What is also noteworthy is that all of these retailers are focused on the customer first. The products involve a personal experience where the customer is either involved in the creation of the product or gets distinctly personal service when shopping. Click here to read the full story.

The winners are:

The Blue Jeans Bar, San Francisco, CA

Edward Beiner, Miami, FL

Fashionology, Beverly Hills, CA

OrangeCup, San Antonio, TX

According to the New York Times, quite a few technology companies are rushing to be the first and the best at building a salesperson kiosk for apparel retailers. These interactive kiosks will provide customers with product information, pricing, and checkout options. The systems will keep data on shoppers’ previous purchases and suggest apparel and accessories that match their preferences. Some versions of the system will even help shoppers try the products (virtually, of course) before purchasing. This has been tested before but the new version is much more stylized than the old, clunky kiosks that are still used at the airport. 

This sounds good, but there’s one problem…some kinds of shopping require personal service. Men may be more inclined to this type of hands-off service. They need to know if the size, color and style are in stock. If they are, they buy and the guy is out the door. Women, on the other hand, often rely on the personal opinion of the salesperson to influence their purchase decision. They want to discuss fit, trends and styling ideas. Sometimes, that conversation is part and parcel of the shopping experience. Understandably, retailers are trying to find ways to remain relevant in the face of competition with the Internet. This could work provided adequate research is conducted to determine just what demographic will use a kiosk like this and how they would use it. Without that understanding, this effort could fall flat. It could even create an opportunity for stores that put an emphasis on service; stealing customers who couldn’t find anyone to help them decide if purple was really their color.

The term correction is being used to describe what’s happening in the financial markets, but it could also be applied to what’s happening in the retail environment. Brands, and their retail representatives, are taking a deep breath to examine who their customers are, who they are to the customer then who they need to be. That examination involves getting closer to the consumer and trying to determine their very specific needs and wants. Macy’s for example is taking a regional approach to connect with their customer — matching the product mix to the local lifestyle. Women in Pittsburgh will have a very different selection than women in Manhattan. The idea is to appeal to the customer’s actual way of life and provide products that are truly valuable.

Another approach emerging from this correction is appealing to the shoppers’ values. SunTrust is an example of a company pushing the values of honesty, integrity and service over great rates. Jayne O’Donnell of USAToday wrote an article this week about apparel retailers offering more modest clothing choices to appeal to the spartan inclinations of today’s tentative shopper. 

At the end of last year, Wall Street Journal heralded that bling is out…sensible is in. Even luxury goods manufacturers are evaluating shoppers’ values and making adjustments. Martin Lindstrom wrote a fascinating article on being offered a brown paper bag to carry his Hermes purchase out of the store.  Customers of the luxury retailer are forgoing the emblazoned shopping bag for fear of being identified as an ostentatious spender.

To quote Lindstrom, “Things have changed.” But could it just be a correction? Could the power be shifting back to the hands of the consumer to determine what they want, how they want it and forcing retailers and manufacturers to give it to them. Selling to the customer what they need and want versus what the marketer wants them to want.

In an article for Reuters India, Christine Chen, an analyst for Needham & Co said, “Most department store private label brands don’t offer anything too exciting on a fashion level.” Chen cited Bloomingdale’s Aqua line as an exception.  What could this mean for the fashion retail experience? How could increased interest in lower priced designer brands be maximized in the store environment while maintaining the cache of the brand? 

Walmart is even getting in on the branded fashion surge, increasing promotion of girl’s denim brand l.e.i. and surf-inspired apparel line Ocean Pacific (OP). Discounters like Walmart and Target should consider highlighting these high-style, low cost brands by taking a cue from department store configurations. The store-inside-the-store concept could work well inside a big box to draw attention to designer labels and relieve big box fatigue.