Rebecca Minkoff Talks About the Importance of Experiential Marketing
Last week, Rebecca Minkoff was honored for having the best omnichannel experience at the Decoded Fashion Summit in New York City. The fashion brand’s technology-driven stores, experiential customer service in-store and partnership with AOL on a live, shoppable runway helped Rebecca Minkoff claim the top prize.
Before heading to the award show, Minkoff sat down with her brother Uri at the Summit to discuss the changes the brand has made over the last year as well as what consumers can expect from its new stores (Rebecca Minkoff’s Los Angeles store opened the night before!). The unplugged session revealed a lot about Rebecca Minkoff’s thoughts on the retail industry as well as the value she puts on experiential marketing.
“It’s really about merging the customer experience and having technology enhance that,” said Rebecca Minkoff.
Consumers first glimpse of the in-store technology came last year at Rebecca Minkoff’s New York flagship store. Augmented reality and “smart” mirrors that enable users to change clothing colors, suggest size and show accessories to style the items with are just a few of the ways Rebecca Minkoff is using technology to personalize the in-store shopping experience. Check out this video to see the technology in action.
For the launch of the brand’s L.A. store, Minkoff wanted to emphasize the experience of shopping in-store. For example, Minkoff cited her brand’s week-long partnership with Y7 Studio for yoga classes that were held in the new store.
“It brought in new customers that wouldn’t normally see our product, and let them experience our brand in a new way,” said Rebecca Minkoff.
In addition to its partnership with Y7, Rebecca Minkoff’s new L.A. store features a create-your-own makeup bar, the result of the brand’s partnership with Smashbox. The retailer invited local bloggers and social influencers to tour the store — and to help spread the word.
“We want to connect with our customers, and social media is a big part of our marketing efforts,” noted Rebecca Minkoff.
