Rent the Runway: Designer Style Made Affordable

I have been eyeing various incarnations of Herve Leger's bandage dress for over a year now, checking Saks and Net-a-Porter's websites regularly, and trying it on in several boutiques.
And every time, I almost make the purchase, but in the end, I can't justify the $1500 price tag. I had almost given up on my dream of surprising my boyfriend in what is often considered the sexiest dress of the decade, but then I discovered a brilliant solution for fellow recessionistas: Rent the Runway.

Rent the Runway is an invite-only site that enables women to rent a designer dress (labels like Badgley Mischka, Matthew Williamson, and Proenza Schouler) for between $50-$200. I can wear my beloved bandage dress for a full four days for only $150.

According to founders Jenny Fleiss and Jennifer Hyman, being fashionable should be easy: "As fun-loving girls growing up in New York, we observed the latent need for a service like Rent the Runway to accommodate our need for special dresses for all of the special occasions in our lives. Rent the Runway is designed for girls just like us who have many fun events in their lives, but don’t want the guilt or the expense of purchasing so many different outfits. Every girl wants the Carrie Bradshaw closet but who has the space, time, or money to assemble such a collection?"

Rent the Runway allows users to search for dresses by designer, style, and trend. They also categorized dresses by occasions as varied as "girls' night out", "fall wedding", and even the "this is getting serious date". Users unsure of their size can order the same dress in two sizes, and those debating between two (or three) dresses can order a second dress for only $25. Dresses arrive with a pre-paid envelope (like Netflix) and users can chat with the site's stylists for sizing, accessorizing, and other advice. There is even a same-day courier service for those in New York City.

Fleiss and Hyman comment: "Especially with the popularity of Facebook, girls face a social pressure to constantly be on trend and avoid repeating outfits. We ourselves have faced so many times in our lives when we would love to pop into Barney’s to buy the latest Herve mini but can’t justify the purchase. Rent the Runway enables girls to have fun with fashion, reach outside of their comfort zone to experiment with new designers, and expand their wardrobes beyond their wildest dreams!"

MyEhive: Buy Handmade Goods in the UK & Ireland

Do you love Etsy but live in Europe? MyEHive is an online marketplace for handmade goods for the UK & Ireland. And although MyEhive is a global marketplace, it encourages sourcing lo cally to help create wealth in communities for a durable future. Its focus on the UK market makes it an attractive alternative to Etsy for European artisans and buyers.

The site offers a variety of handmade items, from soaps to invitations to jewelry. The items vary from kitschy, such as felt DIY iPhone covers, to high end (like the Love's Dream necklace with Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls by Melissa Leon.) MyEHive's Coccoon Blog showcases some of the most unique items on the site.

MyEHive has created a retro-style demo video. Check it out below.

Relevancy is Key When Targeting Women Online

Online marketing firm Prospectiv recently conducted a consumer survey targeting women online. The study, which surveyed over 1000 women, found that relevancy is crucial when it comes to marketing communications online. The results also pointed to some key differences between women with children and those without.

Some of the highlights:

• Women want to see information that is relevant to their lifestyle. This is particularly relevant for mothers: 45% of mothers said they are most interested in receiving marketing information that pertains to their lifestyle, vs. 30% of non-moms.


• Moms are more flexible than non-moms about email marketing. Only 20% of moms said,
  "Don't send me anything at all," while 35% of non-mothers said the same.


• Nearly half of respondents (45%) to the Prospectiv survey said that brands can communicate with them most effectively through product samples offered online. Respondents who are mothers were more in favor than non-mothers of product samples (47% vs. 38%, respectively.)


• 39% of survey respondents said trying a sample would most likely get them to purchase a product. The other options were: having a coupon to use, necessity, or receiving a personal recommendation.


• Coupons were also viewed as an effective marketing tool. 53% of the women surveyed had
  clipped coupons and 18% had redeemed online coupons in the past year.


• 35% of repsondents said they are reluctant to share information such as email address, age, and gender, but 71% would share that information to receive discounts, promotional offers, and coupons.

Plus-Sized Retailer Lane Bryant Launches Community

Lane Bryant, one of biggest names in plus-sized fashion, recently launched an online community, the Inside Curve. The community offers simple but effective features such as profiles, photos, and groups. Members will also receive fashion tips and information on trends, as well as coupons, promotions, and exclusive savings.

Says Jay Dunn, Vice President of Marketing, "We're hoping to provide a forum for women who are interested in fashion, who happen to be size 14 and above. We want to give them a place to get closer to the brand -- inside the brand, so to speak."

Dunn's goal is to increase sales, as well as bring in new, younger customers. "There are a lot of consumers who may have dated perceptions about what the Lane Bryant brand stands for, and this is an opportunity to bring in not just a younger customer, but an Internet-savvy customer," he says. Dunn also believes that Inside Curve is part of "an evolving but important part of our marketing and customer-relationship management mix."

Check out the Inside Curve's intro video below:

Retailers Add Social Media Capabilities to Shopping Sites

A recent eMarketer report revealed the site features and functions retailers planned to add to their sites. A variety of social media functions made the list, including plans to build communities, add customer ratings and reviews, and even blogs. The most popular social media function on the retailers' list, however, was personalized product recommendations.


Peer recommendations are common on social shopping sites, such as Polyvore and StyleHop. Says senior eMarketer analyst Jeffrey Grau:"There are situations where peer recommendations provide more meaningful results. Take for example a woman who has just moved to Manhattan and needs help choosing and purchasing appropriate business attire. An automated recommendation system would be challenged to find suitable suggestions based on her historical shopping data. A better source of apparel advice would be other professionals working in New York.”

And the benefits of peer recommendations are not limited to customers. “Retailers like personalized product recommendations because they create cross-sell and upsell opportunities,” says Mr. Grau. “They also cite long-term benefits such as a higher degree of customer engagement and loyalty.”