Myer and Clemenger BBDO have launched 'Catwalk to Cart' for Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival (VAMFF), an initiative that enables fashionistas to purchase runway looks directly from their seat.
The mobile experience integrates e-commerce with the live catwalk and will offer information about the pieces and outfits through a mobile website.
The website, which will use a 'Tinder' style swiping interface, will see outfits automatically appearing on users' mobile screens as a model approaches. The user is then given the option to save items of interest for purchase.
This is not the first time runways have become commercialised, last year Topshop introduced a similar runway to customer buying model, with attendees at the London show and people watching a live stream able to buy key looks straight from the catwalk.
Australian fashion site The Iconic also launched a 'Shop the Show' option during its VAMFF show last March.
Myer executive general manager of brand and marketing Michael Scott says, however, it's channel is unlike other attempts which are, he says, so often “clunky” in their execution.
“Shoppable videos and live-streaming are now commonplace, but the user experience is often clunky, integrating multiple products within a fast-moving video is hard and handing off to e-commerce carts has been problematic,” he says.
The mobile content will also be timed so that what attendees see on the website is synced in real time to their position on the runway. Outfits will appear on-screen as a model walks towards the user.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne ECD of digital Chris James says: “Each item in the show has been carefully selected, photographed, assigned to a model and uploaded on to the mobile web destination. This allows us to augment a personalised experience to users’ phones without having to build an app.”
Myer has partnered with OohMedia! for the event, with screens playing looped videos of the show with prompts on how to use the website.
OohMedia! CEO Brendon Cook says the campaign sets a new benchmark for out-of-home media and customer engagement.
“The fashion parade will be broadcast from Ooh’s six-storey high Bourke Street Mall digital billboard and on digital screens inside the Emporium. Thousands of shoppers will be impacted who are actively looking for fashion inspiration, which will help drive sales both online and in-store,” says Cook.
Myer's VAMFF runway show takes place today.
“Getting runway show audiences to buy product has been a challenge all fashion brands have been looking to solve for some time. It’s really exciting that through ‘Catwalk to Cart’ we’ve been able to solve this,” says Michael Scott.
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