What does the modern day consumer want? One stop shopping. But, where the Internet falls short, the department store saves the day. Despite today’s technologically saturated society, the Internet fails to meet all consumer needs. It may be an easily accessible, infinitely stocked virtual space with a cornucopia of options to choose from, but it lacks one essential feature: the ability to appeal to the sense of touch.
Whether e-commerce entrepreneurs like it or not, humans, at their basest level, love to feel and touch the products they want to buy. That’s Marketing 101. And that’s where the department store comes in to play. It’s one stop shopping for your savvy consumer. Retailing moguls like Neimen Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, and H&M have taken back what was rightfully theirs before the Internet bubble of the 1990s stole the show.
But the Internet bubble burst, as they tend to do, and now the fields of floor space that line 5th and Madison are once again in bloom. Department stores carry the newest designers, offering moderate priced alternatives to the trendiest fashions as well. The stores offer the consumer the ability to transit between brands, ensuring an individualized style, and to try their choices on, ensuring an individualized fit.
Name Lily Gunn
Class 2002
College Hum Ec
Major Apparel Design
What one word describes your style?
Classically girly.
Who or what do you look to for personal inspiration?
Jackie O. on vacation.
What’s your major source for style?
Flea markets and Bloomingdale’s.
What’s hot?
Seven jeans and turquoise.
What’s not?
Mid-drift tops.
Name Jake Brown
Class 2003
College Arts & Sciences
Major Economics
What one word describes your style?
Retro-modern
Who or what do you look to for personal inspiration?
Glossy fashion ads.
What’s your major source for style?
Wanna get my clothes at Neiman. Usually end up at H&M.
What’s hot?
Energie jeans.
What’s not?
Diesel jeans.
Archived article by Laura Thomas