STORES Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 100)

CONSIDER THIS / LOEB RETAIL LETTER Copyright 2008 by Loeb Associates Inc. Used by permission. Tracking Trends and Fads BY WALTER LOEB When I began to compose this column about trends and fads, I realized that there were many more examples than I had initially remembered. There have been many clothing fads, but how many of you remember the Invisible Piranha that shook the world? Perhaps you recall Furby, who talked and talked until he was put into a dark corner. Fads are fun and they create excitement among shoppers. I have listed some of the fads that struck a chord with me, and I invite readers to send me their recollections of other fads that were important store traffic builders over the last 50 years. Depending on the response, I might revisit this theme in a future column. I remember that in past years toy store operators were happy when a new fad Walter F. Loeb is a New Yorkdeveloped – and, at the based consultant and member same time, ducked when of the NRF board of directors they were out of stock in that whose newsletter is published item. The Cabbage Patch monthly in STORES. doll is a case in point; many store managers had window signs when the doll was actually in stock. Today, Webkinz are in many stores and are connected to an online community were they live and breathe. Times have certainly changed, which set me to thinking whether we have fewer fads and trends than in years gone by. Perhaps it’s not so much a case of fewer trends, but that the action has shifted more into the electronic arena. I remember when Gimbel’s Department Store introduced the ballpoint pen for $32.99. It was supposed to write under water; maybe it did. The crush to get these pens was enormous. Eventually, you could buy ballpoint pens for less than $1, but these first pens were a classic fad. Every retailer is still looking for excitement that turns one of his departments into a must-visit destination. The trick, of course, is to find another item that creates the same excitement and buying power the following year. We need greater merchandise excitement in stores to create consumer interest and generate extra sales. During leaner times, retailers are generally more conservative and 100 STORES / APRIL 2008 less willing to take chances on new ideas. And yet, in the current economic environment, that is exactly what stores need. The retail landscape has changed drastically over the last 50 years: there are designers working in discount and mass-merchandise stores in order to gain greater acceptance for their wares. The customer is doing more crossshopping than ever before and chooses stores for specific purposes. I see a need to create more excitement through better in-store merchandising, as well as the development of new and innovative merchandise. MERCHANDISE FADS FOOTWEAR Ugg boots Croc shoes APPAREL Beanies Poodle skirts and bobby sox North Face jackets Tie-dyed T-shirts TOYS Yo-yos Hula hoops Pogo sticks Rubik’s Cube Pokemon DOLLS Cabbage Patch Kids Troll dolls Barbie dolls Furby Webkinz ELECTRONIC GAMES Xbox Wii PlayStation DS OTHER TRENDS Goldfish swallowing Phone booth stuffing Flagpole sitting Sudoku The Twist Lava lamps Please send your favorite fad that we did not mention to walter.loeb@att.net WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - April 2008

STORES Magazine - April 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page More Retailers Bagging Monthly Comp-Store Reports Time-Warner Center's Economy-Defying Results What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Eating Locally Grocery Concept2Watch Restaurants Online Services Marketing Human Resources Product Lifecycle Management E-Commerce: Peer Reviews Drive Online Buyers Kiosks Recycling Operations Payment Systems POS Logistics E-Commerce: Getting Personal Website Management LOEB Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - April 2008

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