Shopping: Shoes, Sales and … Social Media

Introducing a new side of vanity

LONDON, July 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — When shopping for an outfit for a special occasion or evening wear for all occasions you’d think that a woman’s biggest qualm would be dress size. Wrong. In a recent survey carried out by fashion etailer and home shopping catalogue Kaleidoscope, 81% of British women said that their social media channels were their number one concern when shopping for occasionwear.

How women will appear in photos on social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were ranked as more important than the fit, style, colour and even cost of an outfit for a special occasion. The study revealed that women feared:

Being judged by their followers and friends for their outfit choice (77%)
Being tagged in the same outfit as a friend or guest at the occasion (71%)
That their partner would see they had splurged on a new outfit (43%)
That other guests would look better than them in the photos posted (56%)


This revelation shows how the rise in popularity of social sharing platforms are transforming our shopping habits; where once fit and colour were arguably seen as the most important factors influencing buying behaviour, the focus has now sharpened on how their purchases are perceived by others on social media.

Helen North, Head of Marketing at Kaleidoscope, says she isn’t surprised by these results; “The findings reflect the rise in social networking. In the same way that we watch celebrity style, the consumer is concerned that their own style will be similarly judged by their family, friends and followers.”

But how can retailers inspire more confidence in their consumers again? Helen says that it’s all about exclusivity. “At Kaleidoscope… all of our products are designed to be different with special detail that you won’t find on the high street. We endeavour to make sure that women look and feel their best both on the day and on their social media channels afterwards.”

And, with wedding season in full swing, women up and down the country will be buying occasion wear with one particular thing on their mind… social media.


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