may be easier once the shows, production and distribution are aligned rather than separated by many months. Plus, Burberry is cutting back on shows, introducing collections on the runway twice a year instead of four times a year.

Another reason for the change in availability is to avoid the delay that allows others to produce lower-end versions of high fashion. This protects exclusivity for the brand, at least for a short period. See a style in a show? Click to buy right away, wear the clothing within days and bask in the status of being among the very first to have the latest style.

Burberry has been emphasising mobile marketing in recent years, finding that the majority of visits to its website come from mobile devices. Continuing with digital marketing, the brand's menswear collection recently streamed on Apple TV (but with no e-commerce opportunities). The brand is working with SnapChat to target fashionistas. Marketing remains an area for investment, even when Burberry considers cost-cutting moves.

Multichannel Marketing for Hello Kitty's 40th Birthday at McDonald's

It's that time of year again: McDonald's Singapore has just released a new limited-edition set of Hello Kitty plush toys for purchase with certain menu items, to celebrate the iconic kitty's 40th birthday. Every Monday, a new kitty character will be released until all 6 toys are available for purchase.

In the past, such promotions prompted crowding and near-riots as collectors rushed to get their favourite kitty at a local McDonald's restaurant. This year, the promotion is a very digital event, with Facebook photos and posts, online ordering at the McDonald's Singapore website and more.

On the first day of sale, online purchasing was interrupted when the website crashed due to high volume. Demand remains strong, which is why McDonald's is limiting the number of sets available to each buyer.

Although offering Hello Kitty as a sales promotion is intended to increase footfall and food purchasing, McDonald's is wise to avoid logistical problems with a multichannel strategy of optional online ordering. The restaurant chain has also teamed up with SingPost, Singapore's postal service, to deliver sets to collectors at home or at pick-up stations, a smart channel choice to relieve crowding in the restaurants.

In fact, SingPost is joining the Hello Kitty birthday celebration by selling special stamps and other merchandise. Watch for more Hello Kitty merchandise worldwide as the iconic brand continues its celebration.

Multichannel marketing and the 'last mile' challenge

Customers want to be able to buy in a store or online or via app, from anywhere, at any time. Perhaps the most problematic aspect of multichannel marketing is actually getting products to buyers--the 'last mile' challenge.

Different retailers are tackling the 'last mile' challenge in different ways, as Marketing Week points out in its yearend review of UK marketing. 

• Waitrose is storing grocery purchases in temperature-controlled lockers that buyers unlock with a code delivered via mobile. This allows the grocery chain to serve customers in areas where it has no stores.
• Ebay purchased Shutl in October, with the goal of speeding purchases to customers in a growing number of markets worldwide. 
• Asda's 'click & collect' program adds convenience by encouraging shopping via app and convenient pickup from locations near customers' homes or offices. 
• Amazon has announced plans to investigate the use of drones (Octocopters) for delivery within 30 minutes of online ordering. Really.

Watch for more innovations and experiments as online marketers test new ways to make buying and receiving products as convenient and painless as possible.