STORES Magazine - October 2008 - (Page 10)

CONSIDER THIS / EXECUTIVE EDITOR’S PAGE “It’s So You!” BY SUSAN REDA hopping is one of my passions, but like so many Americans, I’ve not been able to indulge this passion quite as much over the past few months. Gas prices have been over $3.50 since May in my neck of the woods — often well over — and I don’t have to tell you what’s happened to the family food bill. Both expenses have seriously cut into my shopping pleasures . . . until I discovered Bevy. While doing research for STORES’ September cover story, I came across an application that billed itself as “a catalyst for conversation” to “discuss and discover fashion.” Bevy gives me the chance to browse hundreds of designer and brand-name fashions, store them in my virtual closet, chat with friends, and gather some fashion advice, too. If I don’t want to spend a dime, I don’t have to. This is social shopping . . . and it’s worth checking out. Bevy is a Seattle-based operation run by a handful of e-commerce luminaries, including alumni of Amazon, Eddie Bauer and Real Networks. CEO Kevin Foreman reports that since the application launched on Facebook in May, close to 40,000 women have signed on as “fans,” and less than five months later, Bevy lays claim to being the fastest-growing fashion group on Facebook. There are three main conversation starters on Bevy. Users can build a virtual closet, ask a fashion question or create a style profile. I haven’t created a profile yet; I prefer to delve into the merchandise and the conversation. My virtual closet is starting to fill up — mostly with shoes and handbags. You pick items you love, and you can swap items in and out at will (for guys, this would be the equivalent of selecting — rather than having to draft — a fantasy football team). And you can share your closet with a friend if you’re looking for some feedback. If I decide to indulge one of my fantasies, I can click “more info” or “buy.” The application takes me directly to the item at an online retail store. Already, Bevy has nearly 100 retail affiliate partners. The retailer gets the sale: Bevy gets a commission. Ever wonder what to wear to a summer beach wedding? There’s a good chance Bevy has the answers. Users can ask a few friends to respond, invite all of their Facebook friends or open it up to everyone in the Bevy community. I asked whether to buy rounded or pointy-toe pumps for fall. Several friends weighed in; the consensus is rounded-toe pumps. There’s a cute way to connect with friends when browsing around on Bevy. If you find something and instantly think to yourself . . . “that’s so Jill” or “that’s so Barbara,” you can send Jill or Barbara the images with a simple “it’s so you” caption. If you’re a fashion junkie like me, that fairly well sums up my take on Bevy, too. S STORES Magazine STORES Digital Edition STORES.org STORES Knowledge Series® STORES First Edition STORES Retail Deals 325 7th St. NW, Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20004 202/626-8101 RICK GALLAGHER Publisher Vice President 202/626-8103 FAX: 866/640-8136 E-mail: publisher@nrf.com SUSAN PATTERSON Assistant Publisher 202/626-8102 FAX: 202/661-3042 E-mail: pattersons@nrf.com EDITORIAL SUSAN REDA Executive Editor 516/437-1245 FAX: 866/640-8138 E-mail: editor@nrf.com HARRY LISTER Managing Editor 202/626-8199 FAX: 866/640-8137 E-mail: listerh@nrf.com EMINE BEHNAM Production Manager 202/661-3047 FAX: 866/235-1939 E-mail: behname@nrf.com MARY ALICE ELMER Copy Editor LUCY D. REDDAWAY Creative Director ADVERTISING & MARKETING MIKE GRIBBIN Advertising Director 410/893-8003 Kim Daniele Molly Deise Therese Draddy Chris Hodges Dan McClure Tim O’Connell Executive Publishing Inc. 900A Main St., Suite 103 Bel Air, MD 21014 410/893-8003 FAX: 410/893-8004 E-mail: advertising@stores.org CIRCULATION ELENA CAIOLA Senior Director, Circulation and Information Management 202/626-8146 FAX: 866/640-8139 E-mail: circulation@nrf.com DORIS MASON Circulation Assistant 202/626-8172 FAX: 866/640-8140 For article reprints, including e-prints, please contact our Reprint Coordinator at Wright's Reprints 877-652-5295 or STORESreprints@wrightsreprints.com. editor@nrf.com At STORES, we appreciate hearing our readers’ thoughts and comments. Please address your correspondence to editor@nrf.com, or contact me at (516) 437-1245. 10 STORES / OCTOBER 2008 WWW.STORES.ORG http://www.STORES.org http://www.STORES.org http://WWW.STORES.ORG

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

STORES Magazine - October 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Force of a Different Collar What Shoppers Think Bagging the Competition 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Favorite 50 Sticky Strategies for Retention Concept2Watch Kiosks Online Business Intelligence RFID NRFtech Wrap-up E-Commerce Credit Warehouse Systems Logistics Selling Tools Supply Chain LOEB Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - October 2008

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