Alternative Distribution

The Challenge:

In the retail fashion industry, product knowledge is key to delivering successful sales results. A major fashion retailer needed a way to share information about upcoming trends and new clothing lines with their designer sales force. Buyers would travel to several cities to hold “Buyers Show” meetings to communicate what they saw at market and to inform the sales force what they had decided to market in the stores. However, there was no simple way to deliver a concise, consistent message to the entire sales team quickly or cost effectively.

The Designer Group’s marketing director wanted a solution to reach all designer sales force team members with a similar presentation to that they would see if they had attended the “Buyer Show.” The solution had to be cost-efficient, accessible to all designer sales force team members and compatible in stores that used both PC and Mac platforms.

The Solution:

We created a product that could be used during live presentations, as well as be viewed by an individual at their desk.

We produced a CD that would play on any computer using the resident web browser. The software we used allowed us to incorporate video images of the individual buyers’ presenting their material in a window in one corner of the screen. Another window contained PowerPoint slides and video inserts of fashion runway shots as well as interviews with designers and other pertinent video clips.

The CD was distributed to all stores for use in staff meetings or by individuals.

The Result:

Stores received an end product that plays on a computer desktop or can be shown using a video projector and laptop at group meetings. The same information is shared in all locations and a meeting leader can play, pause and select chapters to display by using a menu bar incorporated into the screen.

The marketing director was pleased with the results and has been using this method for all Designer Buyer presentations ever since. She recently recommended this same tool to some of her colleagues who are currently planning how to use this technology to communicate to their sales teams.