Rebecca Minkoff is no neophyte in the tech arena. The CFDA designer invites customers into her brand and life through innovative digital reveals such as launching looks on Snapchat before they hit the runway. A vocal voice in the industry, Minkoff recently expressed why women need to be at the forefront of the technology revolution and how she will help create those opportunities in a Business of Fashion op-ed. In true innovative fashion, Minkoff was also one of the first designers to pioneer the “see now, buy now” approach during fashion week, a format that has been the talk of the industry since the CFDA launched its study with The Boston Consulting Group on the future of New York Fashion Week (click here for the study’s findings).
CFDA.com sat down with Minkoff and it’s clear that there is no code she can’t crack.
CFDA.com: When did you first become interested in technology?
Rebecca Minkoff: “Technology has always fascinated me. Early on, I saw the power in it while creating my brand from the ground up and recognized how I was able to use technology to speak to my customer directly. Through technology, I am able to create things that are more than just a want in my customer’s life, but an absolute need that she can benefit from in so many ways.”
CFDA.com: Tell us about the technology integration in your store? How are customers responding to it now?
R.M.: “I started brainstorming on the vision for this season with my brother Uri Minkoff, who is our CEO. It was our goal to showcase never-before-seen retail technology that merges the online and physical shopping experience through my viewpoint to specifically cater to my customer. My customers are able to experience the most advanced and cutting-edge technology at the forefront of retail innovation in a space that brings my ‘downtown-romantic’ aesthetic to life.
The technology has been incredibly successful for us as we are able to engage our customer in a way that she identifies with and collect invaluable date along the way. Female millennials are our customers. They are digital natives and have grown up online, so technology is innate for them. By using our in-store technology, our customer is directly telling us what she wants every time she walks in the door. We’ve seen a 3-4 percentage increase in ready-to-wear sales since opening our connected stores this past year. About 75 percent of consumers engage with the ‘wear it with’ feature in connected dressing rooms and 25 percent are then asking for the item to be brought to their fitting room.
The data has also helped inform marketing decisions. In terms of our marketing mix, the millennial customer is of course using her phone to research before coming into the store and also while in-store so we want to be able to reach her across all of these moments when she’s turning to her device. Last year we more than doubled our mobile search marketing to ensure we reach her where she’s spending time.”
CFDA.com: In what ways do your customers engage with you and your brand via technology and how has that changed since your brand first launched?
R.M.: “These days we get a lot of feedback on Instagram – our customers are very vocal and always have something to share with us. When I first launched, things were very different in the tech space, but I spent an hour every night chatting with consumers on fashion blogs. That was really when I realized how important that direct dialogue is and at the time, it was the best way to do it.”
CFDA.com: What is the latest piece of technology or app that you can’t live without right now?
R.M.: “Snapchat! (Find us: rebeccaminkoff).”
CFDA.com: What is the best part about the intersection between fashion and technology occurring right now?
R.M.: “It’s inclusive. For so long, what we offered could only be experienced by those in the industry. Now our consumers get to play a huge role and because of technology, they are no longer excluded.”
CFDA.com: What is your hope for the future of fashion and technology and how will your brand play a role in achieving it?
R.M.: “I want to incorporate technological features that make sense for my customer, not just doing tech for tech’s sake. It’s critical to identify certain pain points that my customer has and ease them by integrating technology into their life seamlessly and in a fashionable way.”
CFDA.com: What can the CFDA do to create more opportunities for members within technology?
R.M.: “We are looking for technology for women, by women – women who want to break the mold and do something unique with ever changing technology. Ultimately, creating what their peers and my customers need. After running my company for 11 years, I know that as an ambassador for Intel, a designer, and as a millennial woman, a pivotal role of mine is to understand the value of creative technology for my business and customers, as well as encourage women to educate themselves and get involved with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). We need allies who will consider us when enhancing and creating new technologies and who will ultimately encourage us never to waver. The CFDA is in a position to encourage women in the industry to pursue STEM education and utilize that knowledge to elevate the quality of technology in the fashion industry.”
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